Xavier Pi-Sunyer Award
Katherine Bauer, PhD, FTOS
Associate Professor
University of Michigan School of Public Health
The Xavier Pi-Sunyer Award recognizes a mid-career investigator who is making an innovative and impactful contribution to obesity research, treatment, or clinical care. The award was established to honor Professor Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, FTOS, a founding member of The Obesity Society. His dedicated service to the obesity community includes his work in understanding the physiology of obesity, developing new treatments, and developing the first obesity treatment guidelines.
Thomas A. Wadden Award for Distinguished Mentorship
Jeffrey Zigman, MD, PhD, FTOS
Professor
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Created in 2015, the award honors a TOS member for distinguished mentorship of the Society’s early career investigators. The award is named for Professor Thomas A. Wadden, PhD, who mentored many individuals who went on to pursue successful careers in obesity research and clinical care.
TOPS Research Achievement Award
Allan Geliebter, PhD, FTOS
Professor
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The TOPS Research Achievement Award is for singular achievement or contribution to research in the field of obesity and is made possible through an annual grant from the Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) Foundation.
Jules Hirsch Innovation Award
Zhao Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor
UT Southwestern Medical Center
The Innovation Award recognizes an early-career investigator whose novel work will significantly impact the field of obesity.
Friends of Albert (Mickey) Stunkard
Lifetime Achievement Award
James Hill, PhD, FTOS
Distinguished Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The Friends of Albert (Mickey) Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award is designed to recognize an individual who has made a commitment to the field of obesity through scholarship, mentorship, and education.
George L. Blackburn Award for Excellence in Obesity Medicine
John Batsis, MD, FTOS
Associate Professor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The award is funded by the George L. Blackburn Foundation for Nutritional Medicine (GLBFNM ) in honor of George L. Blackburn, MD, PhD, whose long and distinguished career spanned nutrition, metabolism, and obesity, and whose clinical teaching focused on the important role of nutrition in maintaining health and preventing disease. The award recognizes the outstanding contribution of an exceptional mid-career individual in the field who is making significant and innovative contributions to Obesity Medicine in the spirit of the transformational contributions made by Dr. Blackburn during his career.
George A. Bray Founders Award
Darleen Sandoval, PhD, FTOS
Professor
University of Colorado
The George A. Bray Founders Award recognizes an individual for significant contributions that advance the scientific or clinical basis for understanding or treating obesity and for extensive involvement with The Obesity Society.
George A. Bray Doctoral Dissertation Award
Sara Ranjbar, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Baylor College of Medicine
The award recognizes one student for their doctoral dissertation, which is judged on the significance, scope, innovation, and scientific methodology in the field of obesity.
Pediatric Obesity Section:
Oded Bar-Or Award for Excellence in Pediatric Obesity Research
Amanda E. Staiano, PhD, FTOS
Professor
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Oded Bar-Or Award was established in 2007 to honor Oded Bar-Or, a pioneer in children’s health, by the Pediatric Obesity Section of TOS. This award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to basic and applied pediatric obesity research that have resulted in major advances in the scientific understanding of etiology, prevention, and treatment of pediatric obesity.
Clinical Practice Section:
Clinician of the Year Award
Beverly Tchang, MD, FTOS
Associate Professor
Cornell University
The Clinician of the Year Award was founded by the Clinical Practice Section, formerly known as the Clinical Management of Obesity Section of The Obesity Society. This award signifies excellence in the practice of obesity medicine and distinguishes a physician as having achieved a high level of competency and understanding in obesity care.
Pediatric Obesity Section:
Alison Field Early-Career Award for Excellence in Research in Pediatric Obesity
Eric Bomberg, MD
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota
The Alison Field Early-Career Award for Excellence in Research in Pediatric Obesity is a new award founded in 2024 by the Pediatric Obesity Section of The Obesity Society and recognizes an early-career investigator who has demonstrated a significant contribution to furthering our understanding of the causes, consequences, treatment, or prevention of pediatric obesity.
Clinical Practice Section:
Practitioner of the Year Award for Excellence in the Clinical Care and Management of Obesity
Robyn Pashby, PhD, FTOS
Founder and Executive Director
Health Psychology Partners, LLC
The Practitioner of the Year Award for Excellence in the Clinical Care and Management of Obesity is a new award, established in 2024 by the Clinical Practice Section of The Obesity Society, to recognize outstanding service in the evidence-based treatment of obesity by a Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Clinical Psychologist, or Nutritionist/Dietitian.
Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award
The winners will be announced at ObesityWeek 2026!
The Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award was established in honor of Ethan Sims, an early pioneer in obesity research, and recognizes excellence in research by young investigators.
Five semifinalists are selected based on their submitted abstracts and invited to present at ObesityWeek. Two recipients are selected based on their oral presentations, one for Basic Science and the other for Clinical Research.
The Presidential Medal of Distinction
The Presidential Medal of Distinction was created to honor and recognize the efforts of individuals or organizations who have made an impact on the care of persons with obesity through outstanding and enduring scientific achievements; public service with the aim of improving the health of the public; having made a tenacious and/or bold effort to spotlight obesity-related issues; and advocacy for persons with obesity.
Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD
Professor
Yale University
“For your excellence in the clinical science of obesity research as well as for your service to The Obesity Society.”
Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD, is a nationally and internationally respected obesity medicine physician-scientist, endocrinologist, and thought leader in the scientific development and clinical application of novel anti-obesity pharmacotherapeutics revolutionizing obesity treatment.
Dr. Jastreboff’s clinical research at Yale University over the last 20 years has included large, multicenter clinical outcomes trials of anti-obesity medications. Her work also includes neuroimaging studies using fMRI and PET to examine the neurobiology underlying obesity and the mechanisms of anti-obesity medications.
Dr. Jastreboff says, “Carrying excess weight and having obesity is not a lifestyle choice. Obesity is a chronic disease and should be treated with the same vigor and integrity as other chronic diseases.”
Robyn Pashby, PhD, FTOS
Founder and Executive Director
Health Psychology Partners, LLC
“In recognition of your work to bridge obesity medicine, psychological and behavioral health, and patient advocacy in ways that improve both clinical outcomes and patient experience in obesity care.”
For more than 20 years, the professional work of Robyn Pashby, PhD, has focused on improving the care of individuals living with obesity through clinical practice, education, research, advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration. As a licensed clinical health psychologist, researcher, and educator, she has dedicated her career to addressing the behavioral, psychological, and social dimensions of obesity and helping advance comprehensive, evidence-based obesity care. She has worked to bridge obesity medicine, psychological and behavioral health, and patient advocacy in ways that improve both clinical outcomes and the patient experience.
Dr. Pashby’s mission is “to equip both individuals and organizations with practical tools essential for prioritizing mental well-being as the cornerstone of health, personal development, and professional achievement.”
Her most recent efforts have focused on translating emerging evidence into practical guidance for clinicians navigating the rapidly evolving obesity treatment landscape, particularly in the era of new obesity medications.
Carole Sztalryd-Woodle, PhD
Associate Professor (Retired)
University of Maryland
“In recognition of your work and pioneering contributions to lipid droplet biology that led to advances in obesity and cardiometabolic research.”
Carole Sztalryd-Woodle, PhD, has had a vast career that includes working for the Veterans Administration in Baltimore, Maryland, the National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the University of Maryland.
At the University of Maryland, Dr. Sztalryd-Woodle was an associate professor and research physiologist, where she led a multidisciplinary team within a research program that contributed to translational and clinical projects in lipid droplet biology, metabolic disease, and cardiovascular disease. The work from her laboratory, including pioneering contributions to lipid droplet biology, particularly in understanding the roles of perilipins in metabolic regulation, led to advances in obesity and cardiometabolic research.
Dr. Sztalryd-Woodle is a member of several professional associations, has reviewed research applications for agencies worldwide, and has lectured at institutions nationally and internationally.