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| The Obesity Society
2008 Awards Bulletin |
November 2008 |
 Dear Society Members,
As incoming president of The Obesity Society, I am honored to serve the society and am excited about the initiatives we are planning for this coming year. I will devote future newsletters to sharing our plans and keeping you informed of society activities. However, in this newsletter, I want to acknowledge a few individuals who deserve a special 'thank-you' and to recognize all of the award winners from last year.
Firstly, I wish to acknowledge our immediate past president, Dr. Gary Foster, for his exceptional leadership of the society and the accomplishments that were achieved over the past year. Under Gary's leadership, we adopted a 5-year strategic plan that will guide the future of our society in three major directions--research, clinical care, and advocacy.
And a special thank-you to Dr. Jackie Stephens (chair) and Dr. Jack Yanovski (co-chair), who pulled together an outstanding annual conference in Phoenix. It was one of the most successful meetings to date--we received nearly 1000 abstracts and published 965. The meeting brought together more than 2000 attendees in a time of economic cutbacks. The science, research and clinical presentations were outstanding--a tribute to the distinguished speakers who participated as faculty. Next year's conference in Washington DC, October 24-28, 2009 is expected to be as exciting. Please mark your calendars now!
On behalf of The Obesity Society, I wish to acknowledge all of our awardees and sponsors and their accomplishments. Once again, congratulations!
Warm Regards.
Robert Kushner, MD
President, The Obesity Society |
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 TOPS Research Achievement Award
The Body Mass Index: Whose Body? Whose Index?
Walter Pories, MD
East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
Recognizes singular achievement or contribution to the field of obesity research. This award is made possible through an annual grant from the Take Off Pounds Sensibly Foundation (TOPS). The award recognizes and rewards an individual for singular achievement or contribution to the field of obesity research. |
Atkinson-Stern Public Service Award
Nanci Hellmich
The Richard A. Atkinson - Judith S. Stern Award
for Public Service recognizes and individual
or organization whose work has significantly improve the lives of
those affected by obesity, whether through research, public policy,
patient care, or other means.
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 Friends of Mickey Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award
Constantine Londos, PhD
National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive Kidney Diseases
Bethesda, Maryland
This award recognizes people who, like Albert
(Mickey) Stunkard, have made a lifetime of
outstanding contributions to the field of obesity in terms of scholarship, mentorship, and education. |
George A. Bray Founders Award
Genes and Exercise: Key Lessons for Obesity Practitioners and Scientists
Claude Bouchard, PhD 
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The George A. Bray Founders Award recognizes significant contributions to The Obesity Society, and contributions that advance the scientific or clinical basis for understanding or treating obesity. |
 Lilly Scientific Achievement Award
A Career Investigating Melanocortins
and Systems Biology: Defining New
Mechanisms Linking Obesity with
Diabetes
Andrew A. Butler, PhD
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sponsored by Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company, The Lilly Scientific Achievement Award recognizes excellence in an established research career. To be eligible for this award the recipient must be within 15 years of his/her terminal degree. |
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Ethan Sims Young Investigator Awards
The Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award recognizes excellence in research by young investigators based on their submitted abstracts
and their presentations during the Annual Scientific Meeting. Each finalist receives up to $1,000 to cover annual meeting expenses. The winner will receive an additional $1,000 cash prize. Congratulations to this year's five finalists:
Winning Finalist
 Endogenous Hindbrain GLP-1R Activation Contributes to the Control of Food Intake by Mediating Gastric Satiation Signaling
Matthew Hayes, PhD
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Mentor: Harvey Grill, PhD
 Enhanced Pancreatic Beta Cell Function With Mixed Meal in T2DM Subjects One Month After Bariatric Surgery Is Related to Increased Incretin Response
Sameera Daud, MDCleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Mentor: John P. Kirwan, PhD
 Determinants of Intramyocellular Lipotoxicity in Humans
Cedric Moro, PhDPennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA
Mentor: Steven R. Smith, MD
 Analysis of >29,000 Genome-Wide Scans Reveals Many Loci With Strong Associations to Central Obesity
Elizabeth K. Speliotes, MD , PhDMassachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, MA
Mentor: Ruth Loos, PhD
Clusters of Infant Growth Trajectories Are Associated With Risk of Adult Overweight
Meghan Slining, MS, MPH
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Mentor: Linda Adair, PhD |
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New Investigator Research Grants
The New Investigator Research Awards fund studies proposed by new investigators who have completed their doctorates (or residency training) within the past five years.
Finalists
 Childhood Obesity and the Risk of Cancer in Adulthood
Jennifer Baker, PhD
Institute of Preventive Medicine
Centre for Health and Society, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark
Mentor: Thorkild I. A. Sorensen, MD
 Metabolic Flexibility to Lipid During Moderate Intensity Exercise in HumansJose Galgani, PhD
Pennington Biomedical Research Center,
Baton Rouge, LA
Mentor: Eric Ravussin, PhD
 Mechanisms of Action of FGF21 in Obesity
Martin Fisher, PhD
Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Mentor: Eleftheria Maratos-Flier, MD
 Inflammation, Oxygen Intermediates, and Mitochondrial Biology in Skeletal Muscle
Madlyn Frisard, PhD
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Mentor: Matthew W. Hulver, PhD
AMP Kinase as an Intracellular Mediator of Energy Balance
Matthew Hayes, PhD University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Mentor: Harvey Grill, PhD
 Molecular Mechanisms of Leptin Action via Neurotensin-Containing Neurons of the Lateral HypothalamusGina Leinninger, PhD
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Mentor: Martin Myers, MD, PhD
 The Role of Mitofusin-2 in Mitochondrial Dynamics and Adipocyte MetabolismYaguang Si, PhD
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Mentor: Barbara E. Corkey, PhD
 Obesity and Sleep: Brain Mechanisms
Jennifer Teske, PhD
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Mentor: Catherine M. Kotz, PhD |
| Wrigley Science Institute Awards
The Wrigley Science Institute Awards fund studies on the effects of chewing gum related to food intake, regulation of appetite and diet, weight loss, and/or the prevention of weight gain.
Finalists
 Use of Chewing Gum to Prevent Weight Gain in Humans Taking Atypical Antipsychotic MedicationJennifer Nasser, PhD, RDDrexel University, Philadelphia, PA
 Chewing Sugar-Free Gum Decreases Hunger Complaints in Between Meals in Obese Children.
Daniel Preud'Homme, MD
University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL |
| Annual Awards for Outstanding Journal Articles Published in Obesity
Sponsored by Nature Publishing Group.
Best Research
Amyloid Precursor Protein Expression is
Upregulated in Adipocytes in Obesity
Yong-Ho Lee, William G. Tharp,
Rhonda L. Maple, Saraswathy Nair, Paska A.
Permana, and Richard E. Pratley
Best Research
An Endoluminal Sleeve Induces Substantial Weight Loss and Normalizes Glucose Homeostasis in Rats With Diet-Induced Obesity
Vincent Aguirre, Nicholas
Stylopoulos, Ronit Grinbaum, and Lee M. Kaplan
Best Reviewer
Anthony Fabricatore
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine | |
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OBESITY2009
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2009 Annual Scientific Meeting of
The Obesity Society
It's never too soon to mark your calendars for The Obesity's Society's 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting. The meeting will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC from October 24 - 28, 2009. | |
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