The Summit

Every two years, the Canadian Obesity Network hosts a national summit on ‘all things obesity’.

Held in beautiful Banff, AB this year, we presented data on a few of our projects, including metabolically healthy obesity (led by Samah Damanhoury), lifestyle habits of teens in weight management (led by Maryam Kebbe), and predictors of treatment initiation (led by  Arnaldo Perez) as well as an update on the progress of our team grant (Team ABC3).

One of the most positive and important aspects of this conference is the degree to which individuals living with obesity are a part of the event, from sharing their personal stories, participating in workshops, and judging poster presentations. It wasn’t that long ago that academic meetings didn’t include any representation from individuals living with the condition or disease that brought together hundreds or thousands of scientists, clinicians, and trainees from around the world. This evolution may be overdue, but it’s fundamentally important for individuals affected by obesity (directly or indirectly) to have a strong voice, helping to inform science and policy on a topic that impacts them personally. Kudos to the CON for their progressiveness, awareness, and effort.

GB