May 2005
Weighing the evidence: A forum to examine the latest news about overweight, obesity and mortality
A discussion on recent conflicting reports concerning weight and health
When: Thursday May 26, 10:30am – 12:30pm
Where: Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Snyder Auditorium
Also Webcast live, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu for more details
Who: Top nutrition researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the U.S.
Boston, MA – According to recent news headlines and reports from major medical journals and institutions, being a little overweight won't kill you and fewer people now die per year as a result of health outcomes related to obesity. These reports seem to go directly against what the public has been hearing for years; being overweight or obese is linked to type II diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and premature death.
Thursday May 26, at the Harvard School of Public Health's Snyder Auditorium some of the nation's top researchers discuss the latest reports, examine the methodology that yielded the contradictory news and present new findings from the highly respected Nurses Health Study, (http://www.channing.harvard.edu/nhs/)
Moderators: Walter Willett, Chair of the Department of Nutrition, HSPH
Meir Stampfer, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology, HSPH
Featured Speakers:
JoAnn Manson – Professor of Epidemiology at HSPH will look at methodological issues in studies of weight and mortality.
Frank Hu - Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at HSPH will present new information from the Nurses' Health Study.
Michael Thun – Vice President of Epidemiology and Surveillance Research at the American Cancer Society, will give an update on weight and mortality in ACS studies.
Donna Stroup – Director, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control will provide perspective on bodyweight from CDC studies.
Scott Grundy – Director, Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center will discuss weight and cardiovascular disease.
Graham Colditz – Professor of Epidemiology at HSPH will discuss weight and morbidity.
Members of the media planning to attend should RSVP to Kelly Teixeira by 4pm, Wednesday, May 25. [email protected] 617-432-4388.
Sponsored by the Department of Nutrition and the Office of Communications at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Harvard School of Public Health is dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication. More than 300 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 900-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights. For more information on the school visit: www.hsph.harvard.edu