Monash BDI host international line-up of discovery scientists tackling the obesity crisis
Obesity is a major driver of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Two-thirds of Australian adults are now overweight and 42 per cent of Australian men aged 65-74 years are considered obese. In 2018, 8.4 per cent of the total disease burden in Australia was due to obesity, second only to tobacco use.
Last week, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) brought leading health researchers from around the globe to discuss the growing obesity crisis in Australia and how they are tackling this complex health condition as an urgent health priority.
With ABC News Breakfast presenter Michael Rowland as the Master of Ceremonies, more than 140 attendees filled the Clemenger Auditorium at the National Gallery of Victoria to hear from an international line-up of discovery scientists from Monash BDI, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern), University of Copenhagen and Yale School of Medicine.
The expert panel comprised:
- Professor Michael Cowley, Monash BDI: obesity and pharmacological interventions
- Associate Professor Camilla Charlotte Schéele, University of Copenhagen: brown fat in energy balance and glucose control
- Professor Tamas Horvath, Yale School of Medicine: the brain's role in body weight control
- Dr Claire Foldi, Monash BDI: appetite control, anorexia and behaviour/addiction
Image: Monash BDI Obesity Crisis Public Lecture
Professor John Carroll, Director of Monash BDI, welcomed attendees before introducing Professor Philipp Scherer, Director of the Touchstone Diabetes Center at UT Southwestern, as the keynote speaker. Professor Scherer gave a compelling presentation emphasising the critical role of fat cells in diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Watch Professor Scherer’s keynote presentation - “Is Fat our Friend or Foe?” below:
The audience then had the opportunity to engage with the panel members during a Q&A session, which sparked passionate discussions across the full range of topics presented.
Monash BDI’s Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity Program, led by Professor Tony Tiganis, are at the forefront of tackling the global prevalence of obesity and delivering research discoveries that aim to relieve the worldwide disease burden of this disease.
“Obesity is a complex health condition that is influenced by genetic, social, environmental and economic factors. Being overweight or obese creates a greater risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, mental illness and some cancers,” said Professor Tiganis.
“The public lecture gave us the opportunity to engage in discussion with members of the public about obesity – what is means to be overweight and obese, the associated causes and complications and lack of treatments available. It was great to see the audience so interested and engrossed in what our expert panel had to say,” he said.
About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.