NAASO has been surveyed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and awarded accreditation for four years as a provider of medical education for physicians.

ACCME accreditation seeks to assure both physicians and the public that continuing medical education activities provided by NAASO meet the high standards of the Essential Areas, Elements and Policies for Accreditation as specified by the ACCME. Under the direction of Patrick M. O'Neil, PhD, NAASO Education Committee Chair, and Robert Eckrich, NAASO's Director of Education Programs, NAASO is recognized for exemplary compliance in the areas of use of needs assessment for developing CME activities and validation of the effectiveness of CME activities.

Congratulations to NAASO's Education Committee for meeting these rigorous evaluations and providing the obesity community with such effective programs.

NAASO is proud to announce the following 2005 Award Recipients:
The TOPS Award, recognizing singular achievement or contribution to research in the field of obesity, is being presented to Robert H. Eckel, MD. This award is made possible by an annual grant from Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS).

Recipients of the George Bray Founders Award are William H. Dietz, MD, PhD and Diane T. Finegood, PhD. Drs. Dietz and Finegood are being recognized for their significant contributions in advancing the science for understanding and treating obesity.

Theodore B. Van Itallie, MD is the recipient of The Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors those who have made a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the field of obesity.

The Lilly Scientific Achievement Award will be presented to Jacqueline M. Stephens, PhD. This award recognizes excellence in an established research career and is made possible through an annual grant from the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company.

Congratulations to all 2005 Award Winners. Awards will be presented during two special Annual Meeting sessions on Monday and Tuesday, October 17 and 18th, at 8:00 am in the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. Please join your colleagues in acknowledging the achievements of these 2005 Award Winners.

Register by September 19
Join your friends and colleagues in Vancouver, October 15 - 19, for the largest obesity conference in North America. Register by September 19 for cost saving discounts.

More Annual Meeting Benefits
Register for the NAASO Annual Meeting and recieve value-added benefits before and after the meeting. Before the meeting: organize your schedule with our itinerary planner and download your personalized schedule to your PDA or calendar. After the meeting: Increase your CME opportunities by viewing select material throughout the year and relive annual meeting highlights - - all online and free to Annual Meeting attendees. Check our Annual Meeting Webpage often for more details.

NAASO at Night
Schedule your Vancouver arrival to participate in these NAASO activities:
Saturday, October 15, 6:00 PM
Opening Session: President's Lecture
Officially kick-off the opening of the 2005 NAASO Annual Meeting with NAASO President, Dr. Louis J. Aronne and guests.

Opening Reception
All attendees and exhibitors are invited to a reception in the Exhibit Hall immediately following the Opening Session. Here is a perfect setting to meet and greet your friends and colleagues.

Monday, October 17, 2005
NAASO Gala, 7:30 - Midnight
Rock the night away with live music from Vancouver's own Timebenders. Purchase your ticket ahead of time upon registration or on-site. Tickets are $65 per person and include dinner.

More Activities Planned
Stay-tuned for announcements about more "NAASO at Night" events!

If you and your colleagues share a common interest, you can form a Special Interest Section within NAASO. The creation of these Sections allows NAASO to better serve the diverse nature of the obesity community. Special Interest Sections will develop their own leadership and represent the interests of the group before the organization as a whole. A member of NAASO's Council will be appointed to represent the interests of the Special Sections.

The Deadline for Application is August 15. Don't delay.

The 19th Annual Practical Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity: Implementing the Key Strategies for Successful Long-Term Weight Management, was held in late June at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, MA. Under the direction of George L. Blackburn, MD, PhD, Caroline M. Apovian, MD, Lee M. Kaplan, MD, PhD, and Scott A. Shikora, MD, the course was a sold-out event. 325 delegates from all over the world attended. 75% of the attendees were physicians and 25% nurses, dietitians and other health care professionals. NAASO also participated as an exhibitor.

NAASO President, Louis J. Aronne, MD, spoke on Pharmacotherapy: Current Uses, and NAASO President-Elect, Thomas Wadden, PhD, spoke on Facilitating Behavior Change. Other NAASO members participating as faculty included: James Hill, PhD, Robert Kushner, MD, John Jakicic, PhD, Barbara Rolls, PhD, Steven Heymsfield, MD, Alison Hoppin, MD, Diana Cullum-Dugan, RD, Anthony Fabricatore, PhD, and Andrew Young, MD.

2006 marks the 20th Anniversary of this annual state- of-the-art nutrition education course. The 2006 CME course on Obesity Treatment will be held June 22-24, 2006 and course directors are already planning major celebratory events! For more information, visit the Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Education Website.

South
Steve Smith reports
Richard N. Baumgartner, PhD, has accepted a position as Professor of Epidemiology and Distinguished University Scholar in the new Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Investigation Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, KY. He will continue his research program in body composition, aging, and breast cancer.

Canada
Paul Boisvert writes
Claude Bouchard, former Chairperson of the DB Brown Research Chair on Obesity at Laval University from 1997-1999 and now executive director at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center was awarded "Ordre national du Quebec" on June 22 from the Quebec government for its contribution in obesity research.
The Obesity Research Chair at Laval University directed by Denis Richard organizes its 7th Annual International Conference entitled: "Neurobiology of obesity" in Quebec City on November 4-5, 2005. The proceedings will be published in Obesity Research in 2006.