Dear Fellow Member of the Obesity Society,

I am eager to begin my year as President of The Obesity Society (TOS). I look forward to serving you.

I hope you were as energized as I was by our Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. Seeing so many wonderful colleagues and such excellent science has a way of inspiring us to do more and push for answers to so many vexing questions about obesity. This year's program committee, chaired by Andy Greenberg and Jackie Stevens, did an outstanding job of creating a superb program across all aspects of obesity. Many colleagues remarked that, "I came for the basic science but I went to more clinical sessions than I expected." Likewise, clinicians found themselves going to basic science sessions. This year was one of our best meetings ever with 747 submissions and 2,038 attendees. If you have not done so already, please go online to fill out the evaluation form, which is critical to our planning for Phoenix, AZ, in October 3-7, 2008. Complete evaluation. We need to hear from you!

I was also very pleased by the success of the New Investigator Research Grant program. At a time of great constraints for young people entering the field, it was gratifying to see the Society assist them in a tangible, meaningful way. This year, TOS awarded six awards of $25,000 each to help new investigators launch their careers. The Council plans to continue and, hopefully, expand this program to support our freshest minds.

As we get off to a new start, I want to express my deep gratitude to Eric Ravussin for his dedication and productivity during the last year as President of TOS. Eric was passionate and productive in raising funds for the New Investigator Research Grants. In addition, he led TOS through several important transitions. First, our journal, Obesity, now has a new publisher, the Nature Publishing Group, and a new Editor-in- Chief, Richard Bergman. A new Publications Board, chaired by Aviva Must, was formed and a new Managing Editor, Hedy Ross, was hired at the National Office. Eric was able to lead us through these changes in no small part because of great work Barbara Corkey has done as Editor-in-Chief, Debbie Moskowitz as Managing Editor, and Melinda Sothern as chair of the former Publications Committee.

TOS also organized a first-of-its-kind forum of the health advisors to the major Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to address, "What should the next President do about the obesity epidemic?" Organizing this forum and seeing an actual presidential candidate in person address obesity (Governor Bill Richardson) demonstrated to me that TOS has as a major voice in addressing the public policy implications in obesity. Thanks to Morgan Downey for his vision and leadership on this important initiative for TOS.

Truly, it was a memorable and highly productive year and we all should thank Eric, members of the Council, the committee chairs, and task forces for their commitment and hard work.

Looking forward, there are a few areas of focus:

1. Governance and Infrastructure. As we enter our 26th year, the Society's work is becoming increasingly complex and interrelated. Whether it is a committee working on a position statement or developing collaboration with another society, the need for effective communication to various parts of the Society is critical. Some years ago, it was possible for the President to largely handle this activity alone, but those days are over. More and more, I see the need to have Council, committees, national office staff, and members involved more efficiently. This means working out better delineations of responsibilities and reporting among all our elements. The Executive Team has already begun work on this important task.



2. Service. The Obesity Society is like many associations today. We have numerous relationships not only with members but with other organizations, the corporate sector, the press, and policy makers. Our value lies in understanding their fast-changing needs and responding quickly and utilizing our resources effectively. Expectations from all segments are on the rise to meet demands in real-time, 24-7. This translates into issues about how to best utilize our National Office staff and how to give them the best tools to help us most effectively (e.g., sophisticated information systems). This requires an orientation of service. The Obesity Society needs to serve our members and assist them, as best we can, in fulfilling their potential as researchers, as clinicians, or in other professional capacities. Please let me know how we are doing on this important task.



3. Collaborations. Increasingly, the Society is being asked to work with other organizations in formulating their approaches in obesity or in developing joint activities, whether educational or in advocacy. I think this is recognition of the Society's expertise and high reputation in the professional and scientific communities. We are committed to developing and nurturing these collaborations. While TOS is the leading organization in obesity, we will not change the course of the epidemic alone and must encourage broad-based responses.



4. Advocacy. In addition to the Presidential Forum, we also developed a comprehensive comment to the Food and Drug Administration on standards for the development of new drugs to treat obesity, testified before the Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee on rimonabant, and met with Griffin Rodgers, the new director of the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Clearly, we have a significant role to play in advancing policies to address the obesity epidemic. In little over a year, a new Administration and a new Congress will be sworn in and we hope to have leaders there who understand obesity and have some real policy suggestions to advance.



5. Strategic Plan. All the initiatives of TOS will ultimately be guided and assessed by the Strategic Plan commissioned by Eric Ravussin last year. We have engaged the McKinsey Company to help us in this task. The McKinsey people have spoken with many members from various sectors to get their input on where TOS should go in the next five years. We will meet in DC next week to review their findings and draft a plan for Council's review. This new Strategic Plan for TOS will give us great potential to unite around a broad-based, comprehensive set of goals and objectives for the next five years.

You have a part to play as well. First, we always welcome comments on how to improve our service and organization. Second, we will continue to look for members to serve on committees and task forces. Third, we need your input for those who should receive the Society's awards and whom the Society should nominate for elected office. Finally, we need your help in recruiting new members to continue to energize TOS.

I am excited to begin my term as President and look forward to a fruitful and productive year for TOS.

Sincerely,

Gary Foster, President, The Obesity Society gfoster@temple.edu

This year's meeting in New Orleans was another successful event, with more than 2,000 professionals in attendance. Leaders in the obesity field presented attendees with cutting-edge information in the areas of basic, clinical, and epidemiological research. Here is a summary of this year's presentation numbers:

• 46 exhibitors
• 5 symposia
• 747 abstracts (159 as oral and 588 as posters)
• 7 plenary oral presentations, including one for the opening session
• 5 Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award finalist presentations (in addition to the oral presentations)

Attendees enjoyed the Big Easy and all that the city has to offer. In lieu of the gala, everyone enjoyed a "Taste of New Orleans" event, sampling the food and culture of New Orleans. For more information about the meeting, please visit Annual Meeting

A reminder to all attendees: online meeting evaluation is open until December 31, 2007. Please take a moment to complete the evaluation, as your feedback is critical to the continued success of these events. Additionally, completion of the evaluation is necessary in order to receive CME/CPE/CEU credit. Click here to complete the Evaluation

The Obesity Society's next Annual Scientific Meeting will be held in Phoenix, AZ from October 3-7, 2008. More information to follow!

The Obesity Society is thrilled to announce that its future President, David B. Allison, PhD, was among 10 individual winners of the 2006 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. This award, which is supported and administered by the National Science Foundation, is granted to individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the area of academic and personal mentoring, with a specific emphasis on mentoring colleagues and students who are underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Awardees, who were selected through a nationwide competitive merit review, met with President Bush in the Oval Office and were honored at a White House ceremony on November 16, 2007. Recipients received a $10,000 grant to continue their mentoring work.

Dr. Allison is a professor of biostatistics and nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He was lauded for his dedication to mentoring and the creation of mentorship and training programs at the University. He has mentored more than 60 aspiring scientists, many of whom come from underrepresented populations. Dr. Allison's current focus includes examining the causes (genetic and environmental), consequences (mainly mortality and longevity), and treatment and prevention of obesity; and the development, evaluation, and dissemination of statistical methods. He will become the Society's next President in October 2008.

Commenting on the award Allison stated, "When someone puts their trust and faith in you to mentor them in the pursuit of science, it is itself one of the greatest honors one can receive, and fulfilling one's responsibilities as a mentor is among the most rewarding experiences a scientist can have. Hence, being recognized for my mentorship by this award makes me feel doubly privileged."

The Obesity Society congratulates Dr. Allison on this impressive achievement.

William S. Yancy Jr., a researcher from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and a member of the Obesity Society, was one of 60 scientists from 11 federal agencies honored recently with the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.

Dr. Yancy is a physician at the Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina, an investigator at that site's Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, and an assistant professor at Duke University Medical Center. He studies the effects of diet and exercise on obesity and its complications. His group was responsible for a 2004 randomized, controlled trial that evaluated an Atkins-style diet, and reported that more people lost weight over a six-month period eating low-carbohydrate and high-protein foods than did those who consumed low-fat, low-calorie, and low cholesterol foods.

As part of his award, Yancy will receive $125,000 over five years from VA's Office of Research and Development in support of his research. He is also a prior recipient of the Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award.

New data on the obesity epidemic from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveals that obesity numbers, particularly for women, may be slowing for the first time in many years. Health professionals are encouraged by this study, which indicates that there was no statistical change in the proportion of obese adults from 2005 to 2006, though the percentage of obese adults is still high. According to William H. Dietz of the CDC, "The first step in controlling any epidemic is halting a rise in the number of cases, and this suggests that might be happening."

Despite the news, many caution against letting our collective guard down. "This is still the biggest health problem of our time," Gary D. Foster, president of the Obesity Society, said in an article in the November 29, 2008 Washington Post in response to the new study. "It's not time to relax. We've got to continue to take the problem seriously and be aggressive about finding effective prevention and treatment strategies."

Researchers at NCHS believe that this slowing is a result of reaching a "saturation" point, but concerns about future generations of Americans remain.

David B. Allison, the Obesity Society's next President, was also quoted in the same Washington Post article. "As more obese children reach adulthood, it is conceivable that obesity levels will begin to rise again."

And in light of emerging research on the effect of maternal obesity on obesity in the offspring, this factor could also contribute to an increase in the future.

Visit the CDC website for more information on the study.

The Reality Coalition conducted a forum at the National Academies of Science on October 12, 2008 on "Making Weight Control Everybody's Business." The Obesity Society is a member of the coalition. The goals of the meeting were to increase public awareness about the public health impact of unproven weight loss products and to develop momentum for the "Help Not Hype" message for weight loss. Speakers included former Surgeon General David Satcher, Louis Aronne, George Blackburn, MRC Greenwood, Kenneth Thorpe and Laurel Pickering of the New York Business Group on Health.

Every year, the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association, and Partnership for Prevention publish a report on the overall health of the nation, using a longitudinal set of related health determinants and health outcomes. Though some improvements have been made in reducing the rates of cancer and cardiovascular illness since the report was last published, the news about increases in obesity and related morbidities is disappointing. The report points to obesity as one of several major factors contributing to a decline in the nation's overall health, down 0.3 % from 2006. More obese Americans translates into more illness overall, which in turn affects other health determinants such as rising health care costs, increase in health disparities, and reduced access to quality health care.

To read the report in full, visit www.a mericashealthrankings.org or www.uni tedhealthfoundation.org

In the November 7, 2007 edition of JAMA, authors Dawn Alley, PhD and Virginia Chang, MD, PhD, examined the relationship between obesity and disability using 16 years worth of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In an editorial response to the study, Edward Gregg, PhD, and Jack Guralnik, MD, PhD summarize Alley and Chang's findings and highlight the importance of developing an effective and appropriate public health response in order to mitigate the long term effects of disability as a result of obesity.

Gregg and Guralnik reiterated the study authors' concerns that disability will likely continue as obesity's "most important and persistent effects into the future". Among the many observations that Alley and Chang make in their study, the increase in the number of disabled, obese adults in recent years is what concerns Gregg and Guralnik the most, despite an overall reduction in disability in the general older adult population.

Gregg and Guralnik also discuss the challenges that public health practitioners face, due to the "diverse consequences of obesity" that have the potential to erase any advances public health programs have made in recent years. They point to the increase in the incidence of diabetes as one of the most serious consequences, along with cardiovascular disease and obesity-mediated arthritis, each of which contribute significantly to the rise in obesity-related disability.

Gregg and Guralnik believe that existing public health education programs are not equipped to adequately address the myriad of factors that affect obesity prevention and treatment today. In response, they suggest that these programs focus more pointedly on lifestyle interventions, which include changes in exercise and eating habits. "Thus, these findings make a compelling case to overcome the barriers of integrating effective lifestyle and exercise programs into health systems and communities."

Each September, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards grants to exceptionally creative scientists through the NIH Director's Pioneer Award and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award programs. The application period for the 2008 Pioneer Award opens on December 16, 2007 and closes on January 16, 2008. The application period for the 2008 New Innovator Award begins on March 3, 2008 and ends on March 31, 2008.

Both programs are part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and support exceptionally creative scientists who propose highly innovative - and often unconventional - approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research.

Women and members of groups that are underrepresented in NIH research areas are especially encouraged to apply. More information about each of the grants follows:

Pioneer Award
-$2.5 million in direct costs over five years
-Five to 10 awards expected in September 2008

Open to Scientists Who:

• Are at an institution in the United States
• Are at any career level, including the early to middle stages
• Will commit at least 51% of their research effort to the project

Streamlined Application:

• Electronic application includes three to five page essay and three
• Applications accepted December 16, 2007- January 16, 2008

More Information

• Visit http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa- files/RFA-RM-08-013.html and http://nihroad map.nih.gov/pioneer
• E-mail questions to pioneer@nih.gov

New Innovator Award
-$1.5 million in direct costs over five years
-Up to 24 awards expected in September 2008

Open to New Investigators Who:

• Have not yet obtained an NIH R01 or similar grant
• Hold an independent research position at an institution in the United States
• Received a doctoral degree or completed medical internship and residency within the past 10 years
• Will commit at least 25% of their research effort to the project

Streamlined Application:

• Electronic application allows preliminary data but does not require it
• Applications accepted March 3-31, 2008

More Information

• Visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa- files/RFA-RM-08-007.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investi gators/innovator_award
• E-mail questions to newinnovator@nih.gov

Get Pioneer Award, New Innovator Award, and Other NIH Roadmap News Register for the NIH Roadmap LISTSERV at https://list.nih.gov/cgi- bin/wa?SUBED1=nihroadmap-1&A=1

Recent guidance issued by NIH introduces important registration information for clinical trial applicants. A new law was enacted that changes the way clinical trials must be registered. New responsibilities include the following:

• Increase in the number of registration fields that are submitted
• Requirement that certain results information be included with registration
• Creation of penalties for noncompliance

Applicable clinical trials are currently the only type of clinical trial that need to be registered. According to the new law, these trials include 1) Trials of Drugs and Biologics and 2) Trials of Devices. NIH notes that all trials should consider registering, even if not currently required to do so by law.

The new law also makes clear who is accountable for registering. The statute describes the "responsible party" as 1) the sponsor of the clinical trial or 2) the principal investigator of such clinical trial if so designated by a sponsor, grantee, contractor, or awardee. All investigators should confer with their research office, institutional counsel, or other partners to determine if they are considered the "responsible party" and need to register their clinical trial.

Trials initiated after September 27, 2007 or trials that are "ongoing" as of December 26, 2007 must be registered in full by December 26, 2007 or 21 days after the first patient is enrolled. Trials that are considered to be "ongoing" as of September 27, 2007 and do not involve a "serious or life threatening disease or condition" must be registered by September 27, 2008. Finally, trials that were "ongoing" as of September 27, 2007 and do involve a "serious or life threatening condition" and are completed by December 27, 2007 are not subject to the new registration requirements.

Penalties for not complying with the new law are serious and may include civil monetary penalties and - for federally funded trials - the withholding of grant funds.

For more detailed information about the expansion of registration requirements, please visit http://prsinfo.clini caltrials.gov.

Two new CME programs were launched recently on Obesity Online, the Society's dedicated professional continuing education website. Please take a moment to review the new programs.

"Weight Bias in Healthcare Settings," by Rebecca Puhl, PhD and Kelly Brownell, PhD. In this new slide talk, the authors present and discuss the growing body of scientific evidence which demonstrates that weight bias among healthcare professionals has serious, negative impacts on the quality of healthcare services provided to overweight and obese patients in healthcare facilities. They also discuss what providers can do to reduce any bias which they may have in their practice.

"Weight Bias and its Social, Economic, and Health Impact," by Rebecca Puhl, PhD and Kelly Brownell, PhD. In this new slide talk, the authors present and discuss the growing body of scientific evidence which demonstrates that weight bias among employers, educators, parents, and the media has serious, negative social, economic, and health consequences. They discuss strategies to address the false attributions about obesity and reduce this bias.

Simply go to the Obesity Online website, http:// www.obesity online.org, to view these materials. Anyone can participate in either of these activities or any of the other educational activities available on this site. Visitors to the site may also download these slides for use in educational presentations at their institution or meetings of other professional associations.

Additional new CE activities will be made available on this site in the month to come. All professional education activities on Obesity Online are offered free of charge and approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits for physicians.

For information about other professional education programs offered by the Obesity Society, please contact the Education department at education@naaso.org.

Western Region
Judith S. Stern, PhD
University of California at Davis

Alaska
Bret Luick (University of Alaska at Fairbanks) has just completed a study on the status of vitamin D in Native Alaskan Yu'pik Eskimos.

California
University of California at Davis: MRC Greenwood has been named Chair of the Graduate Group of Nutritional Biology. Dennis Styne (Dept. of Pediatrics) is revising his book on pediatric obesity. Good Luck Dennis! Sean Adams (Western Human Nutrition Research Center) gave a talk "Obesity & Diabetes: What we can learn from fat- neuron cross-talk and mitochondrial exhaust pipes?" at the California Nutrition in Medicine: Diseases of Metabolism Conference at Lake Tahoe. Many of you already know that Richard Bergman (University of Southern California) is the new editor of Obesity Research.

Michael Goran (University of Southern California) will be directing the new Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Minority Health. The emphasis will be on understanding how obesity and other factors play a role in the increased risk of developing certain diseases in minority populations. Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease will especially be looked at within these populations.

Keith McGuinness (president & CEO of CalorieKing) partnered with Joslin Diabetes Center to promote type 2 diabetes awareness, prevention and management. A first step in this campaign is access to Joslin-authored material through a downloadable CalorieKing browser toolbar. The innovative toolbar, which operates like a search engine browser tool but for foods, is designed to promote daily food awareness in order to help those seeking to bridge the gap between weight loss and lifelong weight control. The toolbar is free and can be downloaded through a link from the Joslin website at www.joslin.or g/calorieking or the CalorieKing website at www.calo rieking.com/joslin. CalorieKing, also launched the CalorieKing Mobile Web Site, http:// mobile.calo rieking.com/. The site allows anyone with an Internet-enabled mobile phone or smartphone to search, for FREE, CalorieKing's extensive food database for details including calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein and more. The new search is specially optimized for mobile phones with small displays - supporting keyboard shortcuts and providing faster loading times.

Thomas Robinson (Stanford University School of Medicine) led a Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program Training Institute on October 16 - 19th, to train and certify other organizations to deliver the Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program and another Training Institute has been scheduled for March 18 - 21, 2008. For information on upcoming trainings contact spwcpinst@stanford.edu.

Oregon
Jon Purnell writes that Kevin Grove at Oregon Health Sciences University has two grants funded to study a diet-induced primate model of gestational diabetes and effects of in-utero environment on offspring risk for diabetes and obesity. Melinda Manore is on the American Society of Nutrition Committee that is making recommendations on nutrition, exercise and energy balance to the HHS Committee on Physical Activity Guidelines.

Utah
David York moved to Utah State University in Logan, Utah in August 2006 to become Director of the new Center for Advanced Nutrition. Mike Lefevre, formerly the Pennington Biomedical Research Center is helping in the development of both human nutritional studies and a bioactives program. David writes that hopefully the snow will be better this winter. As a native Californian from New York, I hope for no snow, at least in Davis.

Washington
Adam Drewnowski and John Foreyt were presenters at the ILSI South East Asia symposium on understanding and influencing consumer food behaviors for health in July. Adam, together with researchers from the Epidemiology Unit of Public Health Department, Seattle and King County,

Jennifer Lovejoy (Bastyr University) co-chaired a workshop on Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Nutrition at the Magnuson Global Diabetes Alliance Congress in Seattle on October 23-24. The congress convened diabetes experts from around the world to develop plans for research in the prevention and management of obesity and diabetes in indigenous

Megan McCrory has recently relocated from Bastyr University in Seattle to Purdue University in Indiana to pursue research collaborations in the epidemiology and physiology of obesity and appetite regulation. We will miss having Megan in the Western Region!

Hawaii
Janet Latner (University of Hawaii at Manoa) is beginning a new randomized controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of a community based treatment program offering continuing care in Honolulu. The program is funded by the Hawaii Medical Services Association Foundation.

Canada
Paul Boisvert, PhD
Université Laval, Québec

The CIHR Research Chair in Obesity at Universit=E9 Laval, directed by Denis Richard, is launching his new website on obesity. This website was developed to inform researchers, health professionals and the general public of the activities of the Research Chair as well as to support its educative mission towards health professionals and