Silver Spring, Md., Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Members of The Obesity Society’s (TOS) Executive Committee will depart for Oman to serve as presenters at an international medical conference on obesity after being invited by the U.S. Department of State Speakers Programs, the Society announced today. 

“Obesity is a disease that affects individuals worldwide” said Caroline M. Apovian, MD, FACP, FTOS, DABOM, president of The Obesity Society and a professor of medicine and pediatrics in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition at the Boston University School of Medicine and director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center. “We are honored to accept this invitation from the State Department on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Muscat to help educate medical professionals and raise the quality of health care in Oman.”

TOS Vice President Lee M. Kaplan, MD, PhD, FTOS and Chief Executive Officer Anthony G. Comuzzie, PhD, FTOS, will join Apovian for the conference taking place Oct. 20–21, 2018. Kaplan will deliver the keynote address. He will also make two presentations titled “Microbiota and Obesity Care from Lab to Clinical Practice” and “Obesity Treatment Protocol and Drug Strategy,” in addition to conducting a workshop on obesity treatment in clinical practice. Kaplan is director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and founding director of the hospital’s Weight Center. He is also associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass.

Apovian will deliver a presentation titled “Overweight and Obesity in Post-Partum/Menopause-Risk Assessment and Role of Hormone Replacement Therapy.” She will also conduct a workshop on obesity and nutrition. Other presentations by Apovian will include “Weight Loss Effects on Endothelial Cell Function/Metabolism” and “Pre and Post Bariatric Surgery Assessment.”

Comuzzie, a world-renowned obesity researcher and geneticist who oversees strategic operations for TOS, will also speak on multiple topics. Presentations include “Dietary Interventions in Obesity: What is the Best Diet?”, “Genetics and Obesity”;  and “Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics.”

Other notable speakers to appear at the obesity conference will include Regina M. Benjamin, MD, the 18th U.S. Surgeon General who served from 2009–2013. Benjamin will speak about obesity prevention and childhood obesity. Speakers from the United Kingdom, France and Oman will share research and best practices on obesity care.

The Oman Obesity Conference is being organized by the Oman Diabetes Association in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the National Diabetes and Endocrine Center. Approximately 200 medical professionals, mainly those specializing in obesity and diabetes are expected to attend.

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The Obesity Society (TOS) is the leading organization of scientists and health professionals devoted to understanding and reversing the epidemic of obesity and its adverse health, economic and societal effects.  Combining the perspective of physicians and other clinicians, scientists, policymakers and patients, TOS promotes innovative research, education, and evidence-based clinical care to improve the health and well-being of all people with obesity. For more information, visit www.obesity.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.