Farewell to Alfredo Halpern, an obesity pioneer

Farewell to Alfredo Halpern, an obesity pioneer 

Author: Professor Walmir Coutinho 

President of World Obesity, Full Professor of Endocrinology at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Vice-Director of the Post-Graduation Medical School.

Alfredo Halpern passed away on November 25, 2015.

He was born in São Paulo, on August 29, 1941 and graduated in Medicine at the University of São Paulo in 1966, where he defended his PhD in 1973 and became Associate Professor in 1986. He was the founder of the Obesity Group in 1987.

He authored several medical books and chapters, as well as more than 200 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.  Halpern was the President of Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity for 2 terms and Vice-President of International Association for the Study of Obesity. In 2002, he served as Chairman of International Congress of Obesity (ICO).

Halpern was a pioneer in developing and disseminating evidence-based approaches to obesity management in Latin America, leading the way to a generation of healthcare professionals in the continent.

He also played a major role in informing the general public and raising awareness to the challenges of overweight and obesity.

Alfredo Halpern leaves a longstanding legacy to obesity management and will be greatly missed by everyone who worked with him.