Welcoming new Trustees to our Board leadership!
We are excited to announce new Trustees to our Board leadership following our Annual General Meeting on 17 July 2024.
We welcome Dr Simón Barquera as our new President, and Dr Bruno Halpern as our new President-Elect. Prof. Louise Baur moves into her new role of Past President and Prof. Jason Halford begins his term as our new Treasurer.
President
Our new President, Dr Simón Barquera, is a renowned expert in nutrition epidemiology with a distinguished career in obesity and chronic disease research. He is the Director of the Nutrition and Health Research Centre at the National Institute of Public Health, Mexico, and has been a significant contributor to global health initiatives.
Simón is a medical doctor with a PhD from Tufts University in Boston, USA. He is a member of the Mexican National Academy of Medicine, Mexican National Academy of Sciences and author of more than 364 scientific publications.
See below for Simón's Presidential welcome letter.
Download Simón's welcome letter
President-Elect
Our President-Elect, Dr Bruno Halpern, is a Brazilian endocrinologist with a focus on obesity management and the relationship between adiposity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Bruno graduated and completed a fellowship in Internal Medicine, as well as in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He also has a PhD in Sciences from the University of São Paulo, studying circadian rhythms and brown adipose tissue.
He brings a wealth of experience and a vision centred on education and stigma reduction.
Past President
Our Past President, Prof. Louise Baur, has been a pivotal figure in advancing the global understanding of obesity and its impact on health.
Her dedication and leadership have been invaluable to our mission.
Louise is a Sydney-based academic paediatrician, and has worked in many clinical, public health and policy aspects of paediatric obesity and nutrition.
Treasurer
Our new Treasurer, Prof. Jason Halford, is the Head of the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds, UK, and has extensive experience in obesity research, particularly in the areas of appetite and weight management - as well as advocating for people living with obesity.
Jason's strategic and financial expertise will be crucial in steering our organisation forward.
We look forward to working with Simón, Bruno, Louise and Jason in their new roles! Together, we will continue to address the global obesity epidemic and advocate for better health policies worldwide.
Other changes to our Board
We also welcome new Chair of our Publications Committee, Prof. Nick Finer, who is currently an Associate of the Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST). Previously Nick was Consultant Endocrinologist and Bariatric Physician at University College Hospital, London from 2009-2018 and honorary clinical professor at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention and Outcomes, UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science until 2022.
Thank you to our outgoing Board members
A heartfelt thank you goes to the members of our board who have now completed their term with us. John Wilding (Past President), Caroline Apovian, (Treasurer), Donna Ryan (Chair of Publications Committee) and Alafia Samuels. Your contributions have been invaluable.
Our Board of Trustees
More informaton about our Board of Trustees can be found here.
Board of Trustees