The Obesity Society 2019 Awards and Grants

The Obesity Society’s awards and grants programs recognize specific research achievements and major contributions to the basic science, treatment, and prevention of obesity.

George L. Blackburn Award

The George L. Blackburn Award is given to the obesity medicine specialist of the year who has taken and passed the American Board of Obesity Medicine certification, who has started a successful clinical practice and research program in obesity medicine, and who is a role model for the “train the trainer” strategy to increase obesity prevention and treatment in the United States. This award is funded by the Blackburn Foundation and valued at $5,000.

Donna H. Ryan, MD, FTOS

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Donna H. Ryan is Professor Emerita at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and current President of World Obesity Federation. She is Associate Editor-in-Chief of the journal Obesity and has authored more than 200 publications, primarily on obesity. Dr. Ryan’s research focuses on nutrition, obesity, and obesity comorbidities. She has been an investigator for various NIH-sponsored studies, including Pounds Lost, DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program), and the Look AHEAD study. Dr. Ryan’s continuing interests focus on translation of effective weight management into primary care practices. Dr. Ryan served as cochair on the Expert Panel for the 2013 ACC/AHA/TOS evidence-based Guidelines on the Evaluation and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults and was a panel member of the 2015 Endocrine Society Systematic Evidence Review and Guidelines for Medications that Affect Body Weight. She is cochair of the Steering Committee SELECT, a cardiovascular outcome trial of semaglutide.

George A. Bray Founders Award

The George A. Bray Founders Award recognizes an individual for significant contributions that advance the scientific or clinical basis for understanding or treating obesity and for extensive involvement with The Obesity Society (TOS). A TOS member receives a plaque and a $1,000 award.

Michael Jensen, MD, FTOS

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota

Mayo Clinic, NAASO/TOS, and Obesity Research

Dr. Michael Jensen received his MD from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and completed his internal residency in medicine and subspecialty training in endocrinology and metabolism at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He maintains an active research program focusing on obesity-related pathophysiology in humans. Dr. Jensen holds the Thomas J. Watson, Jr. Professorship in Honor of Dr. Robert L. Frye at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. His clinical interests are primarily focused on obesity and diabetes. Dr. Jensen's research involves the study of body fat distribution and fatty acid/energy metabolism, focusing specifically on the effects of obesity and body fat distribution on health. His studies have identified the relative contributions of different fat depots to lipid fuel metabolism, including the role of intra-abdominal fat. He received a MERIT award from NIH to support his studies in this area, and he has been funded for 34 consecutive years. He has served on NIH, professional foundation, and Mayo scientific review panels and has contributed to professional associations both by committee work and in elected office. Dr. Jensen has published more than 280 original research articles, together with more than 70 invited papers and book chapters. He has served on the editorial boards of Obesity Research, American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, Diabetes, and Obesity and as senior associate editor for Diabetes (2011-2016). Dr. Jensen served as cochair of the NHLBI Expert Panel on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults (2008-2013).

Friends of Albert (Mickey) Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award

The Friends of Albert (Mickey) Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award is designed to recognize people who, like Mickey Stunkard, have made a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the field of obesity in terms of scholarship, mentorship, and education. This member of The Obesity Society receives a plaque and a $1,000 award.

Mary Story, PhD

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

Reflections on Childhood Obesity - Progress, Pitfalls and Looking Forward?

A leading scholar in childhood and adolescent nutrition and childhood obesity prevention, Dr. Mary Story is Professor of Community and Family Medicine and Global Health and Associate Director of Academic Programs at the Duke Global Health Institute. She concurrently serves as director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s National Program Office, Healthy Eating Research Program, which supports research on environmental and policy strategies to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity. Before joining Duke Global Health Institute, Dr. Story served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and was Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health in the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, where she built a stellar career in obesity prevention over a period of 30 years. She has served in a wide range of leadership roles across our field, including serving on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee and as vice cochair of the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Obesity Solutions.

Dr. Story has devoted her career to the study of childhood and adolescent nutrition and childhood obesity. Her research has focused primarily on (1) nutrition- and diet-related issues faced by children, adolescents, and families with low incomes and/or who are racial or ethnic minorities, especially American Indian children and adolescents; (2) factors related to children’s and adolescents’ eating patterns and behaviors; and (3) environmental and behavioral community-based obesity prevention interventions for children and adolescents.

Atkinson Stern Award for Distinguished Public Service

The Atkinson Stern Award for Distinguished Public Service recognizes an individual or organization whose work has significantly improved the lives of those affected by obesity, whether through research, public policy, patient care, or other means. This award was established by a donation from Thomas A. Wadden, PhD. The recipient receives a plaque and a $1,000 award.

Gary Foster, PhD, FTOS

WW International, Inc.

New York New York

Gary Foster is the Chief Science Officer at WW International, Inc. Foster, a psychologist, obesity researcher, and behavior change expert, was previously the Founder and Director of the Center of Obesity Research and Education and Laura Carnell Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia. Prior to Temple, he served as the Clinical Director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has authored more than 180 scientific publications and 3 books on the etiology and treatment of obesity. Foster has received numerous honors including President of The Obesity Society, Honorary Member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology from the American Psychological Association, and the George A. Bray Founders Award from The Obesity Society. Dr. Foster's current focus is on scalable, evidence-based approaches to wellness for adults and children in community settings. Foster earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Duquesne University, an MS in Psychology from University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Temple University.

Thomas A. Wadden Award for Distinguished Mentorship

The Thomas A. Wadden Award for Distinguished Membership honors a mid-career or senior member of The Obesity Society (TOS) for distinguished mentorship of the Society's early career investigators. The award is named for Thomas A. Wadden, PhD, who for more than 30 years has mentored many individuals who pursued successful careers in obesity research and clinical care. The TOS member receives a plaque and a $1,000 award.

Jack Yanovski, MD, PhD, FTOS

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland

Jack Yanovski is Chief of the Section on Growth and Obesity, in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Yanovski obtained his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and completed residency training in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and fellowship training in Pediatric Endocrinology at NIH. In response to the growing problem of pediatric obesity in the United States, Dr. Yanovski founded the NIH’s Section on Growth and Obesity. Dr. Yanovski has carried out numerous clinical studies on the evaluation and treatment of overweight and obesity in children and adults, as well as laboratory investigations of molecular etiologies for obesity. Dr. Yanovski has authored more than 300 published manuscripts, has served as chair of The Obesity Society’s annual Scientific Meeting, was a member of the Expert Panel that developed the 2017 Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline on Pediatric Obesity Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention, and, among other awards, has received the Bar-Or Award from The Obesity Society’s Pediatric Obesity Section, the NIH Director’s Ruth L. Kirschstein Mentoring Award, and two of the Public Health Service’s Outstanding Service Medals for his studies of obesity.

TOPS Research Achievement Award

The TOPS Research Achievement Award recognizes an individual for singular achievement or contribution to research in the field of obesity. This award is made possible through an annual grant from the Take Off Pounds Sensibly Club, Inc. (TOPS). The recipient receives a $5,000 award along with a plaque and reimbursement up to $1,000 to cover travel for the current ObesityWeek.

Dympna Gallagher, EdD, FTOS

Columbia University

New York, New York

Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award

The Ethan Sims Young Investigator Award recognizes excellence in research by young investigators based on their submitted abstracts and presentations during ObesityWeek. Each year, five finalists who are members of The Obesity Society are selected during the Call for Abstracts. Each finalist receives reimbursement up to $1,000 to cover travel expenses for the current ObesityWeek. The recipient receives an additional $1,000 and a plaque.

Amber L. Alhadeff, PhD

University of Pennsylvania

Gut Signaling Engages Coordinated Homeostatic and Reward Circuitry

Oded Bar-Or Award

The Oded Bar-Or Award was founded in 2007 by The Obesity Society’s Pediatric Obesity Section to recognize significant contributions to basic and applied pediatric obesity research that have resulted in major advances in scientific understanding of etiology, prevention, and treatment.

Jennifer Orlet Fisher, PhD

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Master of the American Board of Obesity Medicine Award

This award is presented by The American Board of Obesity Medicine and recognizes physicians who have made significant contributions to the science, practice, and/or advancement of obesity medicine.

Arya M. Sharma, MD, DSc (hon), FRCPC, FTOS

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

WW Karen Miller-Kovach Research Grant

WW International and The Obesity Society have partnered to award one investigator the Karen Miller-Kovach Research Grant for a 1-year period. The $50,000 grant will focus on the development of a scalable, behavioral weight loss intervention that includes digital tools. The purpose of the grant is to help investigators collect pilot data to successfully compete for larger extramural funding.

Rachel Conlon, PhD

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

ClockWork: Harnessing the Circadian Timing System for Postpartum Weight Management and Health

Early Career Research Grant

This grant is offered by The Obesity Society as a member service to foster and stimulate new research ideas in any area of investigation related to obesity. The grant targets early career investigators and postdoctoral trainees by funding proposals that demonstrate a high likelihood of resulting in new and innovative approaches in obesity research. Applicants may request up to $25,000.

Nathan Winn, PhD

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Macrophage Iron Handling and Insulin Action

George A. Bray Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Awards

These awards honor two students for their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. The thesis is evaluated based on the overall relevance and potential impact on the field of obesity with an emphasis on scientific methodology and approach. The doctoral dissertation is judged on the significance, scope, innovation, and scientific methodology in the field of obesity. The recipients are reimbursed up to $1,500 to cover travel and registration for the current ObesityWeek in addition to a $500 award.

Thesis recipient

Carla Ruggiero, MS

Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania

Dissertation recipient

Anna Kahkoska, PhD

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

WW Student Travel Award

Sponsored by WW (formerly Weight Watchers), this award is based on submitted abstracts to this year’s ObesityWeek and recognizes student excellence with an emphasis on behavioral research.

Caleigh Sawicki, MS

Tufts University

Boston, Massachusetts

Aseel El Zein, MS

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

Tujan Irshied

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jerusalem. Israel

Genevieve Davison, MS

Washington University in St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri

Jami Anderson, MSc

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Lindsey Parnarouskis, MS

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Foster Schauer International Travel Award

This award is provided to non-US, early career investigators or students who present at ObesityWeek. The Obesity Society and The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery each select a recipient, respectively, at their annual meeting. Each recipient is awarded up to $2,500 to cover travel expenses.

TOS recipient

Anna Kamocka, M.Ed.SE

Imperial College London

London, UK

Impact of Biliopancreatic Limb Length in Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass on Glucose Metabolism

ASMBS recipient

David Romero Funes, MS

Cleveland Clinic Florida

Weston, Florida

Metabolic Surgery Prevents Systolic Heart Failure and Reduces Mortality due to Recurrent-Myocardial Infarction in Patients with History of Coronary Artery Disease: A Nationwide Case-Control Analysis

Rolls Simons Travel Award

The Rolls Simons Travel Award is part of The Obesity Society’s commitment to young investigators in the field of obesity research. This award was established The Obesity Society’s Past President Barbara Rolls after losing her mother, Pat Simons, to obesity-related disease. The recipients who are students or postdoctoral members of The Obesity Society are reimbursed up to $1,000 in travel costs to attend the current ObesityWeek.

John Griffin, PhD

Tufts University

Boston, Massachusetts

Thomas Cassimatis

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland

Emily Noble, PhD

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

Nicole Gilbertson, PhD

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

Alexandre Caron, PhD

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas, Texas

Matthew Landry, PhD

University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

Kelli Lytle, PhD

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota

Abdul-Latif Armiyaw

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland

Early Career Travel Award

The Early Career Travel Award is funded by The Obesity Society to support the efforts of early career investigators who contribute to the field of obesity. Each recipient receives a $1,000 cash prize for travel to ObesityWeek.

Ishita Jindal, MD

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas

Ying Meng, PhD

University of Rochester

Rochester, New York