U.S. Surgeon General leads talk At 3rd Annual World Congress on Obesity

PR Log (Press Release) – Jul 03, 2008 – WOBURN, Mass. - As his office advances its Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative, U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, MD, will make a keynote presentation at the 3rd Annual World Congress on Obesity, November 20 – 21 in Washington D.C. on the progress of a “Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future”, which aims to shrink the ranks of the nation’s 12.5 million overweight children by promoting healthy eating and physical activity among youths.

Obesity-related illnesses cause more than 400,000 deaths in the United States each year and billions of dollars in health care costs. The Congress will address both a consumer and business-oriented perspective to obesity’s impact on individual and public health. It will also examine the effectiveness of programs and procedures designed to reduce the prevalence of obesity.

In addition to the keynote presentation from U.S. Surgeon General Galson, the Congress will introduce other approaches to battling childhood obesity, workplace weight management programs as well as the financial impact of obesity, and the success of invasive treatments, such as lap band surgery. The nation’s leading obesity experts will join senior business leaders, health care thought leaders and local, state and national officials who are developing initiatives to combat obesity.  

WHAT: The 3rd Annual World Congress on Obesity
WHEN: November 20 - 21, 2008
WHERE: Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington D.C.
CONTACT: Patrick Golden, Director of Communications
781-939-2511 or Patrick.golden@worldcongress.com
CONGRESS AGENDA: www.worldcongress.com/obesity

Topics include:
   The role of wellness and chronic care in the 2009 health care reform debate
   Covering the treatment of obesity – An Employers’ and Patients’ Point of View
   What federal, state and local officials are doing to improve health care
   Strategies for obesity management in the workforce
   The effectiveness of obesity management programs
   Success stories in programs that involve industries, schools and communities
   Raising visibility on obesity through an innovative video game platform
   Community and State-Wide Programs That Promote Healthier Eating
   The effects of obesity on the world economy
   How Policymakers Have Become Involved in the Obesity Crisis
   Bariatric Surgery Centers – Treating the Whole Patient and Not Just the Weight

Confirmed speakers include:

   Christine C. Ferguson, JD, Director, STOP Obesity Alliance; Associate Research Professor, School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University, former Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner
   Joseph Curtatone, Mayor, City of Somerville, Massachusetts  
   Ginny Elrich, Executive Director, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
   Jim Fivecoat, Manager, Retirement Plans, Michelin North America
   Brian Wansink, MS, PhD, Executive Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture
   David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, Associate Professor, Adjunct, Public Health; Director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine
   Trina Histon, PhD, Director, Weight Management Initiative, Kaiser Permanente, Care Management Institute
   Francine Ratner Kauffman, MD, Professor, Head, Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
   Jeanette C. May, PhD, MPH, Vice President, Research & Quality, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance
   Roberta Friedman, Director, Public Policy & Government Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

About the 3rd Annual World Congress on Obesity
Produced by World Congress, the 3rd Annual World Health Care Congress on Obesity joins employers, payers and providers with public policy leaders to discuss solutions for the promotion of healthier living among consumers and improving businesses’ bottom lines.