On June 4–5, 2024, NCCOR hosted the Obesity-Related Policy, Systems, and Environmental Research in the U.S. (OPUS) workshop featuring presentations from leading obesity-prevention and public health experts. The workshop examined best practices in obesity prevention research with specific attention to community engagement and systems change through an equity lens.
Day 1: June 4, 2024
Keynote: Systems Approaches to Obesity Prevention
Ross Hammond, PhD, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution
Keynote: Applying Systems Thinking in Community-Engaged, Participatory Research: Lessons Learned from the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Program
Wilma Waterlander, PhD, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
Panel Discussion: Advancing Success in Obesity Prevention: What Works Where and for Whom?
Moderator: Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MS, MPH, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health
Steve Gortmaker, PhD, Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Russell Pate, PhD, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
Christina Economos, PhD, Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy
Panel Discussion: Building the Next Generation of Multilevel Interventions to Prevent Obesity
Moderator: Bill Dietz, MD, PhD, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, RDN, LD, CNS, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in Austin
Boyd Swinburn, MD, University of Auckland School of Population Health
Bob Vollinger, DrPH, MSPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Day 2: June 5, 2024
Panel Discussion: Authentically Engaging Communities to Maximize Relevance and Impact
Moderator: Caree Cotwright, PhD, RDN, USDA
Alison Brown, PhD, RDN, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
Denise Holston, PhD, MS, RDN, Louisiana State University School of Nutrition and Food Sciences
Kelli Wilson Begay, MS, MBA, RDN, Maven Collective Consulting
Panel Discussion: Food and Physical Activity Environments: Thinking Beyond Food Retail and Green Space
Moderator: Angela Odoms-Young, PhD, Cornell University, College of Human Ecology
Vivica Kraak, PhD, MS, RDN, Virginia Tech, Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise
Deborah Salvo, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, College of Education
Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
View slides: Part 1
View slides: Part 2
Panel Discussion: Social Policy as Obesity Policy: The Impact of Addressing Social Determinants of Health
Moderator: Andrea Richardson, PhD, MPH, RAND Corporation
Caitlin Caspi, ScD, University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health
Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, PhD, Brandeis University Institute for Child Youth and Family Policy
Carl Gershenson, PhD, Princeton University Department of Sociology
Panel Discussion: Where Do We Go Next? Scaling Systems Approaches for Equitable Obesity Prevention
Moderator: Jamie Chriqui, PhD, MHS, University of Chicago Illinois School of Public Health
Terry Huang, PhD, MPH, MBA, CUNY School of Public Health
Stephenie Lemon, PhD, MS University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Nico Pronk, PhD, MA, FACSM, FAWHP, HealthPartners Institute