'Obesity' - Dr Tom Barber - Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist at University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)

Tuesday 10th November - 20:00 - 21:00, Teams Live.

In four decades, obesity has become one of this century's leading threats to human health. Obesity, which underlies more than 50 health conditions, now affects one in four adults in the UK, and a similar - and rapidly growing - fraction of our children. Many factors contribute to weight gain beyond too high intake of fat and sugar and lack of exercise. The effective management of obesity demands a compassionate, multi-disciplinary approach, tailored to the holistic needs of the individual. The prevention of increased weight-gain and obesity in the future population requires a multi-faceted approach, including cultural change. In this lecture, Dr Barber will discuss the epidemiology of obesity and its underlying pathogenesis, and explore novel strategies to manage this disease.

Dr Barber has been employed as an Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist at University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) since 2010.

He has a research background in the genetic and metabolic features of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, from his work as a Clinical Research Fellow whilst based at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM). This led to the award of DPhil from the University of Oxford, and award of the prestigious ‘Society for Endocrinology Clinical Prize Lecture’ and ‘University of Oxford Medical Sciences Divisional Research Prize’ in 2009.

Dr. Barber has published >90 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and presents regularly as an invited speaker at scientific meetings both nationally and internationally. He engages regularly with national media on topics relating to human metabolism and Obesity. His research on Mindfulness application in Obesity management in a tier 3 Obesity service, published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, received international media interest in >50 outlets. As scientific lead for the Human Metabolism Research Unit, his current research interests include the impact of human metabolism on the development of Obesity, and novel strategies to prevent and manage Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus within the populace.

As Clinical Lead for the Obesity service at UHCW, Dr. Barber combines clinical duties with clinical and translational research.