20^th Euro Obesity and Endocrinology Congress

Current academic titles: Emeritus prof. of applied physiol. (since 1991), Teachers College, Columbia U. Emeritus prof. of pediatrics & physiology (since 2005), Medical College of Georgia. Selected former positions: Asst. prof. of physical educ., City U of NY (Hunter College); Co-director of Center for Health Promotion, Columbia U; Co-director of Georgia Center for the Study of Obesity & Related Disorders; Adjunct prof. of nutrition, UNC- Chapel Hill. Research grants: More than $15 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health. Book: The high energy factor. Random House, 1983. Selected Recent Invited Presentations Stem cell differentiation into fat & lean cells: implications for prevention of child obesity: U of GA; U of Southern Calif.; National Inst. of Child Health & Development; U of Bremen, Germany; U of Groningen, Netherlands; Internat. Society of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, Ghent, Belgium; Ohio U. How can youths develop lean & healthy bodies? A new perspective. Duke U; Case-Western Reserve U; Slippery Rock U; UMass.-Boston. How parents, schools & communities can help youths develop healthy bodies: some surprising implications of recent research. Ohio U; Minneapolis. Volunteer teaching: Frontiers in medicine Osher Life-Long Learning Inst. at Duke U.

Physical activity, body composition and health.

Dr. Elena Roura is the Scientific Director at the Alicia Foundation where she leads on all nutrition aspects and eating habits programmes. She has a PhD in Diet and Human Nutrition from the University of Barcelona and a degree in Human Dietetics and nutrition and Food science. She is also a member of the Catalan Observatory of Food at the University of Barcelona. Alícia Foundation is a research centre devoted to technological innovation in cuisine, to the improvement of eating habits and to the evaluation of the food and gastronomic heritage. We are a centre with a social vocation, open to everyone to promote healthy eating. The main objective of the foundation is to improve the eating habits of society and to find culinary solutions to the specific food necessities caused by certain illnesses.

Human Dietetics, nutrition and Food science.

Joycelyn A.M. Peterson, (Dr.Joy) is a registered dietitian, presently professor and chair of Nutrition and Dietetics, Department and Dietetic Internship Director at Oakwood University, Huntsville, Alabama and was associate professor, chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies for over 5years. Her professional experience includes nutrition consultant, nutrition educator, public health speaker and in-service trainer for hospital staff and community agencies, program planner for international and state-wide public health nutrition initiatives, teaching and conducting research at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Grant writer receiving over $ 2 million from private funding. She is founder/director of the Vegetarian Institute of Nutrition and Culinary Arts (nonprofit) and Dimensions in Food and Nutrition, Inc. (for profit). She is a contributing writer for newspapers and health magazines and has also published three books and many articles. Dr. Peterson completed Nutrition and Dietetics degrees at New York Institute of Dietetics (A.S.), Oakwood University, B.S., Loma Linda University (M.P.H., Dr. P.H.), and Johns Hopkins University (post-master’s studies in international nutrition). Joy recently had her dissertation for her doctoral thesis published in the Annuals of Nutrition Metabolism, August, 2011. She continues to conduct nutrition, health, and vegetarian cooking seminars internationally. Her long-term goal is to provide dietetic and nutrition research and leadership training where ever God leads.

Vegetarian nutrition consultant, public health speaker, and program planner for international and state-wide public health nutrition initiatives, conducting research at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Adelia Bovell-Benjamin is currently a Professor of Food and Nutritional Sciences in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences (CAENS), Tuskegee University, Alabama, U.S.A. At the University of California, Davis, Bovell-Benjamin earned a PhD in Nutrition with a Designated Emphasis in International Nutrition and a minor in Epidemiology. She also holds a M.S and B.S. degrees in Nutritional Science and Food and Nutrition from Queens and Brooklyn Colleges of the City University of New York, respectively. She holds postdoctoral certificates in Measuring Health Disparities, Leadership Development, and Qualitative Research from the University of Michigan, University of Georgia, and Burke Institute, respectively. Dr. Bovell-Benjamin has held several positions internationally and nationally – at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago; as a Community/Public Health Nutritionist in Tobago; as teacher at all levels of the school system in Trinidad and Tobago; and as a clinical dietitian in New York. Her research focuses on product development (emphasis on sweetpotato), sensory science; and diet and nutrition issues, the food environment and cancer prevention in African Americans. She has worked extensively with the sweetpotato in terms of postharvest technology, cultural aspects, sensory and nutritional aspects. She has also written extensively on the sweetpotato.

International nutrition lipid oxidation Food product development with emphasis on sensory science Nutritional, dietary and cancer prevention issues among African Americans

Sunil Mathur, Ph.D., M.Phil., M.Sc., MBA, is a Professor at the Georgia Regents University. Dr. Mathur is the author of the book “Statistical Bioinformatics using R”, published by Academic Press, USA in 2010. Dr. Mathur is an academic editor of PLOS ONE, Special Issue Editor and Editorial Member of Journal of Translational Medicine & Epidemiology, Editorial Board Member of Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health, Editorial Board Member of Austin Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, Associate Editor of International Journal of Statistics and Systems, and Global Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics and reviewer for several international journals. Dr. Mathur is a reviewer of grant applications for the Department of Defense and NIH. Dr. Mathur’s research interests are in both biostatistical applications and methodological development of biostatistics. His research interests include childhood obesity, cancer research, public health, nonparametric statistics, likelihood procedures, genomics, biostatistics, and epidemiology. Dr. Mathur is working in the area of pediatric obesity, the number of children who are overweight and obese is increasing rapidly world-wide, and the World Health Organization has declared obesity as one of the largest epidemics of modern times. In order to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, there is a pressing need to understand the association among different factors (genetic and non-genetic) and childhood obesity. Dr. Mathur is working to establish the association of several factors and obesity among children and examine the moderating role of birth weight, race, and maternal smoking status during pregnancy.

Childhood obesity Cancer research Public health Nonparametric statistics Likelihood procedures Genomics Biostatistics Epidemiology.

Vaclav Bunc has earned his PhD from TU Prague in 1979. He is a Vice Dean of Faculty of PE and Sports at Charles University Prague. His main research topics are: obesity management, application of mathematical methods and models in PE and sport, evaluation of physical fitness, exercise physiology, functional and physical testing in laboratory and field, body composition, BIA methods and moving regimes for prevention. He has published more than 350 papers in Czech and internationally reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute.

obesity management, physical fitness, exercise physiology.

"Prof. Lucia Pacific Pediatrics Assistant Professor of Sapienza University of Rome; Currently Professor holds the position of Executive Level I and Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Hepatology in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Azienda Policlinico Umberto I, Rome. Her research interest are: Pediatric Hepatology (cholestasis, jaundice, metabolic diseases of the liver); Fatty liver in children; Nutrition; Markers of inflammation and cardiometabolic risk in children with visceral obesity; Pediatric Gastrointestinal infections Lucia Pacifico graduated in Medicine and Surgery (1977) at the University ""Sapienza"" of Rome with honors, specializing in Pediatrics (with honors), with specialization in Neonatology with honors at the ""Sapienza"" University of Rome. Her later obtained a degree in Medicine and Surgery recognized in the United States (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates - 1979; Visa Qualifyng Examination- 1980). Her holds the License to a doctor surgeon recognized in the United States (Board of Medical Examiners - 1982)."

Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutrition.

Cristiana Pop is currently a full Professor at Bucharest Economic Studies University. She has her expertise in “Teaching physical education in higher education and training athletics mainly for university contests”. Her main research interests are in “Education quality and social issues related with health, physical activity, eating behaviors and wellbeing”. She has authored “The role of physical activity in promoting well-being (2015), Athletics for Students (2013)” and other few books promoting physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. She is member of Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, member of Romanian Athletic Federation (women commission) and has research collaboration with Romanian Academy Anthropological Institute Research Center. She is serving as Senior Editor and Editorial Board Member of several reviews in education, health and sport sciences domain.

Eating behaviors and wellbeing, Healthy lifestyle.