SURMOUNT-3, keynote lectures highlight program at ObesityWeek
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Key takeaways:
- ObesityWeek will take place from Saturday through Tuesday in Dallas.
- This year’s meeting will include a presentation on the SURMOUNT-3 trial as well as 16 keynote speakers.
Experts in the field of obesity will gather in Dallas beginning on Saturday to hear about the latest research, discuss clinical practice recommendations and connect with colleagues at the ObesityWeek annual meeting.
ObesityWeek will take place Saturday evening through Tuesday at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. The theme for the annual meeting is “connections” and Ursula White, PhD, associate professor of clinical science at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and chair of this year’s ObesityWeek program committee, said networking and collaboration will be a big part of the conference.
“I'm especially fond of the networking component,” White told Healio. “I love the learning and the knowledge that’s acquired; we always expect and anticipate that. But this meeting will also offer so many opportunities for attendees to just talk with one another and network. I’m especially looking forward to that. Many times, some of the best ideas that come about in terms of moving science forward come about through networking opportunities and brainstorming ideas or establishing connections with persons at other institutions that you didn’t previously have, to form collaborations.”
The meeting will kick off with the presidential plenary Saturday at 5 p.m. CDT. Elizabeth J. Parks, PhD, FTOS, president of The Obesity Society, and White will offer welcoming remarks. Other speakers at the opening session will include Michael D. Jensen, MD, who will discuss the state of the Obesity journal; Jamy D. Ard, MD, president-elect of The Obesity Society, who will speak on the need for standards of care for obesity; and Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, FTOS, and Rena R. Wing, PhD, who will both receive the Presidential Medal of Distinction.
Among the research presented at this year’s meeting will be findings from the SURMOUNT-3 trial. In SURMOUNT-3, adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity were enrolled in a 12-week intensive lifestyle intervention. Those who lost at least 5% of their body weight at 12 weeks were then randomly assigned to tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Eli Lilly) or placebo for 72 weeks. Presenters will discuss the change in body weight with tirzepatide compared with placebo and the clinical implications of starting tirzepatide for adults with obesity after intensive lifestyle intervention. The presentation will take place Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CDT.
Attendees will also get an opportunity to choose from 16 different keynote lectures that will take place throughout the meeting. The lectures are scheduled in three different time blocks: Sunday at 1:30 p.m. CDT, Monday at 1:30 p.m. CDT and Monday at 5 p.m. CDT.
“You have more than a dozen leaders from not just [across] the country, but all around the globe who will deliver key lectures on a variety of obesity-related topics,” White said. “Some of these topics, which are very attractive to our attendees, are anti-obesity medications, obesity inequities, obesity and mental health, the brain and various genetic pathways to obesity. These key lectures are especially important because they help to appeal to the diverse group of attendees that come to ObesityWeek.”
Other events that attendees should look out for at this year’s meeting include:
- Dietary guidelines will be the focus of a symposium Sunday at 8 a.m. CDT. Anna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, MS, will discuss the development of the 2023 Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, and Barbara Schneeman, PhD, will review the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- On Sunday at 10 a.m. CDT, The Obesity Society and the Nutrition Obesity Research Center will hold a joint symposium on obesity and chronic aging. The session will examine the relationship between obesity and cognitive decline for older adults.
- On Monday at 8 a.m. CDT, there will be a symposium on the use of BMI for diagnosing and treating obesity. The symposium will look at the history of BMI, the pros and cons behind using the metric and examine various perspectives on using BMI in clinical practice.
- Early career attendees are invited to attend The Obesity Society’s early career academic workshop on Monday at 8 a.m. CDT. The sessions will include talks from Obesity Society members about searching for a job, trying to earn a promotion, time management and more.
“It is awesome to support the next generation of obesity researchers,” White said. “We have poster sessions and there are many early career individuals that present at the poster sessions, giving them a chance to gain exposure and get accustomed to speaking.”
ObesityWeek is an in-person meeting only. Attendees have the option to purchase on-demand sessions when they register for the meeting. On-demand recordings will be available beginning Dec. 1.
The Healio | Endocrine Today staff will provide live coverage from ObesityWeek, with reports on the presentations, video interviews and more. For more information on the ObesityWeek agenda and registration, visit www.obesityweek.org.
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