UB and Novo Establish Chair to Innovatively Address Obesity
The new chair aims to shift the paradigm of obesity, focusing on the individual and combating stigma.
By Pere Roca Soler
••3 min read
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Medical research notebook with notes and diagrams on complex diseases, a stethoscope, and a blurred university laboratory.
The University of Barcelona and Novo have established a new chair to promote an innovative approach to obesity, recognizing it as a complex chronic disease and placing the individual at its core.
The new chair proposes a comprehensive care model for obesity, moving away from prejudice and focusing on individual needs. A key objective is to disseminate current knowledge about the disease and highlight the ongoing challenges in clinical practice, research, teaching, and innovation.
During the presentation at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB, Violeta Moizé, director of the chair, emphasized the commitment to build it "for and with people living with obesity," ensuring their experiences are central to the initiatives.
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"We want to build this chair for and with people living with obesity, making their experience and needs part of the initiatives we promote. An open space for ideas and collaboration, capable of hosting and enabling projects that add value and contribute to transforming how we understand, communicate, teach, and address obesity."
The rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia, stressed the need to combine knowledge and experiences to address major societal challenges, stating that the chair "exemplifies the University of Barcelona's commitment to working collaboratively with other stakeholders to put knowledge at the service of society".
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"No institution can address the great challenges of today's society alone. We need to combine knowledge, capabilities, and experiences to find solutions that have a real impact on people's lives. This chair exemplifies the University of Barcelona's commitment to working collaboratively with other stakeholders to put knowledge at the service of society."
Paula Barriga, general director of Novo España, noted that addressing obesity requires scientific innovation, knowledge, training, and social awareness, and that the chair will connect academic and healthcare talent with the experience of researchers.
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"After more than 25 years committed to the fight against obesity, at Novo we believe that addressing this disease requires not only scientific innovation but also knowledge, training, and social awareness. This chair represents an opportunity to connect the talent from the academic environment and the healthcare collective with the experience of those who research to build bridges between those who generate knowledge and those who can help turn it into societal advancements."
The chair will promote a paradigm shift incorporating culinary medicine as a tool for healthy habits, motivational interviewing to enhance person-centered clinical practice, and patient experience to foster shared decision-making and combat stigma.
Planned activities include summer courses, training programs for professionals and the public, awareness-raising events, and special initiatives, such as an event at the Paraninfo of the University of Barcelona to highlight obesity as a chronic disease. Young talent will also be recognized through awards for academic work.
