Obesity Society Announces Policy Forums in Conjunction with National Conventions

    Conyers, Chavez, Rex to Headline Democratic Convention Forum



    Huckabee, Barbour, Clegg to Headline Republican Convention Forum







    SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 21 /EMWNews/ -- Today, The

Obesity Society, the leading professional and scientific organization

dedicated to the study of obesity, announced details of the policy forums

it is hosting in Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul in conjunction with the

Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The forums, entitled "The

Challenge of Obesity for Policy Makers: Recommendations for the Next

Administration," will be co-sponsored by the Universities of Colorado and

Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic and George Washington University and will

feature roundtable discussions of policymakers at both the national and

local levels, in addition to representatives of the Party nominees.



    Both forums will be open to the media, delegates and the general

public. The forum at the 2008 Democratic Convention will be held on Monday,

August 25th from 8AM until 12:30PM at the Hamilton Building of the Denver

Art Museum. The event will be moderated by Sally Squires, former Washington

Post columnist and founder of the Lean Plate Club. Melody Barnes, Domestic

Policy Advisor of the Obama for President Campaign, and Karen Kornbluh,

Principal Author of the Democratic Platform, will address how an Obama

administration would address the issue of obesity and the historic

inclusion of obesity in the Democratic platform. Congressman John Conyers

(MI-14), Mayor Martin Chavez (Albuquerque, NM) and South Carolina

Superintendent of Education Jim Rex will discuss local strategies for

addressing obesity.



    The forum at the 2008 Republican National Convention will be held on

September 2nd from 8 AM until 12:30 PM at the historic James L. Hill

Research Library in St. Paul, MN. The event will be moderated by Lesley

Stahl of CBS News 60 Minutes. Former Presidential Candidate and Arkansas

Governor Mike Huckabee, former RNC Chairman and Governor Haley Barbour

(MS), and New Hampshire State Senator Bob Clegg will address the St. Paul

conference and discuss the strategies they have advocated at the state and

national levels to combat the crisis of obesity.



    In addition, the forums will include some of the most prominent experts

in the field of obesity, including Gary Foster, Morgan Downey and Caroline

Apovian of The Obesity Society, James Hill and Robert Eckel of the

University of Colorado, and Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic. Eric

Finkelstein, PhD, a health economist in RTI's Public Health Economics

Program, will also make a presentation.



    In announcing the details of these events, Gary Foster, President of

The Obesity Society said, "The growing awareness of the obesity epidemic is

leading to new strategies at the national and local levels as our

policymakers seek ways to combat this problem. We hope that these events

shine a spotlight on this issue and lead to practical recommendations for

the next Administration."



    Morgan Downey, Executive Vice President of the Society agreed, "The

momentum behind this issue is evidenced by the prominent national leaders

attending both forums. We were gratified that the Democratic Platform

Committee included obesity in their platform, and hope that the Republican

Platform Committee follows suit." (For Democratic Platform on Obesity go to

http://www.obesity.org)



    The Obesity Society (http://www.obesity.org) is the leading scientific

organization dedicated to the study of obesity. Since 1982, The Obesity

Society has been committed to encouraging research on the causes and

treatment of obesity, and to keeping the medical community and public

informed of new advances. The Obesity Society's vision is to be the leader

in understanding, preventing and treating obesity and in improving the

lives of those affected. The Obesity Society's membership reached 2,000

basic and clinical researchers, who have published extensively, and care

providers in obesity treatment and prevention.