Half of the U.S. population will be obese by 2030, according to the latest data. To address this growing epidemic, Yale School of Medicine is establishing the Yale Obesity Research Center (Y-Weight), announced Nancy J. Brown, MD, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine.
The center will be led by Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine (endocrinology & metabolism) and of pediatrics (pediatric endocrinology); co-director of the Yale Center for Weight Management; director of weight management and obesity prevention at the Yale Stress Center; and an internationally recognized expert on the treatment of obesity.
The mission of the new center is to improve the lives of individuals living with obesity through cutting-edge research that facilitates the development and application of novel therapies, targeting obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer.
“By broadening our understanding of the pathophysiology of obesity and working to develop novel, highly effective interventions, the Yale Obesity Research Center will work to improve the lives and health of individuals with obesity,” Brown said.
The center’s primary activities will include human physiology studies, clinical trials, and health outcomes research. An initial focus of the center will be novel pharmacological therapeutics for obesity, including the new generation of nutrient-stimulated hormone-based therapies that target the neurometabolic mechanisms of obesity.
The creation of this center will further facilitate access to clinical research for patients who present to the Yale Center for Weight Management, led by John Morton, MD, MPH; Wajahat Mehal, MD, PhD; and Jastreboff, and across Yale Medicine and the Yale New Haven Health System. The center will be located at 2 Church Street South, near the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, and will provide a site for multidisciplinary obesity research.