On-demand webinar: Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease

Professor John Deanfield

Professor John Deanfield is a global leader in cardiovascular health and preventative medicine. His work has been pivotal in shifting the focus from treating established disease to preventing its onset.

He has championed the concept of “Investing in your Arteries” based on his work describing the risk and benefit from cumulative exposure to risk factors and their treatment. As the UK government's first-ever Champion for Personalised Prevention, he has played a role in shaping national health strategies, advocating for a more proactive and individualized approach to healthcare. His work in this capacity has influenced policy decisions and helped set the stage for a new era of preventive medicine in the UK. John was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the prevention and treatment of heart disease in 2021.

He founded and directed the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) and championed the use of real-world data for both quality improvement and large-scale, clinical trials.

He has a number of leadership positions in the UK and internationally. He is Chair of the International Scientific Committee at the new Springer Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and helped develop the Our Future Health programme, for which he is a Trustee. He is also a strategic advisor to the pharmaceutical and financial industries and has board positions at several early-stage companies.

A prolific researcher, Professor Deanfield has authored over 550 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious medical journals, including The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine (h=index=157). He regularly presents at major international conferences.

Ms. Sarah Le Brocq

Director, All About Obesity

Sarah Le Brocq has a unique skillset of living with obesity, a background in science, 16 years’ experience of working in the pharmaceutical industry, alongside the NHS and 6 years’ experience of being a trustee/Director of an obesity charity.

Sarah has recently founded a new obesity organisation called All About Obesity, which is aiming to be the equivalent of Diabetes UK in the obesity space.
‘All About Obesity aims to be the leading obesity organisation for advancing obesity research, supporting and driving public education, a trusted resource for people living with obesity, healthcare professionals and policymakers and a support platform for people living with obesity.’

Sarah is known as a Thought Leader in the Obesity space, has a wide network of relationships with key obesity stakeholders. She is also well known in the media and is regularly called upon to give her thoughts and expertise around current Obesity affairs.
She sits on the strategic council for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity, a stakeholder in NHSE’s National Obesity Audit, a lay member on the NICE Weight Management Committee, the Digital weight management technologies for specialist weight management services and a representative on the OHA Healthy Weight Strategy, lived experience group.
She has also co-authored a number of published academic papers in scientific journals.

NB: www.allaboutobesity.org

Professor John Wilding

Professor of Medicine, University of Liverpool; Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Aintree site)

Professor John Wilding leads clinical research into Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Liverpool, where he has worked since 1996, after training in Southampton and London. His clinical interests focus on caring for people with diabetes and obesity and he leads specialist services for obesity at Aintree University Hospital – designated a Centre for Obesity Management by the European Association for the Study of Obesity.
John’s research team focusses on developing and evaluating treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes. He has published over 350 papers, chapters and review articles, including clinical trials in diabetes and obesity, as well as studies of adipocyte biology and metabolism.
He has advised NICE and NHS England on various aspects of obesity care. He is a past Chair of the UK Association for the Study of Obesity, and past President of the World Obesity Federation.