The obesity education project “NOVA Medical School Obesity Week”, led by Professor Gabriela Ribeiro, a researcher in the Department of Metabolism and Nutrition at NOVA Medical School, has been awarded the EASO Award for Best Collaborative Project, a European prize awarded by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) which recognizes the best collaborative approach to promoting World Obesity Day Europe. This project was implemented through a grant from the European Coalition for People living with Obesity (ECPO) for World Obesity Day activities awarded to the same teacher.
This week-long initiative promoted awareness of obesity as a disease, combating the associated stigma and encouraging a science-based approach. NMS Obesity Week included several activities - an obesity education stand on the college campus, where the Association of People Living with Obesity (ADEXO) challenged several people to try on a costume that simulates being overweight. Other activities included an open day at the university clinic, as well as a culinary medicine workshop aimed at people with obesity.
The program ended with a seminar on obesity and mental health, which featured the coordinator and principal investigator of the Psychiatry Unit of the Champalimaud Clinical Centre and Professor at the NMS, Albino Oliveira-Maia, and other speakers such as the principal investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland, Harriet Schellekens, and the Expresso journalist and co-author of the mental health podcast “Que voz é esta?”, Helena Bento.
NMS Obesity Week reached around 300 people, including future health professionals, researchers, clinicians and people with obesity, and was only possible thanks to a collaborative effort involving the Community Outreach Department, the work of more than 70 student volunteers and collaborators from NOVA Medical School and ADEXO.
As Professor Gabriela Ribeiro emphasized, “professionals involved in the prevention, research and treatment of obesity play a fundamental role in advocating for patients. People living with obesity are often in vulnerable situations and we have a responsibility to give voice to their needs. With this initiative, we wanted to raise awareness among different audiences and create real impact.”
The award given by EASO reinforces NOVA Medical School's commitment to education, prevention and treatment of obesity, promoting the training of health professionals prepared to face the challenges of chronic diseases.
Congratulations to all the team involved.