image: LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Credit: PBRC
Researchers from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center will be among the experts sharing advances in obesity science and treatment at ObesityWeek 2026, the annual meeting of The Obesity Society, Nov. 14-17 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Pennington Biomedical will have a strong presence throughout the conference, with researchers presenting scientific findings, participating in expert panels and symposia, and contributing to educational and early-career programming. Dr. Jacqueline Stephens, a longtime Pennington Biomedical researcher, is serving as president of The Obesity Society, placing a Pennington Biomedical scientist at the helm of the organization behind one of the world’s leading gatherings devoted to obesity science and care.
“Pennington Biomedical’s participation in ObesityWeek reflects the extraordinary breadth of expertise across our research community, from basic science and precision medicine to clinical care and long-term treatment outcomes,” said Dr. Jennifer Rood, Interim Senior Vice Chancellor and Executive Director. “We are especially proud to support our own Dr. Jackie Stephens serving as president of The Obesity Society while so many of her Pennington Biomedical colleagues share discoveries that are helping advance the understanding and treatment of obesity.”
ObesityWeek is the annual scientific meeting of The Obesity Society and brings together scientists, clinicians and other health professionals working across the spectrum of obesity research, treatment and prevention.
“Obesity is a complex disease, and it’s encouraging to see that understanding finally spreading beyond the expert community. That momentum shows here: this is the largest ObesityWeek in TOS history, with more than 4,500 attendees from a wide range of fields, and our membership has grown 38% in the past year alone,” said Dr. Stephens, Claude B. Pennington Jr. Endowed Chair in Biomedical Research and TOS President.
Among the highlights of Pennington Biomedical’s participation:
- Dr. Stephens and Dr. Donna Ryan will participate in “Women Inspiring and Elevating Leadership in Diabetes (WIELD): Pearls of Wisdom from Obesity Trailblazers Across Career Stages and Fields.” Dr. Stephens will also discuss how the fundamentals of fat cell biology can guide precision medicine approaches to obesity treatment and participate in “Morning Buzz: Coffee with the Experts.”
- Dr. Amanda Staiano will be presented with the Oded Bar-Or Award for Excellence in Pediatric Obesity Research from The Obesity Society and will provide a presentation on the future of pediatric research.
- Dr. Steven Heymsfield and Dr. Ryan will participate in “Beyond the Scale: Assessing the Quality of Weight Loss and Advancing a Whole-Person Approach to Obesity Care.” Dr. Ryan will also participate in a symposium with Dr. Vance Albaugh exploring the potential role of amylin analogues in the future of obesity care.
- Dr. Philip Schauer will participate in discussions on tailoring evidence-based guidelines and treating patients with high BMI. He will also present 14-year findings from the ARMMS-T2D study examining predictors of long-term obesity remission following metabolic surgery or medical-lifestyle intervention in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
- Dr. Albaugh will participate in discussions on optimizing obesity treatment based on procedure type and disease severity. He will also present research on measuring neural gut-brain axis signaling in human health and obesity.
- Dr. Samantha Kennedy will present research examining psychosocial and behavioral pathways to weight loss using causal discovery analysis of data from the PROPEL study.
- Dr. Yun Shen will present during the Early Career Lightning Talks on polygenic risk for BMI and childhood obesity, including the effects of maternal gestational diabetes.
- David Mendoza will present research on adipocyte-autonomous KAT8 function, insulin signaling and metabolic gene expression as part of the Basic Science Blitz.
Pennington Biomedical researchers will also help lead and facilitate programming throughout the conference. Dr. Catherine Champagne will moderate a discussion on food noise and serve as a session chair; Dr. Frank Greenway will lead a discussion on potential new obesity treatments; Dr. Katherine Spring will moderate a discussion on ultra-processed foods, brain development and chronic disease risk; Dr. Albaugh will moderate a panel discussion on collaborative obesity treatment; and Drs. John Apolzan and Timothy Allerton will serve as session chairs. Dr. Hanim Ecem Diktas will co-chair the Early Career Lightning Talks and the “Beyond Academia: Roadmap to What Comes Next” workshop, while Dr. Ryan will participate in the workshop’s panel discussion. Dr. Stephens will also participate in the conference’s presentation of awards.
Additional Pennington Biomedical researchers will share their work through posters and oral presentations during ObesityWeek, including Drs. Wentao Cao, Yun Shen, Sujoy Ghosh, Samantha Kennedy, Sri Lakshmi Sravani Devarakonda, Steven Heymsfield, Catherine Prater, Katherine Spring, Gang Hu, Yeongho Hwang, Eric Ravussin, Christian Rodriguez and adjunct professor Leanne Redman; and doctoral candidates Dachuan Zhang, Lindsey Yoo, Elizabeth Heintz and David Mendoza.
About LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting nutrition and metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The Center conducts basic, clinical and population research, and is a campus in the LSU System.
The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 600 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 16 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician-scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a globally recognized state-of-the-art research institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.