SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Jarol Boan, MPH is a Professor of Medicine at the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine and formerly with the Duke Diet & Fitness Center. She is board certified as a Physician Nutrition Specialist with the American Board of Nutrition, and recipient of the American Society of Clinical Nutrition salary award for Physician Nutrition Specialists. Dr. Boan is an expert on the assessment of co-morbidities in the overweight, determination of medical risk, and evaluation of psychological status that can compromise successful outcomes. She is a popular and highly regarded speaker for many CME-sponsored courses on obesity treatment. Her research interests are behavioral determinants of successful weight loss, evidence based obesity treatment, and obesity health policy research. She focuses on techniques of lifestyle change and behavioral modification and is a strong advocate for appropriate treatment of people with obesity. To review research, please click here.
Denise E. Wilfley, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Medicine, and Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she also serves as the Director of the Weight Management and Eating Disorder Program at Washington University School of Medicine. She has held faculty positions at Yale University and San Diego State University as well as her current appointment with Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wilfley is funded by the NIH in a programmatic line of research examining the causes, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders and obesity among children, adolescents, and adults. She is actively involved in several multi-center psychological treatment trials for patients with eating disorders and obesity as well as individuals at risk for the development of eating disorders. Dr. Wilfley has published over 100 original peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews, and she has received numerous awards for her work, including an NIMH FIRST Independent Research Award and a Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient Oriented Research. Dr. Wilfley serves on the editorial boards of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, the International Journal of Eating Disorders, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the Journal of Cognitive Therapy, Body Image, Current Nutrition Reviews, and Obesity Research. She is the Membership Selection Chair and on the board of directors of the Eating Disorders Research Society and a Fellow of both the Academy for Eating Disorders and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. To review research, please click here.
Georgia Kostas, M.P.H., R.D., L.D., is the founder and director of the nutrition program at Cooper Clinic. She is the author of The Cooper Clinic Solution to the Diet Revolution (a revised edition of The Balancing Act Nutrition and Weight Guide) and The Guilt-Free Comfort Food Cookbook. She is a contributing author to many other books, including several by Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H. Her specialties include preventive and cardiovascular nutrition, weight control, wellness, and sports nutrition. Kostas received her B.A. in biology from Rice University and M.P.H. in nutrition from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She completed her residency in dietetics from Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. Kostas received the "Sports and Cardiovascular Nutritionists National Achievement Award" from the American Dietetic Association in 1990 and is the American Dietetic Association's liaison to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Kostas gives nutrition seminars for community and corporate groups on and off campus.
Melinda Sothern, Ph.D, is Director for the Laboratory for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. Her research primarily focuses on nutrition and exercise paradigms. She is the author of Trim Kids: The Proven 12-Week Plan That Has Helped Thousands of Children Achieve a Healthier Weight. To review research, please click here.
Dennis Styne, M.D, is a professor of pediatric medicine at UC Davis. He is a pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist interested most specifically in disorders of the endocrine system in childhood, but more widely in issues of maternal and child health. Much of Dr. Styne's basic research relates directly to the study of pathophysiologic therapy in endocrine disease. He has had NIH funded basic studies and published both original research papers and clinical chapters on endocrine diseases. To review research, please click here.
Wolfgang Siegfried, M.D, is Clinical Director of the Insula Rehabilitation Center for Morbidly Obese Adolescents in Berchtesgaden, Germany. He has been responsible for the “Morbid Obesity” part of Germany’s guidelines for pediatric obesity treatment since 2000. Dr. Siegfried has served as a board member of the German Obesity Association for Children and Adolescents since 1996. He is also a founding member of the first German Obesity Foundation where he also serves on the board. Dr. Siegfried is a board certified internist and pulmonologist with a special interest in morbid obesity and sleep apnea syndrome. He co-authored a film on Obesity Prevention for public schools in Germany , which focuses on discrimination of obese adolescents, as an aggravating factor. Dr. Siegfried is a contributing author to several German books on obesity and internal medicine and to the first Brazilian textbook on obesity. To review research, please click here.
