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Awards ceremony takes place at ObesityWeek, Nov. 11 – 16
October 28, 2013
The Obesity Society will honor Dr. Steve
Blair with lifetime achievement award.
The Obesity Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Steven Blair, a professor in the Departments of Exercise Science and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Arnold School of Public Health, as the recipient of its Mickey Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes Blair who, like Dr. Albert (Mickey) Stunkard, has made a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the field of obesity through scholarship, mentorship and education.
For more than four decades, Blair has been involved in the area of physical activity and health, focusing on the association between lifestyle and health, with a specific emphasis on exercise, physical fitness, body composition and chronic disease. He is widely recognized as a physical activity and obesity expert, having delivered hundreds of lectures in 48 states and 50 countries. He is frequently quoted in leading magazines and newspapers and heard on radio and TV, both nationally and internationally.
"Dr. Blair has truly illustrated his dedication to the field through his lifetime of contributions to better understanding the impact of physical activity on health," said Dr. Harvey Grill, TOS President. "He is indeed an eminent exercise scientist and researcher. I salute him for his significant work to help improve the lives of those affected."
Blair is a Fellow of TOS and also has fellowships in many other influential organizations, including the American Epidemiological Society, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Heart Association and the National Academy of Kinesiology. Over his career, Blair has made many contributions to obesity education through his research. With research funding of more than $25 million over the past 25-plus years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as a variety of foundations and other organizations, Blair has published more than 600 peer‐reviewed articles and continues to publish at a rate of about 40 per year. He is one of the most highly cited exercise scientists in the world, with citations to his work appearing in more than 36,000 reports in the scientific literature, and he has an h‐index of 90.
"I am extremely grateful for the great honor of being selected by TOS for the 2013 Mickey Stunkard Lifetime Achievement Award," said Blair. "I have always admired and respected Professor Stunkard for his excellent research and professional accomplishments, and I consider him the epitome of a true gentleman. I will always cherish this award, and I will do my best to promote excellent standards of research and practice to advance the mission of TOS."
Dr. Blair will receive the award at TOS's Annual Scientific Meeting at ObesityWeekSM, Nov. 11 - 16, in Atlanta. ObesityWeekSM is the premier annual scientific and educational conference for obesity professionals. This year marks the first year of the largest meeting of its kind dedicated to obesity research, treatment and prevention.
TOS developed its named awards program more than a decade ago to promote, reward and encourage research in the field of obesity. Each year TOS, the leading professional society dedicated to researching, treating and preventing obesity, announces the five esteemed recipients of its named awards to recognize the honorees for their scientific achievements and contributions to the basic science, treatment and prevention of obesity.
The award to Blair honors Stunkard, a professor emeritus of psychiatry and an internationally renowned scholar who began his career at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1957. To honor his 50 years of service and major contributions to the field of obesity research, the Department of Psychiatry, which he chaired for 11 years, and the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders established the Albert J. Stunkard Weight Management Program. Stunkard's research and dedication to patient care have been recognized by numerous awards, including his election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Find information about this year's additional awardees at http://www.obesity.org/about-us/obesity-society-awards.htm.
For more information about the conference, visit http://obesityweek.com/.
About The Obesity Society (TOS)
TOS is the leading scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity. TOS is committed to encouraging research on the causes, treatment, and prevention of obesity as well as to keeping the scientific community and public informed of new advances in the field. For more information please visit: www.obesity.org.
