Society for Endocrinology | Special Interest Groups

Obesity Special Interest Group

Background

The rising prevalence of obesity in the UK represents a major challenge for all those involved in the prevention and management of patients with obesity. Endocrinologists, often by default, play the leading role in the management of obesity and related diseases, but there is a need to develop a more co-ordinated strategy to support training, research and provision of specialist clinical services and to facilitate communication and interaction with stakeholders in related disciplines (e.g. Diabetes).

There are already a number of national and international bodies involved in raising academic, governmental and public awareness of obesity and its prevention, but none specifically focus on specialist clinical services. Whilst the SFE Obesity SIG would seek to interact and support the efforts of these groups, the focus of the SFE Obesity SIG would be on issues associated with the management of patients with severe obesity – the patient group for whom Endocrinologists are largely responsible.

The obesity SIG will establish a core group of members to act as the specialist interest group committee – this will include clinical/academic endocrinologists with experience in obesity management and obesity surgeons. The SIG convenor (Sadaf Farooqi, Cambridge, email: isf20@cam.ac.uk) will initiate and manage communication between members and between members and the Society. The committee will develop the remit of the SIG and formulate and disseminate proposals.

Actions

To provide a focus for training, education and research in obesity within endocrinology to ensure that it becomes the key discipline to lead in addressing clinical and academic issues relating to obesity and associated diseases (a specific aim would be to promote the training of Specialist Registrars in Diabetes and Endocrinology in Obesity and related disorders)
To encourage greater contribution and involvement of endocrinologists and endocrinology trainees in service development and provision and of basic and clinical endocrinologists in research in obesity.
To increase the profile of endocrinology amongst those involved in the management of obesity (who are non-endocrinologists).
To encourage closer links between endocrinologists, diabetologists and colleagues from other disciplines involved in obesity management.
To strengthen links between the Society for Endocrinology and other obesity-related organisations such as the European and International Associations for the Study of Obesity to further basic and clinical research in obesity.