As First Lady Michelle Obama launches initiatives to fight childhood obesity, physicians from the top-ranked University of Michigan Health System are available to discuss childhood obesity and what efforts are successful at keeping children healthy.
The Health System is addressing childhood obesity by researching health behaviors and obesity trends, creating intiatives such as Project Healthy Schools, a program for sixth grade students that is designed to increase physical activity and promote healthier food choices, and providing clinical services through the Pediatric Comprehensive Weight Management Center at U-M.
For news stories, please consider contacting these health care professionals.
Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable diseases at the University of Michigan Medical School and the director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. His work focuses on adolescent care and health and wellness promotion. His obesity-related research is in collaboration with the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at U-M which focuses on child health care and child heath programs or policies.
Jean DuRussell-Weston, R.N., M.P.H., is U-M's MFit Community Health Initiatives program administrator and manager of Project Healthy Schools, a program to promote heart-healthy lifestyles among sixth-graders.
Kim A. Eagle, M.D., is clinical director of the U-M Cardiovascular Center and professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School. He has extensively studied cardiovascular medicine and clinical decision guidelines in heart care. Eagle also has founded Project Healthy Schools, a program for sixth grade students that is designed to increase physical activity and promote healthier food choices.
Elizabeth A. Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. She has done extensive research on obesity and her latest research paper shows that children who eat school lunches are more likely to be overweight compared to those who bring lunches from home.
Joyce M. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., is a U-M assistant professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases. She has largely studied obesity in children and the link between childhood obesity and its long-term endocrine consequences, including pubertal maturation and development of diabetes over the life course.
Julie C. Lumeng, M.D. is a U-M assistant professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases and clinical instructor of pediatrics. She can discuss the development of eating behavior in young children.
Susan J. Woolford, M.D., M.P.H., is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases and the medical director of the Pediatric Comprehensive Weight Management Center at U-M. Her research focuses on the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity with an emphasis on physician-patient communication related to behavior change. Her staff has piloted the use of tailored text messages to promote healthy eating and exercise. She can also talk about the science behind safe and effective weight loss for families.
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