Professor Boyd Swinburn, renowned clinical and public health researcher, gave a public lecture as part of the Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research (EDOR) tenth anniversary celebration on Tuesday, 19 August 2014.
Boyd Swinburn is the Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland. He is also Alfred Deakin Professor and Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Melbourne. His research interests are centred on community and policy actions to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity.
Following the opening of proceedings by Sir Eion Edgar, and EDOR Director Professor Jim Mann, Professor Swinburn presented an informative and insightful presentation about the impact, challenges, and action needed to address the obesogenic environment.
The capacity audience included special guests, researchers, public health and advocacy representatives, health professionals, students and interested members of the public from up and down the country. The lecture concluded with questions from the floor, and light refreshments followed.
Professor Swinburn's presentation: Matching research agendas to the action strategies for preventing obesity and diabetes
"The spectrum of diabetes and obesity research agendas ranges from scientists who are driven to understand causes and mechanisms to politicians who place economic outcomes as the top priority for science. In the middle is a 'strategic science' approach which involves close collaboration between researchers and decision-makers at all stages of the research process including co-creation of research questions, collaborative research implementation, and robust knowledge exchange mechanisms. This solution-oriented approach is the hallmark for groups, such as Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research, which aim to make a real difference to the obesity and diabetes epidemics."
- Matching research agendas to action strategies (230MB mp4 video)
- Professor Swinburn's slides from his presentation
Read Professor Swinburn's comment on Dirty Politics:
- Whale Oil 'toxic rubbish': professor 19 August 2014, Otago Daily Times website
Read coverage of the lecture by The Star:
- Dunedin urged to fight obesity, diabetes 28 August 2014, The Star website
