Featured Speaker

Dr. Gary D. Foster

Gary Foster is Professor of Medicine and Public Health and the Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University. Dr. Foster’s research interests include the prevention and treatment of obesity, and he studies a variety of treatment approaches including behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy, and surgery. He evaluates obesity prevention strategies in schools and communities. His current research studies include the effects of weight loss on sleep apnea, the safety and efficacy of low and high-carbohydrate diets, and the prevention of obesity in school and community settings. He has authored or coauthored more than 125 scientific publications and three books on the etiology and treatment of obesity. Dr. Foster has been a frequent presenter at national and international scientific meetings and has also had considerable clinical experience treating overweight patients in individual and group settings for over 20 years. In addition, Dr. Foster has received numerous awards and honors including Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology from the American Psychological Association and an Honorary Membership from the American Dietetic Association; he served as President of the Obesity Society in 2008. His research on the school-based prevention of obesity (Pediatrics, 2008) was cited by the American Heart Association as one of the top 10 advances in cardiovascular research in 2008.