The Endocrine Society will present its new Center on Obesity and publicly unveil a Scientific Statement entitled “Obesity Science, Research Gaps and Opportunities in the New Era of Obesity Medicines” during a member-exclusive virtual event on Wednesday, September 9. The scheduled program will provide Society members with a first look at the Center’s aims and the statement’s principal conclusions.
The Scientific Statement represents the Center’s first major publication and summarizes current evidence related to evolving obesity treatments, identifies remaining research questions, and highlights opportunities to advance care and science.
Daniel J. Drucker, MD, who led the writing group for the Scientific Statement and is recognized for his role in the development of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies, will present the statement’s key findings.
Amy E. Rothberg, MD, Chair of the Endocrine Society’s Obesity Task Force, will outline how the new Center will support obesity care and research. Mehmet Furkhan Burak, MD, Co-Chair of the Society’s Obesity Special Interest Group, will serve as the emcee for the member-only event.
The Center on Obesity is designed to leverage the Endocrine Society membership’s expertise in hormonal causes and treatments of obesity. The stated objectives include accelerating scientific understanding of obesity and advancing treatments for the global population affected by obesity.
The Center intends to serve as a focal point for the Society’s obesity-related activities and to produce resources—beginning with the Scientific Statement—to inform clinicians and researchers about the state of the science and priority areas for investigation.
The Scientific Statement, “Obesity Science, Research Gaps and Opportunities in the New Era of Obesity Medicines,” was developed by a writing group of eight experts. That group reviewed more than 200 studies to compile and assess the current evidence base surrounding obesity treatments.
The statement examines how obesity treatments are changing in the context of newer medicines, what the most recent evidence indicates about effectiveness and heterogeneity of response, and where important knowledge gaps remain. As the first major Center publication, the statement is intended to identify research priorities and inform clinical and scientific communities about areas needing greater attention.
The virtual launch will explore multiple topics summarized in the Scientific Statement and relevant to clinical practice and research, including:
What the latest science summarized in the Scientific Statement could mean for patients, treatment decisions, and clinical practice.
How injectable and oral GLP-1–based medications are expanding options for obesity treatment.
How GLP-1 receptor agonists and other emerging therapies are opening new directions for obesity research.
Reasons for heterogeneity in patient responses to treatment and what current evidence reveals about effectiveness across populations.
Specific gaps in understanding obesity biology and energy homeostasis that require increased scientific attention.
Approaches to evaluate treatment success beyond measuring total body weight loss.
Efforts by Society experts to improve obesity diagnosis and to expand access to care for people with obesity.
Each topic reflects content reportedly addressed in the Scientific Statement or included on the event agenda; detailed findings and recommendations were to be presented during the program.
The member-exclusive virtual event is scheduled from 11 AM to 12 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 9. Members of the Endocrine Society were invited to register for the event through the Society’s meetings and events page.
The article did not report additional operational details such as continuing medical education credit, follow-up materials, or the full text of the Scientific Statement. For further specifics—text of the statement, slides, or subsequent Center activities—attendees and members were directed to the Endocrine Society’s Center on Obesity event and membership resources.