Aaron S. Kelly

University of Minnesota Medical School, Minnesota, US

Aaron S. Kelly is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Minnesota American Legion and Auxiliary Chair in Children’s Health, and the Co-Director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.  He has over 20 years of experience conducting clinical trials for the treatment of pediatric obesity and has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers on related topics.  Dr. Kelly’s NIH-funded research program focuses primarily on obesity pharmacotherapy but extends to all types of weight management interventions.  His work also seeks to identify and characterize predictors of treatment response and mechanisms associated with weight regain.  Dr. Kelly is actively involved in numerous initiatives related to pediatric obesity treatment in the United States and internationally, has held various leadership positions in The Obesity Society and American Heart Association, and is a Fellow of both organizations.

Daniel Weghuber

Pediatrics at Paracelsus Medical School (PMU), Salzburg, Austria

Daniel Weghuber is an alumnus of Vienna Medical University. He is Professor of Pediatrics at Paracelsus Medical School (PMU) in Salzburg, Austria. Clinically, he is head of the Department of Pediatrics, being specialized in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, focusing on metabolic comorbidities including glucose and fat metabolism (in particular disturbed insulin sensitivity and secretion) and phenotypes of preclinical atherosclerosis. Other areas of interest include orthopedic and psychological comorbidities, interdisciplinary diagnostics, mitochondrial genetics, lifestyle and pharmacological treatment of children and adolescents with obesity. In addition, he is involved in several training and educational activities of health care professionals on a national and international level in regard to obesity management. He is currently Past President of the European Childhood Obesity Group.

Valerie O’Hara

University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Maine, US

Valerie O’Hara graduated from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Pediatric Residency at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in 1999.  Dr. O’Hara, as a board-certified pediatrician, recognized the need to provide evidence-based care for children in Maine with energy dysregulation. Dr. O’Hara conceived, developed, and managed a pediatric weight management clinic in Maine, bringing 20 years of pediatric weight management education and experience to Maine children and their communities. In 2000, Dr. O’Hara joined children’s health colleagues in Maine to establish the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative which evolved into the Let’s Go Program, now a national initiative by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Dr. O’Hara is a member of The Obesity Society, The Obesity Medicine Association, and the Obesity Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has also published many articles and presented posters related to Telemedicine and Weight management programmes for children.