Fuse lead named new Trustee Chair of Association for the Study of Obesity

Congratulations to Fuse research lead Dr Nicola Heslehurst who has been appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees for the UK Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO).

Nicola was first elected to the Board of Trustees by ASO members in 2014 and led the local organising committee for the UK Congress on Obesity, the ASO’s annual conference, which was hosted at Newcastle University in 2018.

Her new role as Chair of the Board of Trustees is a three-year tenure and Nicola has outlined key priorities relating to early career research career development; equality diversity and inclusion (EDI); and partnerships with patients and public living with obesity.

"I am stepping into this role at a really exciting time when there are so many opportunities to contribute to shaping the future direction of the organisation."

Dr Nicola Heslehurst

Dr Heslehurst is co-lead for the Early Life and Adolescence Research Programme in Fuse and a Senior Lecturer in Maternal Nutrition with the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University. Her research focuses on maternal weight and reproductive health particularly relating to inequalities and health service improvement. She holds an NIHR Advanced (Career Development) Fellowship. 

Nicola is also equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) lead for the Population Health Science Institute and the Fuse lead for the NIHR School for Public Health Research (SPHR) EDI Committee.

Speaking about her new appointment she said: "I am stepping into this role at a really exciting time when there are so many opportunities to contribute to shaping the future direction of the organisation.

"I will be focussing on how we can provide more support for early career researcher career development. I will also take my EDI experience to the ASO role and, for the first time in ASO history, do EDI consultation work with the organisations members to identify ways that the organisation could be improved to increase equality diversity and inclusion.

"It is vital that the voices of people living with obesity are included in obesity research and clinical practice. We have been slowly building our links with patient organisations over a number of years, and my plans are for this to become more embedded into how we operate as an organisation."

About the ASO

Since it was founded in 1967, the ASO has become the UK's foremost charitable organisation dedicated to the understanding, prevention and treatment of obesity. It aims to develop an understanding of obesity through the pursuit of excellence in research and education, the facilitation of contact between individuals and organisations, and the promotion of action to prevent and treat obesity.

You can find out more about the ASO and its objectives by visiting its website www.aso.org.uk.

Last modified: Mon, 23 Jan 2023 17:50:33 GMT