World-renowned geneticist Claude Bouchard, professor and director of the Human Genomics Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, will deliver the fall 2013 George H. Boyd Distinguished Lecture. He will speak Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m. in Mahler Hall of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.
His lecture, “The Obesity Epidemic: Reflection on Contentious Issues,” is open free to the public.
The Boyd Distinguished Lecture Series, supported by UGA’s Office of the Vice President for Research and the William S. and Elizabeth K. Boyd Foundation, brings national leaders and policymakers in science, education and related fields to UGA to discuss applications of research to contemporary issues in education.
“During his time as executive director, Dr. Bouchard helped to make the Pennington Biomedical Research Center a state-of-the-art facility with cutting edge programs in obesity and chronic diseases,” said David Lee, vice president for research. “UGA also is committed to fighting this epidemic through our Obesity Initiative, and we look forward to learning as much as we can from Dr. Bouchard’s visit.”
In his lecture, Bouchard plans to address several obesity research controversies, including the heritability of obesity risk; whether the prevalence of obesity has reached a plateau; maternal weight pregnancy weight gain and childhood obesity; and the various human responses to excessive caloric intake.
Bouchard’s research focuses on the genetics of obesity and the morbidities associated with obesity, such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
“Dr. Bouchard has been active in obesity-related research for decades, and he has helped shape policy on obesity and physical activity in the U.S. and abroad,” said Clifton Baile, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in agricultural biotechnology and director of the UGA Obesity Initiative. “His international perspective and research experience provide a unique view into the development of the worldwide obesity epidemic and the challenges in tackling this problem.”
