Greetings! It's hard to believe that it has been five years since we began the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance. But then I think back at the major changes in the obesity landscape and the growth of our coalition - now at nearly 70 member organizations - and I realize just how much effort we have collectively put into advancing our work. Together, we have lead changes in the way the nation perceives and approaches the problem of obesity, overweight and weight-related health risks. We have moved beyond awareness and identified specific strategies to overcome the systemic and cultural barriers that are failing to adequately support individual and community efforts to address obesity.
We've done this work amidst a backdrop of remarkable health care transformation efforts at the national and state levels. With these changes has come an exciting opportunity for me. I have been asked by the Governor of the State of Rhode Island to run the state's health insurance exchange. It is an honor to have the extraordinary chance to work with a state at the forefront of health reform implementation and I look forward to applying research and insights I have learned from my work with the Alliance, as well as from my overall experience in delivery system and insurance reform.
During my appointment, I will maintain a faculty role at the George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy. Although I will transition out of the day-to-day operation of the STOP Obesity Alliance, I will continue to provide strategic leadership and support key initiatives. The Alliance director role will be taken on by Scott Kahan, MD, who has worked closely with me and has served as the Alliance's Clinical Advisor for the last several years. The addition of Dr. Kahan in a more robust role will augment the existing research team at GW and add to the depth and breadth of the work it undertakes.
The academic home of the STOP Obesity Alliance will remain at GW and the established GW obesity research team will continue to provide the substantive knowledge base for the Alliance's initiatives and projects. The Chandler Chicco Agency will continue to lead communications, initiative execution, program development and member relations.
Thank you all for your ongoing interest in the STOP Obesity Alliance. Dr. Kahan and I look forward to continuing to provide you updates on the Alliance's endeavors.
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