Photo credit: Hanna Raijas-Turva, at Helsinki University Hospital
In 2025, the Obesity Prize for Excellence has been awarded to Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen, Professor of Clinical Metabolism at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Obesity Prize for Excellence Awarded to Clinical Researcher for Distinguished and Innovative Work in Obesity and Its Complications
Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen is the 2025 recipient of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) – Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize for Excellence for her outstanding work in clinical metabolism. The prize, awarded jointly by EASO and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, includes a DKK 2 million award. Of this, DKK 300,000 is a personal award, while DKK 1.7 million goes to support further research. Four researchers will also receive New Investigator Awards for their promising obesity research.
The EASO – Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize for Excellence is awarded annually for outstanding research or technological contributions that can improve our understanding of obesity, its causes, complications, prevention, and management.
“It is with great pleasure that we award Professor Pietiläinen with this prestigious prize. Her groundbreaking research in identical twins with differences in BMI has significantly contributed to how we understand the metabolic effects and complications of acquired obesity,” says Arne Astrup, MD, Professor and Senior Vice President of Obesity and Nutritional Sciences at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
“Professor Pietiläinen’s innovative studies in identical twins has for example shown that when the mitochondria – the tiny energy-producing structures in our cells – do not function properly, especially in fat tissue, it can cause complications in obesity. We should also highlight Professor Pietiläinen’s ability to encourage teamwork and talent as she is not only a trailblazer but a great mentor and team-leader.”
In addition to the Obesity Prize for Excellence, EASO and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have announced four New Investigator awards, each including a research grant of DKK 300,000.
“Congratulations to Kirsi Pietiläinen, the Obesity Prize for Excellence winner, and to the four New Investigator Award winners announced today,” says EASO President, Professor Volkan Yumuk. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation in supporting these research grants which are focused on groundbreaking advancements in obesity. We eagerly anticipate the winners’ presentations, and I look forward to participating in their official recognition sessions during the upcoming European Congress on Obesity in Malaga.”
Obesity Research: A Lens for the Study of Life
With over 25 years of experience in obesity research and medicine and nearly 250 publications, Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen has made groundbreaking advancements in both scientific understanding and clinical management of the disease of obesity. She is also a well-known public advocate for reducing stigma, translating compassionate obesity care into clinical practice, and promoting medical training on obesity at national and international levels. Professor Pietiläinen is also a highly regarded mentor.
“Obesity is the most fascinating lens through which to study life—it spans everything from the micro-level of cellular metabolism to the macro-level of behaviour and society,” says Professor Pietiläinen. “Obesity research has been full of surprising discoveries, like when we found mitochondria playing a key role in adipose – body fat tissue. Moving forward, we aim to dive deeper into the metabolic atlas of adipose tissue, exploring how obesity and different intervention methods reshape its function and interactions across the body. I’m especially fascinated by how some interventions can simultaneously curb excessive appetite and boost a slowed metabolism—offering powerful mechanisms to support our patients.”
Professor Pietiläinen’s work earned her research group a place within the prestigious designation of Center of Excellence in Research on Mitochondria, Metabolism and Disease (FinMIT) by the Research Council of Finland, the highest recognition for research in the country. Her recent findings on mitochondrial activation following weight loss surgery have spurred ongoing international research to develop drugs that mimic the effect as a mechanism to increase energy combustion and cause weight loss. In addition to her extensive, much-cited research on the metabolic effects of obesity and various weight loss strategies, her work at the Healthy Weight Hub has offered valuable insights into digital coaching, patient-reported outcomes, and long-term weight loss. She also utilizes unique Finnish registries to study the economics of obesity, including healthcare costs, treatment cost-effectiveness, and societal impacts.
Four researchers receive New Investigator Awards
Basic Science — Roksana Pirzgalska is a post-doctoral researcher at the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal. She found that sympathetic innervation in adipose tissue drives leptin-induced lipolysis and identified the first functional neuroimmune component in adipose tissue: the sympathetic neuron-associated macrophages. The EASO Novo Nordisk Foundation award grant will help her investigate the role of gut neuroepithelial circuits in intestinal immune responses and nutrient absorption, aiming to use neuronal cues to improve metabolic parameters and nutrient absorption in patients with metabolic diseases.
Childhood Obesity — Veera Houttu, a Senior Researcher and Clinical Nutritionist at the Center of Nutrition and Food Research at the University of Turku, Finland, has a strong track record in research on nutrition and metabolic diseases, as well as translating clinical results to metabolic mechanisms.. She studies psychological, behavioral and physiological mediated effects in early-life obesity and associated comorbidities through eating behavior, dietary intake, sensory perceptions, and physiological responses, as well as how to translate these mechanisms into prevention and treatment.
Clinical Research — Rima Chakaroun, a clinician-scientist and internal medicine specialist in endocrinology at the University Hospital Leipzig, Germany, and the Wallenberg Laboratory, Gothenburg, Sweden investigates a wide range of endocrine and metabolic disorders, with a primary focus on obesity, microbiome, nutrition and sex-specific obesity trajectories. She contributes to multidisciplinary obesity programs that provide comprehensive treatment plans, helps coordinate a weight-management initiative, and works closely with a dedicated team to support patients in making sustainable lifestyle changes. Her work also involves expanding research and integrating microbiome and nutrition-based interventions to improve patient outcomes.
Public Health — Maria Kafyra is a dietitian/nutritionist and postdoctoral researcher, who has worked and studied in Greece, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. Her work focuses on identifying obesity-related determinants of health and developing personalized interventions which address individual genetic differences in metabolism and treatment responses, aligning with the growing need for personalized healthcare strategies. She is currently working on the impact of excess weight on securing employment and the ability to conceive among Greek men and women aged 25-40 with overweight or obesity.
ECO2025 Award Presentations
The prize and awards will be officially presented at the 32nd European Congress on Obesity (#ECO2025), 11-14 May 2025 in Malaga, Spain, where delegates will have the opportunity to hear an award lecture from the Obesity Prize for Excellence winner and presentations from the New Investigator Award winners. Registration is available: https://eco2025.org
For additional information regarding the criteria and application process for the Obesity Prize for Excellence and New Investigator Awards, please visit https://easo.org/about-easo/easo-nnf-prize-and-awards/.