EASO President Jason Halford was invited to present on his recent work, and shared the guest address for leadership attending the Korean Society at the ICOMES 2022 President’s Dinner.
Professor Halford reflects:
For me ICOMES 2022, in Seoul Korea September 2022 provided a timely reminder that we are part of a global family of societies and organisation committed to improving the lives of people living with obesity. With 600 international delegates participating face to face and many more joining online for this hybrid congress, the event was successful and provided a regional anchor for colleagues in the field across East Asia.
While the focus of the conference was on obesity management and highlighted the many novel treatments now becoming available, many barriers to treatment remain. Work within the society includes campaigning on obesity as a disease across stakeholder sectors, and the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity has done a great deal to challenge obesity stigma within the society and across the country. Their efforts include providing support for the production of independent short films challenging both misconceptions about obesity and the presence of obesity stigma within Korean society.
KSSO celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and while they face the same policy challenges other obesity societies globally see, their resilience, ambition, and inventiveness shine through. Participating in this congress reminds me that we have much to learn from each other. And importantly, globally, we are better together.