Western Obesity Worldwide
Western Obesity Worldwide (WOW) is a research collective committed to improving the quality of care for people living with obesity and its complications. Established in 2023 at Western Sydney University, WOW is made up of academics, clinicians, and higher degree research students who conduct clinical obesity research locally, nationally, and internationally.
Co-Directors
 | Associate Professor Evan Atlantis (opens in a new window)Senior Lecturer, Director of Academic Program (Postgraduate Health Sciences), School of Health Sciences, THRI Research interests and areas of expertise: Obesity and related chronic diseases, health services, clinical decision making, epidemiology, systematic reviews and evidence summaries. |
 | Associate Professor Milan Piya (opens in a new window)Associate Professor in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, School of Medicine and THRI, Western Sydney University Research interests and areas of expertise: Severe obesity, Type 2 diabetes, complications of obesity and diabetes, inpatient diabetes, eating disorders in people with obesity. |
Members
Researchers
 | David Simmons (opens in a new window)Professor of Medicine, Director of the Diabetes Obesity Translational Research Unit (DOMTRU) THRI, School of Medicine Research interests and areas of expertise: Diabetes in Pregnancy, Diabetes Epidemiology, Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, Models of diabetes care, Access to care. |
 | Phillipa Hay (opens in a new window)Professor of Mental Health, THRI, School of Medicine Research interests and areas of expertise: What works in treatments of eating disorders, distribution and determinants of eating disorders, integrated care for people with eating disorders and high weight. |
 | Anand Hardikar (opens in a new window)Professor, Group leader: Diabetes & Islet Biology, School of Medicine and THRI, Western Sydney University Research interests and areas of expertise: Obesity, Epigenetics, Non-coding RNA, Type 1 Diabetes, Biomarkers, machine learning. View personal lab webpage (opens in a new window) |
 | Zumin Shi (opens in a new window)Professor of Nutrition at the Human Nutrition Department, College of Health Sciences at Qatar University. Research interests and areas of expertise: the relationship between food intake, lifestyle and chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and sleep disorders. |
 | Kate McBride (opens in a new window)Associate Professor in Population Health, School of Medicine and THRI, Western Sydney University Research interests and areas of expertise: Severe obesity, healthcare access marginalised populations, lifestyle intervention, obesity and cancer risk, obesity, and cancer screening uptake. |
 | Carolyn Ee (opens in a new window)Principal Fellow, NICM Health Research Institute Research interests and areas of expertise: Polycystic ovary syndrome, primary care, metabolic conditions in cancer, evidence synthesis, guideline development, health services, integrative medicine. |
 | Paul Fahey (opens in a new window)Senior Lecturer (Biostatistics), School of Health Services Research interests and areas of expertise: Statistical consulting. |
 | Haider Mannan (opens in a new window)Senior Lecturer (Biostatistics), THRI, School of Medicine Research interests and areas of expertise: childhood obesity, obesity comorbid with eating disorders, obesity policy modelling, diabesity. |
 | Nic Kormas (opens in a new window)Senior Staff Specialist Endocrinologist Camden, Campbelltown, and Concord Hospitals Research interests and areas of expertise: Severe obesity, Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, Type 2 diabetes, complications of obesity, inpatient obesity, eating disorders in people with obesity. |
 | Cristy Brooks (opens in a new window)Associate Lecturer, Interprofessional Health Science, School of Health Sciences and THRI, Western Sydney University Research interests and areas of expertise: Inflammation-mediated obesity-pain relationships, pathophysiology of chronic pain, metabolic health and chronic disease, disease prevention and management over the lifespan, exercise-based lifestyle interventions, promotion of health and wellbeing. |
 | Maria Agaliotis (opens in a new window)Lecturer, Bachelors and Master of Health Science, Health Service Management, School of Health Science, THRI, Associate Editor BMJ Quality Research interests and areas of expertise: Obesity and related chronic diseases, health service delivery and research, workforce engagement and productivity, mixed-methods research, translational research, epidemiology, and systematic reviews and evidence summaries. |
 | Wilson Wong (opens in a new window)Theme lead for data analytics, Diabetes & Islet Biology, THRI, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University Research interests and areas of expertise: long non-coding RNA, small RNA biology, Type 1 diabetes, diabetes and complications, data analytics, bioinformatics, machine learning, synthetic data generation/analysis. |
Research Students
 | Srividya AdapaPhD project title: Evaluation of Metabolic Outcomes Associated with Weight Management in Clinical Obesity Services Using Real World Data within the Australian Health Care System. |
 | Mohammad AriyaPhD project title: The Relationship Between Unhealthy Dietary Patterns and Weight-related Health Complications in Iranian Rural Populations. |
 | Frehiwot BirhanuPhD project title: Long-term health and economic consequences of early-age exposure to malnutrition in Low and Middle-Income Countries. |
 | Ritesh ChimoriyaPhD project title: Weight Management In Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes And Liver Disease. |
 | Canaan Seifu (completed in 2024)PhD project title: Diet, nutrients, and obesity: an investigation of relationships in the Australian context. |
 | Nana Ama Asi DansoMRes project title: Gender Inequality and Disempowerment Associated with Obesity in Women: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies and Secondary Data Analysis of Australian National Health Surveys. |
 | Tadesse Asmamaw DejeniePhD Project title: The Role of Fat-Free Mass in Obesity-Related Complications |
 | Rebecca WuPhD project title: The Development and Impact of NACOS Certification on Healthcare Professional Competency and Patient Perspectives in Obesity Management |
WOW's Research
Focuses on a variety of topics related to obesity, including:
- The causes of obesity and weight-related complications.
- The development of new models of care for obesity and weight-related complications.
- The assessment and management of obesity and weight-related complications.
WOW's research is conducted in collaboration with other academic institutions, healthcare organisations, and government agencies around the world. Affiliated research groups at Western include Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Translational Research Unit (DOMTRU), (opens in a new window) MCORP, and Eating Disorders & Body Image (EDBI). (opens in a new window) It has been published in leading scientific journals and featured in major media outlets.
WOW's Vision
To live in a society that provides timely and equitable access to the best available care for the effective management of obesity and its complications.
To achieve its vision, WOW is working to:
- Increase public awareness about obesity and weight-related complications.
- Promote evidence-based policies and practices for the effective management of obesity.
- Support the development of new models of care for obesity and weight-related complications, with a particular focus on those with severe obesity.
- Improve access to care for people living with obesity.
WOW is committed to making a difference in the lives of people living with obesity. It is working to create a world where everyone can live a healthy and fulfilling life.
News
Current PhD Scholarship
Developing and Evaluating a NACOS Certification Course in Obesity Management (opens in a new window)
- Domestic candidates
- $50,000 per annum for up to 3 years
A National Association of Clinical Obesity Services (NACOS) and Western Sydney University-funded project seeks a highly motivated PhD candidate to lead ground-breaking research enhancing obesity management. This project will develop and evaluate a comprehensive NACOS certification course for healthcare professionals (HCPs). The successful candidate will shape the future of Australian obesity care by generating new knowledge through a PhD thesis comprising four scientific papers.
Applications close 31 January 2025