Interdisciplinary Nutrition Sciences Symposium: Obesity and the Brain Across the Life Course
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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT We will convene the 4th annual Interdisciplinary Nutrition Sciences Symposium (INSS), entitled “Obesity and the Brain Across the Life Course.” This conference will address the critical need to establish rigorous interdisciplinary and translational approaches in the context of nutrition and obesity to effectively prevent and treat a variety of physiological outcomes as they relate to aging and the brain. Interactive discussions will enable early career investigators and faculty, including those underrepresented in science, to engage with senior investigators. These valuable experiences will provide early career investigators and trainees with a foundation upon which they will be able to contribute to the next generation of successful aging, obesity, and brain research. Confirmed and invited speakers will include leading national academic scientists from diverse backgrounds with expertise in aging biology, translational obesity, and nutrition/diet research. The five interactive sessions are organized to facilitate and encourage integration across disciplines, synthesize knowledge, and generate new ideas in selected areas of aging, obesity, and brain research. A major goal of the conference is to build upon the dialogue in our previous successful symposia to develop best practices for translational and mechanistic science and to generate ideas for proposals and collaborative projects. We will feature a networking lunch to encourage discussion across scientific approaches, seniority, and industry/academia relationships. We will also hold an early career lunch and workshop to allow opportunities for detailed discussions around mentoring and career development. Rigorous evaluation of the symposium will involve summative assessment activities through online surveys conducted via the conference website to assess what participants learned, what was effective, and what needs improvement. An anticipated deliverable of INSS 2023 is a scientific paper geared towards a major aging journal on how to translate findings from basic and clinical studies toward improving cognitive outcomes in aged adults with obesity based on rigorous evidence. We will promote the symposium broadly via national societies, including The American Geriatrics Society, The Gerontological Society of America, Obesity Medicine Association, American Society for Nutrition, The Obesity Society, Translational Geroscience Network. Additionally, the symposium will be promoted through the University of North Carolina Center for Aging and Health networks, and NIH-funded centers such as the Nutrition Obesity Research Centers, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers, and others. We anticipate that attendees will span the diverse fields of gerontology, geriatrics, cognition, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, and more. We anticipate attendance of approximately 100 scientists, based on the success of the prior three symposia and the outstanding leading keynote speakers who have agreed to attend.
