ASO Webinar: Perspectives in Maternal Obesity: Joint webinar with ASO and the BDA

Dr Bryant is a nutritionist and methodologist with a particular interest in research that supports the optimisation of obesity and lifestyle interventions and their robust evaluation. She straddles the disciplines of nutrition, applied health research and clinical trials research, whilst providing leadership for the development of evidence based intervention delivery and robust evaluation. She is driven to identify and test approaches to optimise the impact of existing interventions and to provide an evidence of their performance and feasibility from high quality randomised controlled trials.

Dr Bryant’s current research activities are divided between those associated with the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Leeds and work within the Bradford Institute of Health Research. Within the Leeds CTRU, she is the strategic lead of a portfolio of research focused around obesity, dietary intake and lifestyle. This work encompasses establishing key university, national and international strategic partnerships to support grant application activity and project delivery within the areas: (i) outcome measure identification and appraisal (ii) outcome measurement development and (iii) early phase clinical trial design and delivery (iv) definitive trials of effectiveness and (v) implementation research. This is achieved through a multi-disciplinary team, including members of the public.

Dr Bryant has had a strategic role within the Bradford Institute of Health Research for more than ten years, where she is currently the theme lead for implementation evaluation of 22 complex interventions being delivered as part of the Better Start Bradford project. This project aims to improve outcomes in early life within social and emotional wellbeing, language and development, and diet and obesity. It highlights the importance of pragmatic approaches to the design and evaluation of community based interventions; with research co-designed with community members and practitioners.

Dr Bryant is passionate about knowledge transfer, where she proactively seeks collaborative partnerships; supports others in research design, funding applications, trial delivery, teaching, supervision; and provides expertise and evidence for guidance and policy. Beyond her role within the Diet and Obesity portfolio, Maria is a Trustee of the Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO, leading the Early Career Research Network and Awards), a NIHR Research Design Service (RDA) advisor for Yorkshire and the Humber, and a member of the Department of Health, Obesity Advisory Board. She also provides expertise for a number of external projects and bodies, including the National Obesity Observatory, the Born in Bradford cohort study, the ESRC Strategic Network for obesity, NIHR Trial Steering Committees and the Better Start Bradford project.

https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/medicine/staff/169/dr-maria-bryant

My research focuses on maternal weight and reproductive health, particularly relating to inequalities and health service improvement. I commenced my current role at Newcastle University in January 2012.

I currently hold an NIHR Advanced (Career Development) Fellowship which uses risk prediction and health economics to explore whether alternative measures of adiposity in early pregnancy would be more preferable to BMI in identifying women who require additional clinical care and weight management support.

I am co-lead for the Early Life and Adolescence Programme (ELAP) in Fuse, a Public Health Research Centre of Excellence for Translational Research.

Keith Godfrey MBE, BM PhD FRCP FMedSci leads the Lifecourse Nutrition, Lifestyle and Health Theme in the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, is an NIHR Senior Investigator and Professor of Epidemiology & Human Development at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton. Other appointments include Honorary Consultant, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore; and Trustee of the International DOHaD Society.

Keith is a principal investigator on international mother-offspring cohort and intervention studies examining developmental programming of obesity, type-2 diabetes and neuropsychological function. His research is characterising optimal diet and body composition for parents and their offspring before, during and after pregnancy, alongside understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms and pathways underlying lasting effects of the developmental environment on later phenotype. His work has paved the way for intervention preconception aimed at improving the life chances of the next generation, including the primary prevention of childhood obesity. Currently he is also involved in work to support the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Paige van der Pligt is a Senior Lecturer in nutrition in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University and a researcher in the Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition. She also holds an honorary research appointment at the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital and has recently joined the editorial board with the journal BMC Family Practice. Her research targets pregnancy nutrition, risk factors for poor cardiometabolic health in pregnancy including maternal obesity, gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension. She is also interested micronutrient deficiencies in pregnancy and the impact on maternal and child health. She is an advanced accredited practising dietitian and worked for several years in the clinical dietetics field before embarking on a career in research.

Dr Julie Abayomi is a Reader in Dietetics & Associate Head of Applied Health & Social care at Edge Hill University. She graduated in nutrition and dietetics from Cardiff in 1993 and worked as an NHS dietitian for over 20 years, specialising in women’s health and nutrition for 12 years. Research interests include: maternal nutrition, overweight and underweight in pregnancy; diabetes and pregnancy. Previous projects include ‘Fit for Birth’ - a longitudinal cohort study of obese pregnant women at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and two qualitative studies exploring the experiences of midwives and pregnant women regarding healthy eating and weight management advice during pregnancy.

Taniya Nagpal is an Assistant Professor at Brock University in Kinesiology. Taniya’s research takes a person-oriented approach to understand weight stigma and bias during pregnancy and the effect this may have on maternal health behaviours like physical activity, clinical interactions, and perinatal outcomes. The goal of this work is to inform inclusive clinical practices and lifestyle interventions, and contribute to dismantling weight biased public discourse in pregnancy. Taniya completed her PhD from The University of Western Ontario and her thesis work was focused on enhancing adherence to prenatal physical activity. She then completed her post-doctoral fellowship with The University of Ottawa and The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), where she explored weight bias experienced in pregnancy in clinical settings, and supported knowledge translation initiatives with The SOGC. She is actively involved as an action committee member with Obesity Canada, steering committee member with The American College of Sports Medicine Pregnancy and Exercise Group, and incoming Co-Chair for the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Children and Families Special Interest Group.

Sarah Le Brocq has a unique skillset of living with obesity, a background in science, 16 years’ experience of working in the pharmaceutical industry, alongside the NHS and 6 years’ experience of being a trustee/Director of Obesity UK.

Sarah is currently founding a new Obesity Charity, which is aiming to be the equivalent of Diabetes UK in the obesity space, where she will be the CEO. ‘The new Obesity Charity aims to be the leading obesity charity for advancing obesity research, supporting and driving public education, a trusted resource for people living with obesity, healthcare professionals and policymakers and a support platform for people living with obesity.’

Sarah is known as a Thought Leader in the Obesity space, has a wide network of relationships with key obesity stakeholders. She is also well known in the media and is regularly called upon to give her thoughts and expertise around current Obesity affairs.
She sits of the strategic council for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Obesity, is a patient representative on the Advisory Group on Nutrition Weight & Health for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), a stakeholder in NHSE’s new National Obesity Audit, a representative on the OHA Healthy Weight Strategy, lived experience group, a member of Obesity Policy Engagement Network UK (OPEN UK) and recently been appointed as a lay member on the NICE Weight Management Committee.
She has also co-authored a number of published academic papers in scientific journals.