We invite you to join us in-conversation with some of Australia’s health and medical powerhouses as part of an extraordinary series of speaker events, brought to you by NHMRC.
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Upcoming
NHMRC Speaking of Science - Is obesity a disease or a risk factor? Changing paradigms with new definitions
It is estimated that 1 billion people currently live with obesity worldwide and numbers are projected to rise to 1.5 billion by 2035.
To discuss how we can more effectively define and diagnose clinical obesity, Professor Louise Baur AM of the University of Sydney will join us for Speaking of Science webinar on Thursday 4 December 2025 from 1:00PM – 2:00PM AEDT.
A global Commission involving 56 world leading experts, including Professor Baur, published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggesting that Body Mass Index (BMI) is unreliable as a measure of obesity when used on its own. The report introduces a new method to diagnose and treat obesity, ensuring more accurate care and reducing the risk of over diagnosis.
Professor Baur will discuss whether obesity should be considered as a disease or a risk factor, and how we’re changing paradigms with new definitions for obesity globally.
If you have any questions for the event organisers, you can reach us at media@nhmrc.gov.au.
Past
Watch previous editions of Speaking of Science.
2025
- Acting now against antimicrobial resistance
- Genetics of depression: risk and response to treatment with Dr Brittany Mitchell
- Achieving better outcomes in women's sexual and reproductive health: The SPHERE CRE journey
- The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program: engineering the next generation of artificial hearts with Professor Shaun Gregory
- New frontiers in brain cancer research with Professor Misty Jenkins AO and Professor Matt Dun
- Empowering consumers in health and medical research with Professor James St John and hosted by Ms Ainslie Cahill AM
- Cultural safety and fostering connections to social and emotional wellbeing with Associate Professor Yvonne Clark
- Interrogating the physiology of the human vagus nerve with Professor Vaughan Macefield
- Evaluating 23 years of Dementia and Diabetes research
- Discovering a breakthrough in the fight against cancer with Professor Andrew Wilks
2024
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- Emerging international trends in sex and gender science with Dr Cara Tannenbaum
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Professor Belinda Parker
- SOLVEing Coronary Heart Disease with Professor Julie Redfern
- Synthetic Biology (designer cells and antibodies) with Professor Shalin Naik
- International Research Translation Practice
- International Men’s Health Week
- Unlocking the power of Indigenous co-design and intervention: Transformative outcomes through authentic collaboration
- Towards a National Indigenous Genomics Agenda with Professor Alex Brown
- International Women’s Day: Inspire Inclusion with Ms Christine Gunson, Professor Yvette Roe, Dr Yee Lian Chow and Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin
- Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Early detection, risk prediction and improving prognosis with Professor Susan Ramos