The Biology of Weight: Rethinking Fat, Hormones and Metabolism in the Modern Age

Clinical Associate Professor Roland McCallum will present a Lecture entitled “The Biology of Weight: Rethinking Fat, Hormones and Metabolism in the Modern Age” in Hobart on Sunday 5 July 2026.

All Welcome.

Join us from 3.30 pm for a glass of wine before the lecture, commencing at 4.00 pm.

If you are not an RST Member, please provide a $7.00 cash donation at the door.

For most of human history, obesity has been understood as a failure of character. The science tells a very different story. Clinical A/Professor Roland McCallum traces how we came to misunderstand one of the most common conditions in medicine — and where the evidence is finally leading us.

Drawing on decades of clinical research and medical practice, Professor McCallum explores the complex biological, genetic and environmental factors that contribute to obesity, challenging long-held assumptions and social stigma along the way. This presentation examines how modern medicine is reshaping our understanding of weight, health and metabolism, and considers the implications for treatment, public health policy and compassionate patient care.

Since 2007 Dr Roland W. McCallum has been the Staff Specialist Endocrinologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH). He is a Clinical Associate Professor at the School of Medicine, UTAS, and the founder of Brilliant Being, a team based weightloss program in Hobart.

Dr McCallum graduated from the University of Glasgow. He was awarded a postgraduate MD with a thesis investigating the vascular effects of Growth Hormone replacement in hypopituitary patients. Roland has initiated various joint clinics with specialists at the RHH in Gynaecology, Sexual Health and Cystic Fibrosis, as well as regular clinics at the Aboriginal Health Centre and has research interests in weight loss, diabetes and thyroid disease.