The Weight of History, How We Came to Misunderstand Obesity

For most of human history, obesity has been understood as a failure of character. The science tells a very different story. Clinical Associate Professor Roland McCallum presented a lecture which traced 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 explored the complex biological, genetic and environmental factors that contribute to obesity, challenging long-held assumptions and social stigma along the way. This presentation examined 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.

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.

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.