Obesity is more common among U.S. adults than diabetes, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease and cancer — and it can increase an individual’s risk for developing all those conditions and a long list of others.
The 16th Annual Dorothy Hussain Distinguished Lecture will focus on obesity across the lifespan, both through the perspective of healthcare providers and of individuals who have had a lifelong struggle with their weight.
Dr. Jennifer DeVries, a family practice nurse practitioner and assistant professor in the College of Nursing
The free, public lecture, hosted by The University of Toledo College of Nursing, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Collier Building Room 1000 A/B on the Health Science Campus. The event also will be simulcast virtually through WebEx.
Registration is required and can be done via a webform on the College of Nursing website.
This year’s lecture has a pair of featured speakers: Dr. Jennifer DeVries, a family practice nurse practitioner and assistant professor in the College of Nursing; and Valerie Simmons-Walston, special assistant to the president for community engagement and strategic partnerships at UToledo.
“With so many fad diet and exercise programs, healthcare professionals must be conduits of reliable, evidence-based education that includes emphasis on developing a healthy mindset, nutritious diet and appropriate exercise and activity recommendations for both children and adults,” DeVries said.
While DeVries will discuss the impacts of obesity on physical and psychological health, as well as addressing the pediatric obesity epidemic, Simmons-Walston will share her story about electing to undergo bariatric surgery at The University of Toledo Medical Center earlier this summer.
Simmons-Walston, who had struggled with her weight for years, decided to seriously look into weight loss surgery following the American Heart Association’s Toledo Heart Ball. Attendees were given a character at the event, and through the evening more was revealed about their individual characters.
Simmons-Walston’s character died.
Valerie Simmons-Walston, special assistant to the president for community engagement and strategic partnerships at UToledo.
“She was overweight. Everybody liked her, she made everybody else happy, but she never took time to take care of herself,” Simmons-Walston said. “Everybody’s situation is different, but that’s what it took me to push me toward my wellness journey and I want to encourage other people who may need it for health reasons to go ahead and take the plunge.”
Since her surgery in July, Simmons-Walson has lost nearly 60 pounds.
“There was embarrassment and anxiety and fear around weight loss surgery. I’m going to talk about that,” she said. “But the outcome far outweighs those feelings.”
The most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show nearly 42% of American adults are clinically obese, and that obesity costs the U.S. healthcare system almost $173 billion a year.
Obesity significantly raises an individual’s risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and several types of cancer.
“We know obesity impacts the physical health of individuals, families and communities, but the unseen damage of obesity is how it impacts psychological health,” DeVries said. “Obesity impacts feelings of self-worth and can impact relationships with others. This is important to understand as treating obesity needs to consider all of these factors.”
Other panelists include:
• Carrie Baker, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with Maumee Bay Pediatrics;
• Sheri Desmond, an advanced practice registered nurse with Mercy Health Weight Management; and
• Wendy Wexler, a board-certified pediatrician with Maumee Bay Pediatrics.
The lecture is named after the late Dorothy Gladys Hussain, whose professional career spanned 32 years as a staff nurse and critical care nurse at the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital. She was known for patient advocacy and championing patients’ rights.
