When we understand a disease, when we have legitimate evidence based treatments we stop blaming patients. We have seen this so many times before with so many other medical entities. Medicine has the capacity to both marginalize and to make better in the same moments. We have seen how this world where science and culture meet can have such capacity for cure and such capacity for cruel within the same space.

Now with a volume of scientific discovery and a line of legitimate, safe and effective treatments- the tides have changed. Medicine has changed. Patients are demanding (and rightfully) a different mode of treatment that the false promises of a dieting industry. More importantly the world demands a new generation of kindness and compassion more than ever before.

There has been surge of treatment options showing safety, efficacy and significant cost savings in this space. There has been a huge opportunity to build bridges between science and empathy. Beyond clinical practice a shift has come in public perceptions around obesity.

For too long obesity was been seen as a " lifestyle choice" and a condition of "weak will"; the result of a lack of discipline or self-control. We know better. Science has shown us that obesity is the result of a complicated physiological mismatch; the result of genetic predispositions, environmental factors and a complicated biological dysfunction.

Like any disease- the body does not do what it is supposed to do. But beyond any disease the world still prejudges patients as "lazy" and "unmotivated". People living with obesity deserve the same respect and empathy we provide to anyone with a chronic disease.

In social spaces, on social media the conversations are shifting. But with these shifts there is still the opportunity and fertile ground for further judgement and bias.

Yes, we are seeing the slow death of dieting and the birth of legitimate treatments but Oprah Winfrey still has to defend her life choices about why she is taking medication for something she has struggled with her whole life.

We need to change the landscape to reflect the knowledge that we have. The beauty of this profession is that we have the capacity to use our knowledge to make things right.

There have been many times where medicine gets it wrong. We have been wrong in how we've treated people with obesity. We've been cruel and shortsighted and judgmental. The time has come for us to make it right.

Weight bias is prevalent and pervasive in medicine and in our society. In medicine- it has maligned our delivery of care and made us worse for wear as a profession. It has marginalized populations of people who deserve care at every level. It has turned a noble profession into a judgemental delivery system blinded by privilege and immune to the compassion and empathy that is this system’s birthright and purpose. We are trying as a society to right the wrongs of generations before. We are focusing now more than ever on education around equality- on diversity and equity and inclusion.

Medicine has made significant strides in many areas of inclusion around issues of gender, race, religion, sexuality, ableism and mental health specifically. But we are lagging behind when it comes to weight and body habitus. Compassion is a language that needs to be spoken in all spaces.

We all “talk a good talk”. Businesses, universities and governments have mandates on diversity and inclusion. Social media has established itself as “hotbed” for dialogue around acceptance, social justice and equality.

In theory we are building a new world. But in our every day spaces- in our small moments- what are we really doing to help push the needle forward to BE this change that we so loudly shout about?

When we change the bias in medicine we impact other spaces. Medicine reflects culture and culture reflect medicine. By impacting weight bias in medicine we can heal other part of our culture where size determine access, worth, participation and voice.

There is an opportunity here to change the landscape of this profession and influence a broader part of society. Medicine has long been the institution that acts as the measuring stick for cultural shifts.

This is nowhere more evident than in discussion around weight. Size is an interesting concept. In medicine we have erroneously used it as a bench mark for health. In society we’ve used it as a measure of beauty, success, intelligence and capability. In our culture it’s a marker for everything from worth to work ethics. Size never predicts health. By certain “definitions” one in three people in North America is living with obesity. The way in which we have established these numbers and definitions are themselves a “false science”.

More importantly many of these individuals are not only battling a chronic disease but are fighting to live in a world that often meets them with prejudice and judgement and even hate.

Where is the safe space for people of size? Why is it such a controversial concept? Why is it that we have hit such a barrier of kindness when it comes to weight and how do we as a society move beyond our fat shaming ways?

We may not change every corner of society but we can change our own medical system. The problem with weight bias is that it reaches far beyond the clinical world and affects not only who gets care- but how they are cared for. It reaches out to what policies are made, what laws we follow and in term how we structure our societies. In short - it starts with medicine and it ends with every other institution.

This will be an interactive session where we will engage in a proactive discussion based in an examination of the origins and existence of weight bias in our culture and in our profession.

This seminar aims to help identify the places were weight bias has been allowed to flourish and where it has become a part of our culture:

SUCH AS :

• Entertainment

• Dieting Industry

• “Health Accountability”

OVER THE COURSE OF THIS SEMINAR YOU WILL:

• Engage in an an interactive session to examine your own weight bias
• Look at the origins of weight bias in culture and in medicine
• Come a way with a tool kit on what to do in your everyday to identify and mitigate weight bias
• Begin the conversation on how to transfer this new information and attitude to your

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Examine the prevalence and presence of weight bias in medicine.
• Describe the origins of weight bias in medicine and the effect it has had on our patients and on our system.
• Utilize a tool-kit to mitigate and combat weight bias in their practice.