Invited speakers

Professor Caroline Argo, DVM, Diplomate ECAR

Affiliation: University of Surrey, Department of Veterinary Clinical Science

Title: Equine metabolic syndrome

Short biography: Caroline Argo is a European specialist in animal reproduction (subfield equine reproduction). Her current post is at the School of Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Surrey, as professor in veterinary reproduction. Her recent studies have focused on associations between body composition, weight loss resistance and health in horses for which obesity is a major risk factor for insulin dysregulation and laminitis. Interests also include associations between the myostatin/perilipin systems and energy balance in horses.

Professor Peter Arner, MD

Affiliation: Karolinska institutet, Department of Medicine

Title: Turnover of  fat cells and their lipid content in man

Short biography: Peter Arner studied medicine at Karolinska Institutet and became a licensed physician in 1971. He is clinically trained at the Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge and became a specialist in internal medicine in 1977 and in endocrinology 1992. He received his doctorate in medicine in 1976 and became an associate professor at Karolinska Institutet 1978. Peter Arner has primarily worked with experimental and clinical research on how fat metabolism is regulated in humans and is especially interested in fat tissue function. He has studied how fat cells and their genes control this at the molecular level, in both healthy and sick people, and the role adipose tissue plays in order to develop diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Professor Charlotte Björnvad, DVM, Diplomate ECVCN

Affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences

Title: Lifestyle and DM in cats and dogs

Short biography: Charlotte Björnvad's research interest lies mainly within obesity and consequences of obesity in dogs and cats, clinical nutrition, metabolic syndrome in cats, diabetes in dogs and cats, metabolism and physical activity, as well as gastrointestinal diseases in dogs and cats.

Dr Alex German, DVM, Diplomate ECVIM

Affiliation: University of Liverpool, Department of Obesity and Endocrinology

Title: Weight management in dogs and cats

Short biography: Alex German received his veterinary degree in 1994 from the University of Bristol (UK), where he later also received his PhD. In 2004, Alex German became diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. His current employment is as lecturer in small animal medicine at the University of Liverpool. His research interests include internal medicine for dogs and cats, gastrointestinal diseases and comparative studies in obesity biology.

Associate professor Jan Suchodolski, DVM, Diplomate ACVM

Affiliation: Texas A&M Univerity, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences

Title: The importance of the microbiome and metabolome in health and disease of dogs and cats

Short biography: Jan Suchodolski received his veterinary degree at the Vienna Veterinary University, 1997. In 2005, he became a doctor of veterinary microbiology at Texas A & M University through his thesis on potential diagnostic markers for the assessment of intestinal flora. He is a diplomate of immunology at the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists (ACVM). Jan Suchodolski is in his current employment associate professor and deputy director of the Texas A & M University's gastrointestinal laboratory.

Professor Inger Sundström Poromaa, MD

Affiliation: Uppsala University, Department of Women's and Children's Health

Title: Consequences of obesity on reproduction

Short biography: Inger Sundström Poromaa is professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Uppsala University. She received her medical degree from the University of Umeå and followed this up with a post-doc at Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York. Inger Sundström Poromaa's research interests include adverse mood effects of hormonal contraception, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, antenatal and postpartum depression and brain imaging. She is active both clinically and in teaching, and is now leading a large project on the effect of obesity on reproduction.

Dr Isabelle Wolowczuk, PhD, Research Director at CNRS

Affiliation: Pasteur Institute, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille (CIIL)

Title: Obesity - an inflammatory state

Short biography: Isabelle Wolowczuk was trained in immunoparasitology. Her current and future research interests focus on the emerging field of immunometabolism: more specifically, on the interaction between obesity and pneumonia resulting from viral and/or bacterial infections, in rodents.