KU Medical Center selected as one of 12 Nutrition Obesity Research Centers in the country

The University of Kansas Medical Center is now the 12^th institution in the prestigious Nutrition Obesity Research Centers Consortium, thanks to a $3 million, five-year grant awarded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

More than 2 in 5 adults and 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have obesity, costing the U.S. health care system nearly $173 billion per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nutrition Obesity Research Centers are university-based interdisciplinary centers that investigate the development, treatment and prevention of obesity and support research that gives us a better understanding of the relationship between health and nutrition. With this award, KU Medical Center has also become the first Research Resource Center for the consortium.

“This is what makes us different,” said John Jakicic, Ph.D., professor of physical activity and weight management at KU Medical Center and the principal investigator for the grant. “We are serving almost like a coordinating center for these 11 other Nutrition Obesity Research Centers to try to find synergies and opportunities for them to work together in key areas of nutrition and obesity research.”

The project will also provide ongoing enrichment, including webinars and a potential podcast. In addition, Jakicic said, KU Medical Center’s role includes creating research opportunities for early-stage scientists at institutions that are not part of the consortium and who might not have the opportunity to experience mentorship or a high level of research training.

One way they plan to meet that goal is by enabling researchers outside the 11 Nutrition Obesity Research Centers and outside KU to apply for pilot and feasibility dollars to do work in the field, with mentorship. “So if someone is at a small institution in southern Alabama, and they have a good idea, they can bring it forward and we’ll mentor them in that process,” said Jakicic. “That’s really unique.”

Additionally, they have created a Nutrition Obesity Research Centers scholars program. Early-career investigators who apply and are selected into the scholars program will come to Kansas City for a week-long intensive mentoring course around obesity and nutrition research, followed by ongoing mentoring after they go home. Jakicic said he expects around 10 scholars to be chosen every year, beginning in 2026.

Joseph Donnelly, Ed.D., professor of physical activity and weight management, is a multi-principal investigator on the grant. Co-investigators include John Thyfault, Ph.D., professor of cell biology and physiology; Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., chair and professor of dietetics and nutrition; and Ann Davis, Ph.D., MPH, professor of pediatrics.

In addition to an internal scientific advisory board, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at KU Medical Center will be supported by a “community and lived-experience” advisory group composed of members of centers that work with underserved populations as well as the Obesity Action Coalition, a national non-profit organization. “It’s not just about the science, it’s about the people who are struggling with these conditions,” said Jakicic.