 Whenever we submit an application for research funding, a lot of thought goes into how we will recruit people to participate in the study. However, retaining participants – getting them to continue to participate in the study after the initial interview, survey or visit - is actually the hardest part. The successful retention of study subjects relies on many factors. A key one is the dynamic of the study team.
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 by Paul Werth, MA A growing body of research has uncovered unfair treatment of overweight employees when their work performance is being evaluated. Examples include lack of fairness in hiring decisions as well as promotion, predicted success, suitability, or performance evaluations. Interactions between overweight and gender salary inequities have also been uncovered. One study by Kennedy and Homant reported that weight stigma in the workplace may be stronger than stigma towards mental illness or past felony conviction.
 Primary care doctors play a critical role in the medical system. They form relationships with patients, manage all kinds of chronic and acute conditions, and determine when specialist care is needed. In recent years, however, these front line doctors are finding themselves faced with a conundrum. A growing proportion of their patients are overweight or obese, but most doctors lack specific training on the treatment of obesity, and many simply don’t have the time to discuss appropriate treatment options with these patients. Doctors that are situated within large academic centers may have the luxury of referring patients to registered dietitians, or even to medical or surgical weight management programs. But for doctors in the community, knowing where to send these patients can be a major problem.
 DNA is at the base of all life: plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. I personally have always been fascinated by genetics. As a teen, I would dive into books explaining fundamentals of genetics; as a medical student I did an elective in clinical genetics and strongly considered genetics as specialty (but stuck with my original passion for endocrinology). Yet, as a post-doctoral fellow, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to invest my time in learning about the genetics of obesity and diabetes, since what I really want is to find better ways to prevent those conditions. But I got wrapped into population genetics and still love it.
 In the fight against the growing obesity epidemic, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have emerged as a major enemy. Most people know that soda isn’t the most nutritious choice of beverage, but juice retains an image of healthfulness – after all, it originates from fruit and can be a good source of certain vitamins when consumed in moderation. The problem is that many beverages thought of as “juice” actually contain very little fruit-derived content and lots of added sugars. And while 100% juice drinks may add some vitamins to the diet, they can also contribute to excessive sugar intake, resulting in problems such as tooth decay and obesity.
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