Ball State University’s College of Health will welcome nationally recognized obesity treatment expert Dr. Ariana M. Chao for the inaugural Elaine Damler Nutrition Lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in Room 103 of the Health Professions Building.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Free campus parking is available in General Faculty/Staff (yellow) and Commuter (green) lots after 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Dr. Chao will present “Treating Obesity as a Chronic Disease: What Works, What’s New, and What’s Next.” The lecture is part of the College of Health’s 10th anniversary celebration. The Elaine Damler Nutrition Lecture was established through the generosity of Robert, ’87, and Elaine Damler, who created the fund for the lecture in 2022. Elaine Damler also completed her dietetic internship at Ball State.
Dr. Chao is an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, with a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and registered nurse who practices in obesity medicine. She also serves as director of research for the Healthful Eating, Activity and Weight Program at Johns Hopkins, where she practices clinically as an obesity medicine nurse practitioner.
“Dr. Chao brings an important combination of research expertise and direct clinical experience to a subject that affects individuals, families, and communities,” said Dr. Alyce Fly, chair of Ball State’s Department of Nutrition and Health Science and professor of nutrition and health science. “We are pleased to welcome her to Ball State for the inaugural Elaine Damler Nutrition Lecture and to give our students, colleagues, and community an opportunity to learn about the rapidly evolving approaches to obesity treatment. We hope this lecture encourages thoughtful discussion about what the latest evidence means for improving health and quality of life.”
Dr. Chao’s research focuses on developing and testing innovative behavioral and pharmacological treatments for obesity and related eating behaviors that improve physical and mental health. She has published more than 100 articles, and her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, foundations, and industry sponsors.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Boston College and a PhD in nursing science from Yale University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Elaine Damler Nutrition Lecture adds to the Department of Nutrition and Health Science’s opportunities to connect students and the broader community with leading voices in health and nutrition. Dr. Fly’s own research includes nutrition and population health, food and nutrition interventions, and the relationship between obesity and health.
For more information about the Elaine Damler Nutrition Lecture, contact Dr. Fly at adfly@bsu.edu.