From Science to Practice to Policy
ISO's research mission is built around a simple conviction: science only matters if it changes lives. That means ISO focuses not only on generating and synthesising knowledge — but on translating it into clinical practice and public health policy that reaches patients.
ISO's research infrastructure includes specialised working groups across all major domains of obesity science, a planned peer-reviewed journal, and a suite of clinical guidelines and position statements developed to the highest standards of evidence-based medicine.
ISO's research agenda is designed from the ground up to reflect the global nature of the obesity epidemic — with particular attention to research questions and clinical realities in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa, which are systematically under-represented in current obesity research literature.
Pharmacotherapy Optimisation
Defining best-practice protocols for GLP-1 receptor agonists and next-generation obesity medications across diverse populations.
Obesity in LMICs
Generating evidence on obesity prevalence, pathophysiology, and treatment outcomes specifically for low- and middle-income country populations.
Weight Stigma Measurement
Developing and validating global tools to measure, track, and address weight stigma in healthcare and society.
Long-Term Outcomes Research
Building international registries and real-world evidence platforms to track long-term outcomes of all obesity interventions globally.
Precision Obesity Medicine
Identifying biological, genetic, and phenotypic predictors of treatment response to enable truly personalised obesity care.
ISO Working Groups
ISO's Scientific Advisory Council operates through thematic working groups, each responsible for developing ISO's scientific outputs within their domain. All working groups are currently being constituted.
Obesity Pharmacotherapy
Clinical guidelines and position statements on GLP-1 receptor agonists, dual/triple agonists, and emerging pharmacological agents for obesity management.
Forming — Join NowBariatric & Metabolic Surgery
Patient selection criteria, surgical outcomes research, long-term follow-up protocols, and guidelines for metabolic surgery in diverse patient populations.
Forming — Join NowPaediatric Obesity
Evidence-based guidelines for assessment, management, and prevention of childhood and adolescent obesity, with attention to development, family, and school-based interventions.
Forming — Join NowNutrition & Lifestyle Medicine
Dietary interventions, physical activity prescription, behavioural change science, and lifestyle medicine frameworks for obesity prevention and management.
Forming — Join NowPsychology & Weight Stigma
Psychosocial dimensions of obesity — eating disorders, depression, body image, weight stigma in healthcare, and evidence-based psychological interventions for obesity.
Forming — Join NowObesity in LMICs & Equity
Research priorities, capacity building, and advocacy frameworks specifically addressing the obesity epidemic in low- and middle-income country settings.
Forming — Join NowObesity in Women
Evidence-based guidelines for assessment, management, and prevention of obesity in women, with attention to conception and contraception, as well as adolescence and midlife.
Position Statements & Guidelines
ISO's Scientific Advisory Council is developing a suite of evidence-based position statements. All documents undergo rigorous peer review and conflict-of-interest screening before publication.
ISO Position Statement: The Role of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Obesity Management
Clinical guidance on patient selection, dosing, duration of therapy, and monitoring for GLP-1 RA use in adult obesity management.
ISO Position Statement: Obesity as a Chronic Disease — Classification, Diagnosis, and Staging
ISO's formal position on the disease model of obesity, diagnostic criteria, staging systems, and implications for clinical practice and insurance coverage.
ISO Position Statement: Weight Stigma in Healthcare — Definition, Evidence, and Clinical Recommendations
A comprehensive review of weight stigma in clinical settings and a set of actionable recommendations for healthcare professionals, educators, and institutions.
ISO Position Statement: Patient Selection and Perioperative Care for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery
Updated global guidance on surgical candidacy criteria, pre-operative assessment, and post-operative follow-up in the era of pharmacological alternatives.
Research Funding Opportunities
ISO's grants program is being developed to support obesity research — with particular emphasis on early-career investigators and researchers from LMICs. Grant programs are planned to launch in 2027.
ISO Early Career Research Grant
Seed funding for early-career investigators — within 5 years of completing clinical or research training — working on original obesity medicine research. Designed to support pilot studies and enable competitive applications for larger external funding.
Launching 2027ISO LMIC Research Award
Dedicated research support for investigators based in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on obesity prevalence, treatment outcomes, and health systems research in LMIC settings — areas critically underrepresented in existing literature.
Launching 2027ISO Fellowship Program
Short-term research fellowships allowing obesity medicine clinicians and researchers to spend time at a leading international obesity centre — fostering cross-border collaboration and knowledge transfer.
Launching 2027ISO Travel Awards
Travel grants for ISO members from LMICs and early-career members to attend the ISO World Congress and other major international obesity medicine meetings — removing financial barriers to global scientific participation.
With inaugural Congress