Dr. Arya M. Sharma leads curriculum development, course planning, faculty engagement, and content development for Obesity PPM's Clinical Education service line. 

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Dr. Arya Sharma is widely recognized as one of the world's leading obesity experts and has lectured on the subject all over the world. His research focuses on the evidence-based prevention and management of obesity and its complications and he has been a practicing physician for more than 20 years. Dr. Sharma is also Professor and Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, and the Medical Director of the Alberta Health Services Provincial Obesity Strategy.

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In 2005, he spearheaded the launch of the Canadian Obesity Network, which, with well over 8,000 members, has remarkably transformed the landscape of obesity research and management in Canada. He is also a Past-President of the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons. His research focuses on an evidence-based approach to managing patients with obesity and includes the development of the Edmonton Obesity Staging System. Dr. Sharma has authored or coauthored more than 300 publications and has lectured widely on the aetiology and management of obesity and related disorders. 

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Dr. Sharma has served on various committees of The Obesity Society (TOS) including, the Development, Audit, Membership and Executive Search Committees. He is also Founding Faculty of the International Association for the Study of Obesity’s (IASO) Specialist Certification of Obesity Professional Education (SCOPE). Dr. Sharma is regularly featured as a medical expert in national and international TV and print media including the CBC, CTV, New York Times, and MSNBC. Dr. Sharma maintains a widely-read blog where he regularly posts his ideas and thoughts on obesity prevention and management.