BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.2.1//EN TZID:America/Toronto X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Toronto BEGIN:VEVENT UID:170@womenshealthresearchcluster.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250407T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250407T100000 DTSTAMP:20250303T205330Z URL:https://womenshealthresearchcluster.com/events/sex-differences-obesity -eating-behaviors-and-diet-patterns-insights-brain-gut-microbiome/ SUMMARY:Sex differences in obesity\, eating behaviors\, and diet patterns: Insights from the brain-gut microbiome system DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Dr. Arpana Church\, PhD Associate Professor Co-Direct or: Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA Director: Neuroimaging Core G . Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience Ingestive B ehavior and Obesity Program UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Di gestive Diseases David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA\n\nAn accomplished i nvestigator in medical research focusing on the brain\, gut\, and microbio me\, Dr. Church has a PhD degree in psychology after completing an APA acc redited clinical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medi cal Center. Her current research focuses on the interactions between envir onmental and biological factors in shaping brain-gut microbiome signatures associated with stress-based diseases such as obesity. Broadly defined\, this ground-breaking research aims to integrate two systems (the brain and the gut) in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms associat ed with obesity and altered consumption behaviors. This focus on obesity i s key to a deeper understanding of the risk factors for many chronic disea ses\, and ones that disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and women. Backed by the National Instituted for Health (NIH)\, Dr. Church’s goal is to develop a comprehensive model that provides a powerful biomarker tha t will increase diagnostics around obesity in an effort to improve overall health outcomes.\n\n \;\n\nBuilding on the success of her lab in the area of adversity and obesity\, Dr. Church recently received two major gra nts from NIMHD and NIA (NIH) on investigating the brain-gut microbiome int eractions associated with obesity. She has also received several industry funded grants as the Principal Investigator in addition to publishing over one hundred peer-reviewed articles\, which have been featured in mainstre am media outlets such as the Today Show\, NBC\, WSJ\, Science\, and WebMD. Additionally\, she is featured in a Netflix documentary “Hack your Heal th: Secrets of the Gut” Released on April 26th 2024. These various effor ts have allowed her to focus on the following main themes of research:\n\n 1. The Investigation of how novel pathways related to the brain-gut-microb iome (BGM) system may explain modulation of signals from the gut-microbiom e on the brain via systemic immune activation.\n\n2. Explanation of how ri sk factors associated with socio-cultural and environmental stressors “g et under the skin” and are embedded in biology.\n\n3. Identification of subgroup differences (e.g.\, race and sex) related to obesity.\n\n4. Deter mination of changes associated with various interventions (e.g.\, brain-ta rgeted such as cognitive behavioral therapy\, or gut-based such as specifi c diets) directed at altered eating behaviors and obesity.\n\n \;\n\nT alk summary: The goal of the presentation is to show evidence for how envi ronmental stressors “get under the skin” and are embedded in biology ( specifically the brain-gut microbiome system) and are associated with incr eased risk for the development of adverse health outcomes such as obesity and altered eating behaviors. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic di seases\, and disproportionately affects ethnic minorities and women. These alarming projections have led to the National Institute of Health and Hea lthy People priority initiatives directed at reducing these disparities. B y focusing on adverse environmental factors\, helps bring to the forefront those individuals (such as women) who are at increased risk to develop ob esity as a result of adversity.\n\nAgenda:\n\n9-9:45 am PDT: Speaker prese ntation\n\n9:45-10:00 am PDT: Question and answer period\n\nRegister here ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://womenshealthresearchcluster.com/wp-conte nt/uploads/2024/09/2025-WHSS-YouTube-Thumbnail-Template-4.png CATEGORIES:Women’s Health Seminar Series END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR