Daniel Bessesen, MD, associate director of the Center, is professor of medicine of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at CU, the director of fellowship training in endocrinology and the director of the Clinical Intervention and Translation Core of the NIH-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center.

Dan received his MD with honors from CU. He completed residency and fellowship training at CU and has been on CU’s faculty since 1991.

Dan, who conducts studies in dietary fat metabolism, appetite and the clinical problem of obesity, has published more than 90 scientific articles and book chapters and is the coauthor of three books, including Treatment of the Obese Patient published in 2014.

John Peters, a leading researcher and strategist in nutrition, obesity and diabetes, is charged with developing groundbreaking research and programming in nutrition, exercise and healthy behavior.

Prior to joining CU, he spent 26 years in food and beverage, health care, and corporate new business research and development for Procter & Gamble Company.

He is also involved in public health initiatives promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. He is co-founder and chief executive officer of America on the Move and past president of the International Life Science Institute Center for Health Promotion. Peters has published over 130 scientific papers and reviews and co-authored The Step Diet book.

A physician and clinical researcher, Holly has extensive experience in weight loss using medications and behavioral, dietary, physical activity and surgical treatments.

Holly is co-author of State of Slim, revealing how Coloradans get and stay slender. As medical director of Extreme Weight Loss, she uses these principles to guide cast-member journeys.

Her research interests include resting and total energy expenditure, fat oxidation and activity levels in weight-reduced populations. She studies the effect of diet on long-term success, as well as weight loss with Atkins’ vs. low fat-high carb diets and diet composition, exercise patterns and breakfast consumption in the National Weight Control Registry.

Education & Certifications

• BS, Springfield College
• PhD, Kent State University
• Fellowships, East Carolina University and Case Western Reserve University

Areas of Specialization

• Researches the role of early nutrition and environment on molecular, endocrine and epigenetic origins of childhood obesity and diabetes
• Uses cutting-edge technologies (microbiome/stem cells/epigenetics) with in-depth maternal-infant phenotyping (MRI/placental function/ultrasound) to develop therapies aimed at stopping the transmission of obesity from mother to infant

Personal Notables

• Founder, Colorado Program for Nutrition and Health Development
• Director, NORC Metabolic Core
• Program director, Colorado Obesity Research Institute

Education & Certifications

• BS, Vanderbilt University
• MD, Medical College of Georgia
• Residency/Internship, Georgetown University
• Endocrinology Fellowship, University of Colorado

Areas of Specialization

• Obesity
• Food intake regulation
• Neuroimaging
• Insulin action

Personal Notables

• Associate director, CU Adult Diabetes Program
• Director, University of Colorado Health LDL Apheresis Program
• Medical director, My New Weigh meal-replacement weight-loss program
• Staff physician, Denver Health
• Active volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, the Endocrine Society and the Obesity Society

Education & Certifications

• BA, Cedarville University
• MA, University of Dayton
• PhD, Brigham Young University
• Residency/Internship, Duke University Medical Center

Areas of Specialization

• Clinical health psychology
• Spirituality and health
• Behavioral cardiology
• Health behavior change

Personal Notables

• Program Director, Clinical Health Psychology PhD Training Program, University of Colorado Denver
• Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Behavioral Medicine
• Past President, Society for Health Psychology (Division 38, American Psychological Association)
• Fellow American Psychological Association and Society of Behavioral Medicine
• Director of Behavioral Research, Anschutz Health and Wellness Center

Education & Certifications

• BS/MS, Brigham Young University
• PhD/ Fellowship, East Carolina University

Areas of Specialization

• Research focus on understanding metabolic consequences of obesity and weight loss
• Obesity impact on breast cancer, mammary gland development and lactation
• Obesity impact in menopausal transition

Personal Notables

• Research director, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes
• Director, CORI Energy Metabolism Program
• Associate director, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center’s Metabolic Core and Energy Balance Laboratory

Education & Certifications

• MD, University of Cincinnati
• Residency, University of Wisconsin
• Senior Fellowship, University of Washington
• Charles A. Boettcher Endowed Chair in Atherosclerosis

Areas of Specialization

• Translational research pursues mechanistic relationships between metabolic disorders

Personal Notables

• Published over 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals
• Past president, American Heart Association, Obesity Society and Association of Patient-Oriented Research
• Co-chair, 2013 Lifestyle Guideline for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
• Member, 2013 Cholesterol Guideline Committee and Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Observational Safety and Monitoring Board

Education & Certifications

• BA/BS, University of Notre Dame
• MD, Yale University
• Internal Medicine Residency, Yale-New Haven Hospital
• Chief Resident, Yale-New Haven Hospital
• Board Certification in Endocrinology

Areas of Specialization

• Physician-directed weight management

Philosophy

• Individualized behavioral strategies for weight management along with weight-loss medications for appropriately selected patients.

Personal Notables

• Varsity Monogram Winner, Women’s Diving, University of Notre Dame
• NIH F32 National Research Service Award
• NIH K23 Career Development Award
• Principle investigator of five-year NIH-funded R01 to evaluate the optimal time to begin exercise within a behavioral weight-loss program

Education & Certifications

• PhD, Arizona State University

Areas of Specialization

• Research focus on disease prevention and maintenance of functional independence in old age

Personal Notables

• Director of research, Geriatric Medicine
• Director, IMAGE (Investigations in Metabolism, Aging, Gender and Exercise)
• Director, Energy Balance Core, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center
• Chair, Scientific Advisory and Review Committee, Adult Clinical and Translational Research Center
• Distinguished Alumnus, University of Wisconsin ‑ Stevens Point
• Citation Award, American College of Sports Medicine
• Continuously funded by the NIH for more than 20 years with more than 140 original and solicited research publications