The statistics are staggering: Roughly one-third of U.S. adults and 17 percent of U.S. children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And this obesity can lead to profound changes in the body’s immunity and inflammation processes. While most recognize obesity’s link to heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer, fewer people are aware of this condition’s direct effects on common pulmonary diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), pneumonia and acute lung injury.

Leading U.S. and international researchers in obesity and lung disease will gather for the Fall 2011 Pulmonary Research Group Symposium, titled “Obesity: A Modifier of Immunity and Inflammation in the Lung,” on Friday, October 21, 2011 at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. Co-sponsored by the University of Vermont, Vermont Lung Center and Pulmonary Research Group, the event is co-organized by UVM College of Medicine faculty members Benjamin Suratt, M.D., associate professor of medicine, Anne Dixon, B.M., B.Ch., associate professor of medicine and director of pulmonary and critical care medicine, and Lennart K.A. Lundblad, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine.

At the symposium, experts from around the world will review the current state of knowledge pertaining to the effects of obesity on immunity and inflammation in the lung, with the goal of identifying priorities for new research in this field. Presentations will include “The Effect of Obesity on Neutrophil Biology in the Lung” by Dr. Suratt, and “Effect of Weight Loss on Airway Physiology and Asthmatic Inflammation” by Dr. Dixon.

The Pulmonary Research Group is a non-profit organization which was formed in the 1960's and now serves the research and medical community by organizing scientific meetings on topics relating to pulmonary disease. For more information about the symposium, visit www.criver.com/info/PRGoct11.