Dr. William Dietz is a globally recognized leader in public health and obesity prevention whose career has spanned clinical medicine, government service, and academic leadership. He currently serves as Director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness and Director of Research and Policy for the Global Food Institute at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. Dr. Dietz also directs the STOP Obesity Alliance, a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on practical solutions to obesity. A distinguished physician and scientist, he earned his MD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970 and a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from MIT, establishing an early foundation for his interdisciplinary approach to public health challenges.
Dr. Dietz pioneered groundbreaking research establishing the relationship between television viewing habits and childhood obesity, publishing the first study to demonstrate this critical connection that has informed decades of public health interventions. His work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he served as Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity from 1997 to 2012, shaped national surveillance systems and evidence-based approaches to obesity prevention. His leadership has been instrumental in reframing obesity as a complex public health challenge requiring multi-sectoral solutions rather than an individual behavior issue alone. This paradigm shift has influenced policy development worldwide and established the foundation for comprehensive approaches to obesity prevention that consider environmental, social, and economic factors.
As a past president of both The Obesity Society and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Dietz has played a pivotal role in shaping the scientific discourse around obesity and nutrition. His current work through the STOP Obesity Alliance focuses on developing practical, actionable solutions that bridge the gap between research evidence and real-world implementation across healthcare, community, and policy settings. Recognized as a member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Dietz continues to mentor the next generation of public health leaders while advocating for evidence-based policies to address the obesity epidemic. His ongoing research explores innovative approaches to obesity prevention and treatment, with particular emphasis on translating scientific findings into scalable interventions that promote health equity across diverse populations.
