Sex and Gender Differences in Obesity: Why It Matters for Women’s Obesity Care

Karen Reue, PhD, is Professor of Human Genetics in the Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles and director of an National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Center of Research Excellence on Sex Differences in Cardiometabolic Health and Disease. The Reue laboratory is interested in the identification of genes, pathways, and the role of sex in the development of cardiometabolic diseases including obesity, fatty liver, and atherosclerosis. A key finding has been the importance of both gonadal hormones and sex chromosome gene dosage in sex-biased functions in adipose tissue and obesity, regulation of lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, and drug adverse effects.

Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley MD, MPH is an Earl Stadtman Investigator and Chief of the Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with a joint appointment in the Cardiovascular Branch of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Dr. Powell-Wiley’s interdisciplinary team uses community-engaged research, epidemiologic methods, and translational approaches to better understand social factors that promote obesity and limit cardiovascular health. In 2021, Dr. Powell-Wiley’s innovative work was recognized with the American Heart Association’s Population Research Prize. In 2023, Dr. Powell-Wiley was chosen for the American Society for Clinical Investigation. In 2024, Dr. Powell-Wiley received the Presidential Medal of Distinction from The Obesity Society. At NIH, Dr. Powell-Wiley has mentored more than 50 research fellows at various career stages, several of whom are now tenure-track, NIH-funded faculty. Dr. Powell-Wiley serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Heart Association, as a Consulting Editor for Health Psychology, and is on the editorial board for the journal, Circulation. She has been recognized through NHLBI Director’s awards for developing a clinic in Washington, DC for community-engaged research, for mentorship of research fellows, and for promoting diversity in the biomedical workforce through mentorship efforts. Dr. Powell-Wiley graduated summa cum laude with a B.S.E. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She received an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated with an MD from Duke University School of Medicine, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Prior to joining NIH, Dr. Powell-Wiley completed internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she served as the Cardiology Division’s first chief fellow.

Dr. Ariana M. Chao, PhD, CRNP, RN is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine. She serves as the Director of Research at the Healthful Eating, Activity and Weight Program at Johns Hopkins where she also practices clinically as an obesity medicine nurse practitioner. She is internationally recognized for her leadership in obesity treatment. Her program of research is focused on the development of innovative treatments for obesity and related eating behaviors that improve physical and mental health. This includes creating and evaluating novel treatments for obesity, using biobehavioral approaches and considering social determinants of health to improve treatment access and efficacy. She has published over 100 articles. Her work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health as well as foundation and industry sponsors. Dr. Chao received her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Boston College, earned her PhD in nursing science at Yale University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.