Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight
and Health at the University of California, Berkeley
and Health at the University of California, Berkeley
“The Atkins Foundation support will significantly strengthen
our ability to solve one of the nation’s most intractable
problems—the growing percentage of Americans who are
overweight and obese. Its commitment means that we will
be able to touch thousands more lives. The impact will be felt
by generations.”
—Stephen M. Shortell, professor and dean,
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
The Center for Weight and Health
at the University of California (UC),
Berkeley, was founded in 1999 to
conduct rigorous interdisciplinary
scientific evaluation of communitybased
obesity prevention programs.
To ensure that the center’s vital work
continues for years to come, the
Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins
Foundation pledged $10 million this
year. In recognition of the bequest,
the center was renamed the Dr. Robert
C. and Veronica Atkins Center for
Weight and Health.Drawing on UC Berkeley’s widely recognized expertise in nutrition and public health, the center is well positioned to address the complex mix of challenges in today’s obesity crisis. Researchers are particularly interested in looking at how public health policies affect obesity among children, including how to involve the healthcare system, food production and distribution, community safety and the media.
Among the roughly 30 active research projects being conducted, one evaluates state laws taking effect in 2007 that phase out soft drink and sweetened beverages in public schools. Another is a prospective study examining the relation of food intake timing to weight among teenage girls. With the center’s focus on practical applications, researchers take a handson approach to helping people have healthier lifestyles. “Community needs and priorities help drive the research agenda and, reciprocally, those research results more effectively inform community action,” said Pat Crawford, co-founder and current co-director of the center, which is administered jointly by UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources and School of Public Health.