We are delighted to invite you to the 2025 Food as Medicine Update - Weight of Change: The Interplay of Nutrition, New Medicine and Stigma in Obesity taking place in-person and virtually on Thursday, November 13, 2025 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm EST.
The Food as Medicine Update series was created to address the knowledge-gap in continuing medical education related to the role of nutrition in patient care. It is a full day accredited symposium for healthcare professionals designed to address the emerging interest in therapeutic diets for chronic disease prevention.
A special feature of the Food as Medicine Update is the Rundle-Lister Lectureship in Transformative Nutritional Medical Education. The 2025 Lectureship is awarded to Dr. Michael Lean, MD in recognition of his outstanding contributions to translational research in the field of therapeutic diets and chronic disease prevention.
Learning Objectives
After active engagement in this symposium, participants will be better able to:
- Evaluate and apply relevant recommendations from the Canadian pediatric and adult obesity guidelines, including evidence-based treatment approaches, to patient care.
- Describe and implement up-to-date nutrition strategies for effective obesity management across the lifespan.
- Identify and apply practical approaches to reduce weight stigma in clinical, community and public health settings through collaborative practices.
- Integrate pharmacological treatments and nutrition interventions into comprehensive weight management plans, including long-term care strategies.
2025 Food as Medicine Update Steering Committee
John L Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Chair
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Nutritional Medical Education Coordinator, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Lifestyle Medicine Lead, MD Program, University of Toronto
Staff Physician, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital
Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital
Margaret A Rundle, BSc, MD, CCFP, FCFP, Advisor
Family Physician
Viola Antao, MD, CCFP, MHSc, FCFP
Associate Professor, Faculty Development Director, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Julia Rackal, MD, CCFP, MHSc
Assistant Professor Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Active Staff, Department of Family and Community Medicine St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team
Chris Tomlinson MB, ChB, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Medical Director, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Hospital for Sick Children
Staff Neonatologist, Division of Neonatology, Hospital for Sick Children
Raymond Chang Chair in Nutritional Medical Education, Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition, University of Toronto
Elena Comelli, PhD
Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Associate Chair, Research and Innovation Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Soruba Vijayaratnam, NP-PHC, MScN
Nurse Practitioner, Department of Family and Community Medicine
Sumac Creek Health Center, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team
Sheila Lakhoo, MD, CCFP, MScCH, Diplomat, American Board of Lifestyle Medicine
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Vivian Choo, MD, MSc
Family Physician, Department of Family Medicine, Women’s College Hospital
Clinical Associate, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Tristan Lawson Distinguished Fellow in Physician Professional Development in Child Nutrition
Chinwe Nwebube, MD
Family Medicine Resident, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Samantha Cheng
Medical Candidate, MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Rebecca Noseworthy, RD, MPH
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Clinical Research Project Manager, Translational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children
Chelsea McPherson, RD, MAN
Program Manager, Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto
Hosted by: The Department of Nutritional Sciences, the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition and Continuing Professional Development, at the University of Toronto
Date: November 13, 2025 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.