Nicole Juul-Hindsgaul

Defining success in obesity management: dissonance among clinicians and patients.

Research, clinical practice, and patient engagement with obesity management is evolving. These changes have an impact on policy, healthcare and directly on those individuals living with obesity. It’s therefore important to understand what successful obesity management means to those engaging with it as often obesity management is measured by success.  Given the subjective nature of success and the stigmatized implications of “failure” It’s important to better understand what clinicians, policymakers and people living with obesity perceive as success.  

To explore success in this context I am undertaking a body of research to better understand how success in obesity management is defined and perceived across clinical guidelines, in practice and by people living with obesity.   The research will consist of a framework synthesis of clinical practice guidelines for obesity and weight management; systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies investigating participant’s perceptions of obesity and semi-structured interviews with providers and people living with obesity. This body of research will support the development of a taxonomy of success which will hopefully be used to support improved dialogue and shared understand of success.  

Biography: 

I am a part-time EBHC DPhil Research student, in addition to my research, I am Project Director at Novo Nordisk, where I have spent I’ve the past seven years with various roles in Clinical Development.  

After first-hand experience observing the discrepancies between how success in obesity management was perceived by clinicians, people living with obesity, industry and regulators I was motivated to return to research to explore success. My DPhil seeks to explore how success in obesity management is perceived by clinicians and people living with obesity. I hope to better understand success, the differences in perceptions and will hopefully improve how success is defined and used in obesity management practice. 

I received my BSc in Nutrition and Health Sciences from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and my MSc in Human Nutrition from the University of Copenhagen. 

College: Kellogg