Slimming World and Derby University tackle obesity with research partnership

Slimming World is set to partner with the University of Derby in a special new appointment.  The partnership will see Professor James Stubbs, research specialist at Slimming World and a renowned obesity and satiety expert, appointed to the Miles-Bramwell Chair in Behaviour Change and Weight Management at the University. 

He will look at how to engage more people in making changes to their behaviour as well as promote the long-term maintenance of those changes by helping people to cope with relapses. Professor Stubbs will also find ways to implement these solutions on a national scale through partnership with Slimming World.

Professor Stubbs will mark his appointment with a public lecture on Wednesday, July 9 at the University’s Kedleston Road building from 6.30pm until 7.30pm. 

Dr Chris Bussell, Dean of the College of Life and Natural Sciences at the University of Derby, said: “We are hearing more and more about the need to more than halve the intake of added sugar in our diets to tackle the obesity crisis as well as adopting positive lifestyle choices.

“Professor Stubbs’ appointment means we will be able to deliver multi-disciplinary research with real impact and bring together expertise from across the University to focus on and address some of the key questions around behaviour change and weight management.

“This really is excellent news for both parties. The fact we were chosen as a major partner shows that our research team is highly-rated in the commercial world and it gives Slimming World an academic partnership.”

The new chair is named after Slimming World’s founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who started the company in Alfreton in 1969. The chairmanship is initially for two years.

Prior to becoming the research specialist at Slimming World in 2006, Professor Stubbs spent 13 years at the Rowett Research Institute, which he joined after receiving his PhD from Cambridge University.

He said: “This appointment represents a great opportunity to bring together academic insight and commercial application to generate new solutions that can make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of the general public.

“By working together we can combine the best applied research with large scale delivery of evidence-based behaviour change solutions to make a real difference to people’s lives and help improve the health of the nation.”