The department’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism held their annual continuing education conference in a new location this year: the bright and well-designed Art Building West on the University of Iowa campus. Sunlight streamed in the floor-to-ceiling windows near the atrium, where industry vendors and the day’s food were paired for perusing.

Once up the switchback staircase to the second floor, attendees sat in the building’s theater-style auditorium to absorb talks from UI Health Care, Iowa City VA Health Care System, and Northwestern University clinicians. Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Yumi Imai, MD, provided opening remarks for the conference and introductions for each of the speakers.

Many of the day’s presentations discussed the stigma and emotional impact of obesity-related diseases. The first talk of the afternoon, titled, Emotional Support in Obesity Management, or Trauma, Diabetes, and Obesity: When Diet and Exercise Aren’t Enough, featured patient Kim Young-Tolsdorf, who also works in the division.

“It was an honor to be asked to share my experience as a patient,” Young-Tolsdorf said. “The journey was, and continues to be, an emotional one. Recognizing the importance of healthy nutrition through diet and the incorporation of movement in a sustainable way is only part of the journey. It is important to understand patterns with food and working through past events that are contributing. By sharing my journey, I hope to inspire and support others in their journeys.”