Dr. Arya Sharma, MD, PhD, FRCPC is the recipient of the 2019 Master of the American Board of Obesity Medicine award, presented to a physician who has made significant contributions to the science, practice and/or advancement of obesity medicine. Dr. Sharma is a Professor of Medicine at University of Alberta, Canada.

​ “The ABOM is pleased to present the 2019 Master’s Award to Dr. Arya M. Sharma, Founder and Scientific Director of Obesity Canada,” said ABOM Board Member Dr. Robert Kushner. “Dr. Sharma is an internationally recognized clinician, researcher and educator who has shaped our thinking about the care of patients with obesity.”

Dr. Sharma has achieved international acclaim for his research, which focuses on evidence-based prevention and management of obesity and its complications.

“Although obesity affects more than 600 million people around the world, obesity medicine is still in its infancy,” said Dr. Sharma. “It is thus not only an extraordinary honor to join the ranks of this select group of obesity medicine pioneers but also an opportunity to promote the important work that ABOM is doing to build capacity and expertise in this important field of medicine.”

Dr. Sharma will receive the award during a formal presentation as part of ObesityWeek 2019 in Las Vegas, NV. Previous winners of the Master of the ABOM award include Dr. Frank Greenway (2018), Dr. Bruce Wolfe (2018), Dr. W. Timothy Garvey (2017), Dr. Xavier Pi-Sunyer (2016), Dr. William H. Dietz (2015), Dr. Walter Pories (2014), Dr. Donna Ryan (2014), Dr. George Blackburn (2013), and Dr. George Bray (2013).