There are two upcoming conferences on weight stigma that might be of interest to practitioners and the public.

1.Obesity Stigma: Psychological, Social, and Medical Causes and Consequences

This is an interdisciplinary research symposium to be held at UCLA on Friday, May 30, 2014. Drawing on the fields of psychology, medicine, and sociology to present a comprehensive view of obesity stigma, this event is free (including a free lunch) and open to the public, and is funded by the UCLA Office of Interdisciplinary & Cross Campus Affairs. For more information and to register: http://www.dishlab.org/obesitystigmasymposium.php.

Speakers include Brenda Major, PhD (UCSB Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences), Abigail Saguy, PhD (UCLA Department of Sociology and Gender Studies), A. Janet Tomiyama, PhD (UCLA Department of Psychology).

Also in attendance: physical consequences of experiencing weight stigma, Wendy Slusser, MD and Robert Bilder, PhD (UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine), Tamara Horwich, MD (UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine), and Chris Dunkel Schetter, PhD (UCLA Department of Psychology) and May Wang, DrPH (UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine).

There will also be a roundtable on strategies and advice for conducting interdisciplinary research and a Data Blitz, providing students two minutes and two slides to present their research findings. All students are encouraged to apply to present their work. Please see the website for details.

2.The 2nd Annual International Weight Stigma Conference

This will be held in Canterbury, UK on 24th June 2014. Confirmed speakers to date include Dr Deb Burgard, Dr Lee Monaghan, Dr Tracy Tylka, Dr Robert Carels, Dr Emma Rich, and Dr Sarah Riley. Accepting proposals for 10-minute oral presentations and/or posters. Deadline for submission is 30th April. Please see the conference website for more details.

This information was previously circulated via the ASA section on Body and Embodiment newsletter.