Obesity

• 
  Dr
  Priya Sumithran

  priyas@unimelb.edu.au

  View researcher's webpage

  +61394962375

Research Overview

We are a multidisciplinary clinical research team based at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital within the Department of Medicine (Austin). Our overarching goal is to reduce the impact of obesity on health and wellbeing.

We are undertaking a range of clinical studies focusing on understanding the biology of obesity and the links between appetite, eating behaviour and mental health. Our group is integrated with the obesity management service at Austin Health, and we are committed to research which will improve clinical care and address the priorities of people with obesity

Staff

• Dr Priya Sumithran, Group Leader
• Dr Sarah Price, post-doctoral researcher
• Jenny Healy, research nurse
• Shirley Poon, research dietitian

Collaborators

• The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne
• Addictive and Compulsive Eating Resarch Organisation, Australia
• Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University
• Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Trobe University
• Department of Surgery, Monash University
• Boden Collaboration, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney

Funding

• NHMRC Investigator Grant
• University of Melbourne, David Bickart Clinical Research Fellowship
• Austin Medical Research Foundation
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Research Establishment Fellowship
• Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation

Research Publications

1. Wong L, Zafari N, Churilov L, Stammers L, Price S, Ekinci E, Sumithran P. Change in emotional eating after bariatric surgery: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Br J Surg Open (in press)
2. Stammers L, Wong L, Churilov L, Price S, Ekinci E, Sumithran P. Comparison of Two Questionnaires for Assessment of Emotional Eating in People Undergoing Treatment for Obesity. Eating and Weight Disorders (in press)
3. Wong L, Stammers L, Churilov L, Price S, Ekinci E, Sumithran P. Emotional eating in patients attending a specialist obesity treatment service. Appetite (in press)
4. Stammers L, Wong L, Brown R, Price S, Ekinci E, Sumithran P. Identifying stress-related eating in behavioural research: a review. Hormones and Behavior (in press)
5. Lappas M, Lim R, Price S, Prendergast L, Proietto J, Ekinci E, Sumithran P. Exploring the relationship between maternal circulating hormones and gestational weight gain in women without obesity: a cross-sectional study. Int J Womens Health (in press)
6. Haywood C, Sumithran P. Treatment of obesity in older persons: a systematic review. Obes Rev 2019;20;588-98
7. Price S, Sumithran P, Nankervis A, Permezel M, Proietto J. Preconception management of women with obesity: a systematic review. Obes Rev;2019;20;510-26
8. Price S, Nankervis A, Permezel M, Prendergast L, Sumithran P, Proietto J. Health consequences for mother and baby of substantial pre-conception weight loss in obese women: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2018;19:248
9. Sumithran P, Purcell K, Kuyruk S, Proietto J and Prendergast L. Combining biological and psychosocial baseline variables did not improve prediction of outcome of a very-low-energy diet in a clinic referral population. Clin Obes 2018;8:30-38
10. Sumithran P, Houlihan C, Shub A, Churilov L, Pritchard N, Price S, Ekinci E, Proietto J, Permezel M. How common is substantial weight gain after pregnancy? Obesity Research & Clinical Practice 2018;12:139-45