Dr. Rudolph L. Leibel, professor of pediatrics and medicine, head of the Division of Molecular Genetics, and co-director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center, was one of the scientists behind the discovery of leptin and can talk about the complex relationship between metabolism, hormones, and obesity. Dr. Leibel can discuss in detail how the human body adjusts to maintain a set weight, making lasting and sustainable weight loss that much more difficult to achieve. He can also shed light on the role that leptin plays in the “plateau effect,” how it might create obstacles for dieters, and how it might ultimately be used and manipulated to help people with obesity shed excess fat and maintain a healthy weight on a permanent basis.

Dr. Leibel is co-director of the New York Obesity Research Center and the Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center at Columbia University. He is also a renowned investigator in the molecular genetics of Type 2 diabetes, and has published articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Science, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the American Journal of Physiology, Diabetes, and Genetics.

For press inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Streich (eas2125@columbia.edu or 212-305-6535) or Alex Lyda (mal2133@columbia.edu or 212-305-0820).