by Ian Patton, Director of Advocacy & Public Engagement
For years, I’ve been part of conversations about obesity—conversations about stigma, access to care, and the science of obesity as a chronic disease. But there was something different about Connected Conference 2025.
Maybe it was the urgency. Maybe it was the incredible lineup of experts, patient advocates, and healthcare leaders. Or maybe it was the growing momentum for real change. Whatever it was, one thing is clear: these discussions can’t wait any longer.
What we learned: The key takeaways
Over the course of the week, we unpacked the intersections of obesity with diabetes, sleep, heart health, and liver disease. Each session exposed gaps in care—and the real-world consequences of failing to recognize obesity as a disease.
💡 Obesity & Diabetes – Managing one without addressing the other sets patients up for failure. Integrated care isn’t optional—it’s essential.
💡 Obesity & Sleep – Sleep disorders don’t just impact rest; they affect metabolism, brain health, and long-term health outcomes. Yet, sleep remains an afterthought in obesity care.
💡 Obesity & Heart Health – Cardiologists are starting to treat obesity as a heart disease risk factor, but the shift is too slow. If we want to reduce heart disease, we need to start with obesity.
💡 Obesity & Liver Disease – Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is on the rise, yet most people don’t even know they have it. The good news? Liver disease is reversible if caught early.
Read More: Understanding Obesity, & Managing Obesity
The Roundtable: where do we go from here?
The live roundtable discussion on March 7 brought everything together. Experts, advocates, and patients didn’t just talk about the problems—we talked about solutions.
✔️ The system is failing people living with obesity.
✔️ Bias is still blocking access to care.
✔️ We need policies that treat obesity like the chronic disease it is.
So what’s next? Action.
How you can help
🖊️ Sign the petition – Tell policymakers to recognize obesity as a chronic disease.
📢 Send a letter to your MP – Your voice matters. Push for real policy change.
🎥 Watch (or rewatch) the sessions – If you missed a session, every conversation is available on Obesity Canada’s YouTube Channel.
This is just the beginning
Connected Conference 2025 may be over, but the work isn’t. The conversations we started this week need to continue in clinics, in boardrooms, in policy meetings, and in our communities.
If you want to be part of the movement, join OC Connect, our online patient community where people living with obesity come together to support each other and push for better care.
We can change the future of obesity care in Canada—but only if we refuse to let this momentum fade. Let’s keep going. Are you in?
