FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin - (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Suzanne Thompson - (901) 448-4072, sthompson@uthsc.edu

Robert Klesges, PhD, Professor at

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Receives $3 Million Grant for Study of Airmen's Obesity

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Memphis, Tenn. (October 18, 2012) - The word airmen brings to mind an image of a svelte warrior, ready for action, but that is far from reality. Obesity ranks high as a cause for discharge of enlisted persons because they are unable to pass the annual fitness tests. It is the No. 1 reason people are not allowed to enlist in the military.

"Contrary to many people's beliefs, the epidemic of obesity has not escaped the military," said Robert Klesges, PhD, professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), who is researching weight loss and maintenance in the military. To further his study, the National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded him a $3 million grant.

Throughout the years, many weight loss studies have been conducted with the civilian population. Dr. Klesges' study at UTHSC has an important distinction. "Ours is the first large-scale study to Slook at weight loss in the active duty military population," he said.

Participants in the study will come from the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Klesges said cooperation from the Air Force has been invaluable. The money will be distributed over a five-year period.

The NIDDK was founded in 1950, and supports a wide range of medical research through grants to universities and other medical research institutions across the country.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.