Michael Thomsen, Ph.D., has been named the director of the Center for the Study of Obesity in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the institution announced Monday.
The Center for the Study of Obesity will develop not only active research programs related to obesity prevention but also provide technical assistance and leadership in the public health practice community throughout the state to prevent and reduce obesity among Arkansans.
“I am very happy to have Dr. Thomsen join the college,” said Mark Williams, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health. “His years of experience in nutrition and obesity prevention will help the college build a collaborative center that can build research relationships within UAMS and with institutions and companies outside UAMS.”
Thomsen will develop active research programs related to obesity prevention, collaborate with researchers across UAMS on obesity-related work and contribute to the college’s diverse doctoral and postdoctoral programs.
Thomsen comes to UAMS from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UA) and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, where he has worked for the past 23 years. Most recently, he served as a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness.