The University of Minnesota Healthy Weight Research Center is building the science to promote healthy body weight. We seek to:
- Foster innovative, transdisciplinary research by investigators within and outside of the University of Minnesota.
- Prepare the next generation of healthy weight researchers and leaders.
- Support evidence-based decision making by connecting policymakers, public health officials, practitioners, advocates and the media to peer-reviewed research on healthy body weight.
Robert Jeffery founded the Obesity Prevention Center, now known as the Healthy Weight Research Center (HWRC), with a mission to conduct research to better understand the causes of excess weight gain and to develop more effective measures for addressing obesity. Jeffery is internationally known for his contributions to the field of obesity including his pioneering work in the field of behavioral obesity treatment, focus on diabetes prevention, and innovative worksite interventions. In addition to publishing over 350 scientific papers, Jeffery has mentored countless graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and early career faculty who have benefited greatly from his guidance and support. Though Jeffery retired from the University in 2016, he continues to donate generously to support the HWRC and its work.
