NewsCenter

UB Expert

Leonard Epstein

Expertise:

• Childhood obesity, weight loss programs
• Genetic factors in the ability of smokers to stop smoking

One of the nation's leading experts on childhood obesity, Epstein originated the Stoplight Diet Plan, the only weight-loss program in the U.S. to document success in children over a 10-year period. In September 1996, he received a $1.5 million grant to conduct the first large study in the U.S. to determine if obesity can be prevented in high-risk children -- those with at least one obese parent. One study's findings, published in Obesity Research, showed that children lost weight and keep it off better than their parents. He is interested in factors that motivate children to lose weight and the role of exercise in weight loss. In Feb. 2000, became UB PI on $3.7 million study of the role of genetics in smokers ability to stop. Gives great television interviews.