How it all started
In 2013, just after starting my PhD studies, I found out my university (University of Birmingham, UK) had a number of doctoral-researcher development grants available to enable students to gain the skills related to organising a conference. I was new, I didn’t know anyone in my field, I thought it’d be a good idea to host a Weight Stigma Conference so me and the six people in the UK I imagined were interested in weight stigma could get to know each other. How hard could it be, right? Three months later, 100 people crowded into a room and heard from an amazing line-up of speakers from the health and social sciences. There was drama, controversy, but no blood shed. For the most part. Now an annual event, the conference has been held in the UK, Canada, Iceland, and Czech Republic and brings together scholars, health practitioners, and public health professionals from all over the world.
The 8th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference was due to be held June 22-23, 2020 in Auckland New Zealand. Visit stigmaconference.com for more information and to download brochures and slides from previous conferences. Twitter: @StigmaConf
Angela Meadows 