Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen is the 2025 recipient of the EASO–Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize for Excellence for her outstanding work in clinical metabolism. The Prize, awarded by the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, includes a DKK 2 million award. Of this, DKK 300,000 is a personal award, while DKK 1.7 million goes to support further research. Four researchers will also receive the New Investigator Award for their promising obesity research.
The EASO–Novo Nordisk Foundation Obesity Prize for Excellence is awarded annually for outstanding research or technological contributions that can improve our understanding of obesity and its causes, complications, prevention and management. In 2025 the Prize goes to Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen, Professor of Clinical Metabolism at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland.
“It is with great pleasure that we award Professor Pietiläinen this prestigious prize. Her groundbreaking research in identical twins with differences in BMI has significantly contributed to how we understand the metabolic effects and complications of acquired obesity,” says Arne Astrup, Professor, MD, DMSc and Senior Vice President, Obesity and Nutritional Sciences at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
“For example, Professor Pietiläinen’s innovative studies in identical twins have shown that when the mitochondria – the tiny energy-producing structures in our cells – do not function properly, especially in fat tissue, it can cause complications in obesity. We should also highlight Professor Pietiläinen’s ability to encourage teamwork and talent, since she is not only a trailblazer but a great mentor and team leader.”
In addition to the Obesity Prize for Excellence, the EASO and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have also awarded four New Investigator Awards, each including a research grant of DKK 300,000.
“Congratulations to Kirsi Pietiläinen, the Obesity Prize for Excellence recipient, and to the four New Investigator Award winners announced today,” says EASO President, Professor Volkan Yumuk. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation in supporting these research grants, which focus on groundbreaking advancements in obesity. We eagerly anticipate the recipients’ presentations, and I look forward to participating in their official recognition sessions during the upcoming 32nd European Congress on Obesity in Malaga.”
Obesity research: a lens for the study of life
With over 25 years of experience in obesity research and medicine and nearly 250 publications under her belt, Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen has made groundbreaking advancements in both the scientific understanding and clinical management of the disease of obesity. Additionally, she is a well-known public advocate for reducing stigma, translating compassionate obesity care into clinical practice and promoting medical training on obesity at the national and international levels.
“Obesity is the most fascinating lens through which to study life – it spans everything from the micro level of cellular metabolism to the macro level of behaviour and society,” says Professor Pietiläinen. “Obesity research has been full of surprising discoveries, such as when we found mitochondria playing a key role in adipose – body fat – tissue. Moving forward, we aim to dive deeper into the metabolic atlas of adipose tissue, exploring how obesity and different intervention methods reshape its function and interactions across the body. I am especially fascinated by how some interventions can simultaneously curb excessive appetite and boost a slowed metabolism – offering powerful mechanisms to support our patients.”
Professor Pietiläinen’s work earned her research group a place within the prestigious designation of Center of Excellence in research on Mitochondria, Metabolism and Disease (FinMIT) by the Research Council of Finland, the highest recognition for research in the country. Her recent findings on mitochondrial activation following weight-loss surgery have spurred ongoing international research to develop drugs that mimic the effect as a mechanism to increase energy combustion and cause weight loss.
In addition to her extensive, much-cited research on the metabolic effects of obesity and various weight-loss strategies, her work at the Healthy Weight Hub has offered valuable insights into digital coaching, patient-reported outcomes and long-term weight loss. She also uses unique Finnish registries to study the economic burden of obesity, including healthcare costs, treatment cost–effectiveness and societal impacts.
Four researchers receive New Investigator Awards
Basic Science – Roksana Pirzgalska is a postdoctoral researcher at the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal. She found that sympathetic innervation in adipose tissue drives leptin-induced lipolysis and identified the first functional neuroimmune component in adipose tissue: the sympathetic neuron-associated macrophages. The EASO–Novo Nordisk Foundation award grant will help her to investigate the role of gut neuroepithelial circuits in intestinal immune responses and nutrient absorption, aiming to use neuronal cues to improve metabolic parameters and nutrient absorption in patients with metabolic diseases.
Childhood Obesity – Veera Houttu, a Senior Researcher and a Clinical Nutritionist at the Nutrition and Food Research Center at the University of Turku, Finland, has a strong track record in research on nutrition and metabolic diseases and on translating clinical results to metabolic mechanisms. She studies psychological, behavioural and physiological mediated effects in early-life obesity and associated comorbidities through eating behaviour, dietary intake, sensory perceptions and physiological responses and how to translate these mechanisms into prevention and treatment.
Clinical Research – Rima Chakaroun, a clinician-scientist and internal medicine specialist in endocrinology at the University Hospital Leipzig, Germany and the Wallenberg Laboratory, Gothenburg, Sweden, investigates a wide range of endocrine and metabolic disorders with a primary focus on obesity, microbiome, nutrition and sex-specific obesity trajectories. She contributes to multidisciplinary obesity programmes that provide comprehensive treatment plans, helps to coordinate a weight-management initiative and works closely with a dedicated team to support patients in making sustainable lifestyle changes. Her work also involves expanding research and integrating microbiome and nutrition-based interventions to improve patient outcomes.
Public Health – Maria Kafyra is a dietitian/nutritionist and postdoctoral researcher who has worked and studied in Greece, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. Her work focuses on identifying obesity-related determinants of health and developing personalised interventions that address individual genetic differences in metabolism and treatment responses, aligning with the growing need for personalised healthcare strategies. She is currently working on the impact of excess weight on securing employment and the ability to conceive among Greek men and women aged 25–40 years with overweight or obesity.
The Prize and the Awards will be officially presented at the 32nd European Congress on Obesity (#ECO2025), 11–14 May 2025 in Malaga, Spain, where attendees will have an opportunity to hear an award lecture from the Obesity Prize for Excellence recipient and presentations from the New Investigator Award winners. Registration is available: https://eco2025.org.
For additional information regarding the criteria and application process for the Obesity Prize for Excellence and New Investigator Awards, please visit https://easo.org/about-easo/easo-nnf-prize-and-awards.
Fact box
Obesity: a growing epidemic
Obesity is a chronic and complex condition that impacts health and can lead to a wide range of diseases, including increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Obesity is responsible for an estimated 5 million deaths worldwide each year.
Currently more than 1 billion adults are living with obesity, corresponding to one in eight people in the world – a figure that has more than doubled since 1990. It is estimated 1.9 billion people will live with obesity in 2035.
The prevalence of obesity is also rising among children: 2% of children aged 5–19 years were living with obesity in 1990, with this figure quadrupling to 8%, or 160 million, by 2022.
About EASO
EASO represents the European Obesity Community. The leading voice of obesity science, medicine and community in Europe, EASO represents scientists, obesity specialists, physicians, health care practitioners, and public health practitioners. Established in 1986, EASO is a federation of professional membership associations across 36 countries.
