Aiden was tall, strong and active, and his weight was only slightly above expected for his age. His family had no cause for concern until he developed severe, unexplained abdominal pain at the age of 10.
After multiple checkups and tests, Aiden was diagnosed with a metabolic liver condition. As part of his treatment, he enrolled at the Healthy Weight and Wellness Clinic at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to supporting and guiding families in helping children improve their health and well-being. Now 13, he is proud of the lifestyle changes he’s made working with the clinic. He’s increased his physical activity and added healthy foods to a balanced diet that still includes some teen favorites. “Now, I’ll snack on a salad, and I never thought I would do that,” he said.
Aiden and his mother, Jennifer Downey, spoke at a December symposium titled “Obesity and Diabetes Prevention and Care: Opportunities for Collaboration.” The event was part of the Thomas Jefferson University and Nemours Children’s Health Collaborative Symposium Series, which highlights the institutions’ ongoing research partnership.
About 71% of adults and 40% of children and adolescents in the United States are considered overweight or obese, according to the most recent data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data and the American Heart Association 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. Since obesity can lead to long-term health problems like heart disease and diabetes, preventing and treating obesity is an important goal, symposium organizers said.
Both Jefferson and Nemours Children’s are engaged in innovative studies in the field of obesity and diabetes prevention. At Nemours, Carissa Baker-Smith, MD, MS, MPH, Director of Pediatric Preventive Cardiology Program and Codirector, Nemours Center for Cardiovascular Research and Innovation, investigates the way social drivers of health affect a child’s risk of developing heart disease. For example, she told the audience, “Food insecurity is a major driver of obesity and the loss of ideal cardiac health.” She noted that research on how to address weight concerns at an early age is critical to improving child health and establishing a foundation for longer, healthier lives.
And at Jefferson, Amy Cunningham, PhD, MPH, has just launched a four-year study funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), aimed at examining the effectiveness of group sessions to help patients lose weight. Cunningham explained that the program will be run by advanced-practice clinicians with a mix of virtual and in-person visits. Cunningham’s research team is aiming to enroll 5,000 patients, and if the group sessions prove effective, she suggested the sessions could be a model to improve care more broadly across health systems.
Aiden Downey was one of several teens who joined the symposium to discuss their experience with the Nemours Healthy Weight and Wellness Clinic. Fellow participant Madison Payne said she appreciated learning tips on healthy eating from the providers in the Healthy Weight and Wellness Clinic, and quickly came to enjoy the schedule and consistency of her physical activity sessions at the clinic.
“Knowing that she had an appointment every week, healthy choices became a priority,” said Madison’s dad, Mike Payne. Over time, Madison became friendly with other teens in the program, and in the spring, friends and family members would meet up at the Nemours Estate to walk together, guided by a Nemours exercise physiologist. “We all loved that,” Payne said.
Thao-Ly Phan, MD, MPH, Senior Research Scientist with the Center for Healthcare Delivery Science and Medical Director of the Healthy Weight and Wellness Clinic, both located at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, praised the teens and caregivers for sharing their experiences as part of the symposium and supporting each other in their health goals. “Understanding the lived experiences of families is critical to conducting research that is meaningful,” she said. “And we heard from families that doing this as a whole family is important to successful outcomes.”
Matt Baker, PA, DHSc, Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Jefferson, encouraged the researchers in the audience to continue working toward solutions for obesity.
“The epidemic starts with pediatrics, but moves upstream with really significant consequences,” he said. “You are at the tip of the spear—you can change the trajectory of this epidemic. It’s important that you do the work you do.”
