{"id":3984,"date":"2026-02-10T15:57:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/epidemiology\/?p=3984"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T21:00:16","slug":"biobehavioral-susceptibility-for-obesity-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-with-dr-susan-carnell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/epidemiology\/2026\/02\/10\/biobehavioral-susceptibility-for-obesity-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-with-dr-susan-carnell\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBiobehavioral susceptibility for obesity: What we know and what we don\u2019t\u201d with Dr. Susan Carnell"},"content":{"rendered":"

Check out the upcoming EPI Seminar by Dr. Susan Carnell on Friday, February 20 from 2:30-3:30 PM. If you have any questions, please reach out to Timothy Renier at Timothy.J.Renier.GR@dartmouth.edu<\/p>\n

Zoom link: https:\/\/dartmouth.zoom.us\/j\/96786217577?pwd=vu01trMEKHDTE8dpoyfrP905UjQYzi.1<\/p>\n

Seminar Description:<\/strong> We all inhabit an \u2018obesogenic\u2019 environment, yet not everyone develops obesity. This may be in part because individuals differ in early-appearing appetitive characteristics (e.g. food responsiveness and satiety responsiveness) that begin to influence body weight as early as infancy. A significant body of work has used standardized behavioral tests and validated questionnaires to demonstrate that appetitive characteristics track through development, predict adiposity, and show genetic influence. Investigations using neuroimaging techniques are beginning to explore the neural underpinnings of these characteristics, and how genetic and environmental factors influence appetite and underlying brain circuits. Increasing evidence supports that appetitive characteristics show reciprocal relationships with food parenting behaviors, and influence how children and parents respond to child obesity interventions. This converging evidence supports a biobehavioral susceptibility model of obesity that requires further study in order to translate into improved prevention and treatment of obesity throughout the life course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Susan Carnell Biography:<\/strong> Susan Carnell received her BA in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford and her PhD in Health Psychology at University College London, and completed post-doctoral training at University College London and Columbia University. She is currently Associate Professor in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she heads the Appetite Lab.<\/span><\/p>\n

A central question motivating her research is, \"Why do some people develop obesity while others don't?\u201d Her research program investigates the model that individuals differ in appetite-related biobehavioral traits (e.g. food cue responsiveness, satiety sensitivity) that manifest early in life, show genetic influence, and interact with environmental factors to predict food intake and weight trajectories. To probe this model she employs a range of methods including behavioral tests, psychometric questionnaires, genotyping, hormonal assays, and neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, MRI, PET). Ongoing research projects include investigations of appetite and body weight in infants, children, adolescents, and adults, including studies of eating disorders, obesity interventions, and children with ADHD.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Check out the upcoming EPI Seminar by Dr. Susan Carnell on Friday, February 20 from 2:30-3:30 PM. If you have any questions, please reach out to Timothy Renier at Timothy.J.Renier.GR@dartmouth.edu Zoom link: https:\/\/dartmouth.zoom.us\/j\/96786217577?pwd=vu01trMEKHDTE8dpoyfrP905UjQYzi.1 Seminar Description: We all inhabit an \u2018obesogenic\u2019 environment, yet not everyone develops obesity. This may be in [\u2026] <\/p>\n

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