Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, FACP, FTOS directed the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, a multidisciplinary clinical research and treatment program that he founded in 1990. Dr. Cheskin is Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, Interim Chair of the Department of Global and Community Health, Co-Principal Investigator of the Mason Cohort: Health Starts Here study, and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Dartmouth, and postdoctoral training at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has written over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 6 books, and is frequently cited in the media on issues related to obesity, nutrition, and dieting.