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Alessandro R Demaio

Medical Doctor; Co-Founded NCDFREE and festival21; Associate Researcher, University of Copenhagen

Dr Demaio trained and worked as a medical doctor at The Alfred Hospital in Australia. While practising as a doctor he completed a Masters in Public Health including fieldwork in Cambodia to develop and evaluate a community-based, culturally appropriate health intervention for noncommunicable diseases, particularly diabetes.

In 2010, Alessandro relocated to Denmark where he completed a PhD with the University of Copenhagen, focusing on noncommunicable diseases. His doctoral research was based in Mongolia, working with the Ministry of Health. He designed, led and reported a national epidemiological survey, sampling more than 3500 households to better understand national knowledge, attitudes and practices on noncommunicable diseases and risk factors and provide policy recommendations to address them.

Alessandro held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School from 2013 to 2015, and was assistant professor and course director in global health at the Copenhagen School of Global Health, in Denmark. He has established and led the PLOS blog Translational Global Health, and has served on the Advisory Board of the EAT Initiative: the global, multi-stakeholder platform for food, health and environmental sustainability. To date, he has authored over 20 scientific publications and more than 80 blog articles.

In his pro bono work, Dr Demaio co-founded NCDFREE, a global social movement against noncommunicable diseases using social media, short film and leadership events – reaching more than 2.5 million people in its first 18 months. Then, in 2015, he founded festival21, assembling and leading a team of knowledge leaders in staging a massive and unprecedented, free celebration of community, food, culture and future in his hometown Melbourne.

In November 2015, Alessandro joined the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at the World Health Organization (Geneva), as Medical Officer for noncommunicable conditions and nutrition.

While a staff member of the World Health Organization, Alessandro alone is responsible for the views expressed in this column, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of the World Health Organization.

Seven essential tips to breaking up with sugar

Dec 07, 2016 23:23 pm UTC| Health

As we come to the end of 2016, many of us start to look back and reflect. The year has been defining even redefining in many ways. Politics, technology and culture have all seen major leaps and in some cases, hurdles....

Three important wins for addressing obesity

Nov 24, 2016 01:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

When it comes to obesity in Australia, the statistics are alarming - and generally getting worse. The national prevalence of obesity has increased significantly over the past few decades. Roughly three in ten...

When it comes to food, could 'reactive' sometimes be best?

Oct 06, 2016 14:35 pm UTC| Health

True for almost all situations in life, being proactive is best. And this has been a formative lesson in my time so far: whether reaching out to a potential mentor that inspired me and making time for a coffee and a chat,...

Why obesity is not a 'left versus right' issue

Aug 26, 2016 08:46 am UTC| Health

Alessandro R Demaio, Medical Doctor; Co-Founded NCDFREE and festival21; Associate Researcher, University of Copenhagen Left or right, we should all be urging action on obesity. libertarianism...

Six reasons why food is a really big deal

Jun 09, 2016 08:18 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Its easy to forget the power of what is on our dinner plate. Between the instagram post, or the quick fix meal, the snack at our desk or the breakfast on the run - its not a surprise we might overlook the incredible...

Economy

Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160

The U.S. dollar remained near a two-month high on Friday, supported by rising Treasury yields and expectations of additional Federal Reserve rate hikes, while the Japanese yen hovered near the closely watched...

Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets

Gold prices were largely unchanged on Friday but remained headed for a weekly loss of more than 3% as rising U.S. Treasury yields and elevated energy prices strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise...

Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets

Japanese bank stocks rallied on Friday as surging government bond yields and expectations for further Bank of Japan interest rate hikes strengthened the outlook for lenders profit margins. Shares of Mizuho Financial Group,...

Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets

Asian stocks mostly declined on Friday as a global bond market selloff drove long-term U.S. Treasury yields to multi-year highs, pressuring risk appetite across regional markets. Investors were also assessing the outcome...

Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act

The Federal Reserve has proposed a broad regulatory framework for payment stablecoin issuers, moving forward with implementation of the GENIUS Act and efforts to bring dollar-backed digital assets further into the...

Politics

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Plan Urgent Defence Talks Over Houthi Attacks

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are preparing an urgent high-level defence meeting to discuss support for the kingdom as Houthi missile and drone attacks intensify across Saudi territory. The talks will be held under the...

Ukrainian Drone Attacks Hit Russian Regions, Injuring at Least 12

A series of Ukrainian drone attacks struck several Russian regions on Friday morning, leaving at least one person dead and more than a dozen injured while damaging industrial sites, homes and vehicles, according to Russian...

Najib Razak Seeks Stay of 15-Year 1MDB Prison Sentence

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has asked a court to suspend a 15-year prison sentence linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal, his lawyer said Friday, following a royal pardon in a...

What ‘Taiwan Independence’ Means as Xi Presses Trump on US Policy

Chinese President Xi Jinpings call for President Donald Trump to oppose Taiwan independence has renewed attention on the complicated political and historical status of Taiwan and the differing positions held by Beijing,...

Xi Calls for Deeper U.S.-China AI Cooperation in Trump Talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for stronger cooperation with the United States on artificial intelligence during his state visit to Washington, highlighting AI safety and human oversight as potential areas for closer...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SpaceXAI to Double Nvidia Chips at Colossus 2 by Year-End

Elon Musk said SpaceXAI plans to nearly double the number of advanced Nvidia AI chips operating at its Colossus 2 data center by the end of 2026, significantly expanding the computing power behind its artificial...

SoftBank Shares Fall as Oracle Flags Stargate Data Center Delay Risk

SoftBank Group shares dropped on Friday after Oracle moved to protect itself against possible delays at a major New Mexico data center, adding to investor concerns over the financing and execution risks surrounding the...

Jeff Bezos Invests $32 Billion in Blue Origin as Space Firm Targets Major Growth

Jeff Bezos has invested about $32 billion in Blue Origin since founding the space company in 2000, underscoring the Amazon founders long-term commitment to competing in the rapidly expanding commercial space industry....

OpenAI to Preview GPT-6 Cyber AI Model for Cybersecurity

OpenAI is preparing to preview GPT-6 Cyber, a new artificial intelligence model focused on cybersecurity, within days as the company expands its push into AI-powered security tools, according to a Fortune report cited by...

Former OpenAI Data Center Chief Chris Malone Joins Nvidia

Chris Malone, the former head of data centers at OpenAI, has joined Nvidia as vice president of its DSX Platform, strengthening the chipmakers leadership team as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure continues...