Dr Natalie Egan

PhD thesis

Discontent with the weight-centred health paradigm: A critical examination of the charge against ‘obesity’

Natalie Egan is an interdisciplinary social science and public health researcher working on food systems transformation, eating disorders prevention, and the intersections between the two. She is interested in how social, cultural, and political forces influence our health outcomes, and how they shape contemporary definitions of health. Natalie’s research has contributed critical perspectives on the weight-centred health paradigm, eating disorders prevention, weight stigma, GLP-1 agonist medications, dietary health policy, and co-producing knowledge between activist and scientific communities. 

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

I was inspired by the commitment from my research group at Cambridge to think critically about how to improve health equity across populations, and by members of Fat Activist communities who have historically critiqued the way people think about weight and health.