Brown University School of Public Health │ Continuum

Continuum

Magazine of the Brown University School of Public Health

  • Home
  • Students
  • Faculty
  • Alumni
  • Research
  • Events
  • Community
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
    • Spring 2020
    • Fall 2019
    • Spring 2019
    • Winter 2018
    • Fall 2018
    • Spring 2017
    • Spring 2016
    • Fall 2016
    • Spring 2015
Faculty, Research, Winter 2018

In the Samoan Language “Olaga” Means Life

By David Orenstein · Posted: March 5, 2018

The Obesity, Lifestyle and Genetic Adaptations (OLaGA) lab, led by Stephen McGarvey, professor of epidemiology, and Nicola Hawley, assistant professor of chronic disease epidemiology at the Yale University School of Public Health, is a unique new research laboratory at the Pacific island nation’s Ministry of Health. Lab researchers will conduct three studies at three distinct stages of life —birth, childhood and adulthood — to understand and address the nation’s unusually high rates of obesity.

Samoa’s prime minister, Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, formally opened the lab at a November launch ceremony.

“Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) stemming from obesity — diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and cancer — are not only a threat and a cost to individual health, but to Samoa’s long-term economic and social development,” the prime minister said. “This collaboration, between our ministries and two outstanding universities in the U.S.A., allows Samoa to be at the forefront of the primary research needed to drive our NCD prevention and treatment agenda.”

He noted that the lab includes the first dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner in the Pacific islands. The instrument precisely measures body composition, including fat, lean mass and bone. McGarvey said the scanner, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, will play a role in all three studies.

The team is particularly interested in better understanding the role of a rare genetic variant they discovered last year that appears to contribute to a higher risk of obesity but a lower risk of diabetes.

“We do not yet know how this gene influences basic biological mechanisms and thus how it influences overweight and diabetes,” McGarvey said. “The new research taking place in this laboratory should provide greater biological understanding of how this gene affects NCDs. We are also taking the opportunity to use some of the research equipment for studies of children and infants so we can try to understand how early in life health indicators change that might help partly predict later NCD risk.”

Share Tweet
David Orenstein

David Orenstein

You Might Also Like

  • Current Issue

    Letter from the Dean

  • Jha walking with students Current Issue

    In Profile: Taking the Helm During a Pandemic

  • Community

    How do you safely hold theater performances during a pandemic?

Recent Research News:All Research News

  • Current Issue

    Stay-at-home orders significantly associated with reduced spread of COVID-19, study finds

    New research and data suggests that stay-at-home orders helped slow the pandemic significantly. ...

    On December 15, 2020 / By Kerry Benson
  • Current Issue

    To examine the effects of COVID-19 on communities, Brown researchers turn to data

    Brown University projects examine effects on nursing homes and medical care ...

    On December 15, 2020 / By Emilijia Sagaityte
  • Current Issue

    The Pandemic’s Emotional Toll

    A study led by doctoral student Catherine Ettman finds COVID-19 has led to a nearly a three-fold increase in depression. ...

    On December 15, 2020 / By Brown Public Health
  • Mindfulness pose
    Research

    It really is in your head— but how does it work?

    The Mindfulness Center at Brown University is working to explain why mindfulness makes us healthier. ...

    On April 24, 2020 / By Sarah C. Baldwin '87, MFA
  • award
    Faculty

    Faculty Honors

    Public Health faculty were honored by Brown’s Office of the Vice President for Research ...

    On April 23, 2020 / By Brown Public Health
  • Elderly person practices mindfulness
    In the News

    Mindfulness Training May Help Lower Blood Pressure

    A study led by Professor Eric Loucks, Ph.D., finds that mindfulness could reduce blood pressure by enhancing attention control, emotion regulation and self-awareness of both healthy and unhealthy ...

    On April 23, 2020 / By Kerry Benson
  • Dr. Shireman and Dr. Besdine
    Fall 2019

    Aging Gracefully: The Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research

    30 years of accomplishment by Brown’s Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research ...

    On November 2, 2019 / By Laura Kallio Joyce, P'22

About

Continuum is the official publication of the Brown University School of Public Health. It focuses on the activities of our students, faculty and alumni. Please enjoy our digital edition of the magazine.

Contact

If you have any suggestions for Continuum, contact us at public_health@brown.edu.

Connect

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and visit the School of Public Health, for more information.

Give

Please use the online giving form to support this magazine and its mission.

© 2016-2021 Brown University School of Public Health. All rights reserved.