The Niche We Occupy

Launching World Without Obesity

By Guillaume Lapointe-Gagner

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It all started sometime in 2014, under the leadership of Dr. Michel Gagner, one of the pre-eminent surgical experts in the fields of Minimally-Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Gagner was and still is a long standing member of the ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing the interests of Bariatric Surgery and Obesity Research in the United States. When he was working in New York City, he had helped launch the first Obesity Walk in the US in association with ASBS.

Here’s the catch - ASMBS operate outside of the USA due to tax reasons. When Dr. Gagner wanted to set up an Obesity Walk in Montreal, he was told wasn’t able to! Thus, there was a void for such an organization in Canada. Why couldn’t we launch our own organization - run similarly, but uniquely - in Canada?

In launching World Without Obesity, we become the first charitable organization in Canada to tackle obesity primarily through surgical intervention. We truly believe that this is the best long-term solution for people who suffer from chronic obesity and type-2 diabetes.

Other nonprofits dedicated to obesity do exist in Canada, namely:

• Obesity Canada - an organization dedicated to obesity research, education, and advocacy
• Childhood Obesity Foundation (COF) - an organization dedicated to tackling childhood obesity

These organizations are fantastic and do excellent work in their respective niches. 

However, we exist in the space of physical and immediate action for those in need of help NOW. We also work to deconstruct the financial barriers of the private healthcare system and the time constraints of the public healthcare system simultaneously, something the other organizations do not do.

So here we are! We’re dedicated, we’re passionate, and you better believe we’re going to try our hardest to tackle the global obesity epidemic - one step at a time.

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