In this issue:

• MSSI x AWSIM Kickoff Meeting Recap

• APPLY NOW! Recruitment Call for MSSI Leadership Positions

• Research Feature: Weight Stigma in Healthcare Communication

• Call for Abstracts for the AWSIM Annual Scientific and Member Assembly

• Call for Abstracts for the 12th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference

MSSI x AWSIM 2026 Kickoff Recap: Connections and Future Directions

On January 20th, MSSI and our partner organization, the Association for Weight and Size Inclusive Medicine (AWSIM) kicked off the year with a very special & energizing virtual gathering. Open to all MSSI members, AWSIM members, and anyone curious about size-inclusive medicine, the kickoff was a space where we could share MSSI’s priorities for 2026, highlight upcoming events and collaborations, and outline ways to get involved in student leadership.

What made the evening truly special, though, was the community. The chat was truly popping off with people connecting, networking, and supporting one another’s work. We couldn’t keep up! It was so meaningful to feel such strong passion and enthusiasm from so many like-minded folks. Together, we brainstormed exciting new directions for MSSI and AWSIM’s collaboration, including early conversations about a potential mentorship program. We also put out a call for new MSSI student leaders as several current members prepare to graduate and begin residency.

We were struck by the diversity of attendees. Allied health professionals, social science colleagues, and motivated pre-meds joined the conversation, opening the door to future interdisciplinary collaboration.

All in all, it was a powerful reminder of the strength of this community and the momentum behind weight- and size-inclusive medicine. We look forward to reinstating quarterly community meetings to keep these conversations going. We’re so grateful to everyone who joined and helped make the kickoff such a meaningful start to 2026!! Stay tuned for upcoming events this spring including a match day panel featuring some of MSSI’s graduating M4s!

MSSI NATIONAL LEADERSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Dear MSSI students,

We are happy to announce that we are recruiting our next generation of leaders of the national MSSI organization, and the application is NOW OPEN!!! Applications are due Sunday, February 8th 11:59pm EST

Application

Position Descriptions

Want to get more involved with our committees, without holding a leadership role? Complete the committee interest form instead. 

Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out [email protected] or to our Co-Directors Jess or Anna ([email protected], [email protected]).

Research Feature: Weight Stigma in Healthcare Communication

We’re excited to highlight a new peer-reviewed publication co-authored by our MSSI Co-President, Jessica Rosenblum, published in Health Communication in January 2026: “It Makes Me Feel Bad About the World of Medicine, Makes Me Not Want to Go”: Understanding Weight Stigma, Disconfirming Messages and Health Outcomes.

This qualitative study explores how weight stigma shows up in healthcare communication and why it matters. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups with 25 individuals in larger bodies (ages 24-71), the authors examined patients’ experiences during weight-related conversations with healthcare providers. They found a powerful and troubling picture of how certain communication patterns can undermine care.

Two key forms of disconfirming communication emerged:

• Minimizing effort or struggle, where patients’ lived experiences, challenges, or health-promoting behaviours were dismissed or overlooked

• Undermining agency where patients felt talked over, disqualified as decision-makers, or reduced to their weight rather than treated as whole people

Importantly, these interactions weren’t just unpleasant. They were linked to real health consequences, including diminished trust in providers, emotional and psychological distress, disrupted or delayed care, and delayed diagnoses.

This work underscores that communication is not neutral. The way clinicians talk about weight and to people in larger bodies can either strengthen therapeutic relationships or actively push patients away from care.

Key takeaways for clinical practice include:

• Prioritize listening to a patient’s story, experiences, and health goals before offering advice

• Recognize that patient-centered communication is the gold standard of high-quality healthcare delivery

• Understand that patient agency is key when initiating conversations about weight

• Take responsibility to help prevent healthcare avoidance and care gaps resulting from weight-based discrimination

We’re incredibly proud to see members of our MSSI leadership team contributing to research that advances size-inclusive medicine and provides actionable insights for improving healthcare communication. Well done, Jessica!

Call for Abstracts: 1st AWSIM Annual Scientific and Member Assembly

Dear colleagues,

AWSIM is pleased to announce the Call for Abstracts for the 1st AWSIM Annual Scientific & Member Assembly, taking place Friday, May 8, 2026, as a fully virtual, one-day meeting.

This inaugural event marks a defining milestone for AWSIM. It brings together scientific exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and member governance to advance weight-inclusive, evidence-based care within medicine and health systems.

We invite submissions from clinicians, researchers, educators, trainees, and community partners whose work contributes to transforming care for people of all sizes.

Conference highlights include:

• Two keynote addresses on the future of weight-inclusive medicine, patient safety, advocacy, and systems-level change

• Four scientific sessions featuring selected oral presentations

• A virtual poster session during the lunch hour, with optional short pre-recorded videos

• Breakout and interest groups to foster professional connection and collaboration

• The AWSIM Annual Member Meeting, fulfilling governance responsibilities and shaping organizational priorities for 2026–2027

Abstract categories:

• Research

• Medical and Health Professions Education

• Clinical Practice

• Work in Progress (ideas, early findings, protocols)

• Cross-Cutting Edge (interdisciplinary, innovative, or community-grounded work)

Abstract guidelines:

• Maximum 250 words (excluding title)

• Optional: one table or one figure

• Required structure: objectives, methods, results (if applicable), conclusions

• Preferred format: single PDF

• Please indicate preferred presentation format (oral or poster)

• Submit via email to [email protected] with the subject line: Abstract Submission

Submission deadline: Rolling
Conference date: May 8,2026
Time: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM EST
Format: Fully virtual

We strongly encourage interdisciplinary and interprofessional submissions, as well as work that centers equity, lived experience, and innovation in stigma-reducing care. If you are unsure whether your work “fits,” we encourage you to submit.

Please feel free to share this call with colleagues and networks who may be interested.

We look forward to learning from your work and gathering as a community.

Warmly,
The Education Committee
Association for Weight and Size Inclusive Medicine
www.awsim.org

Call for Abstracts: 12th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference

13-14 JULY 2026 OSLO, NORWAY & ONLINE

Deadline for abstract submission: Rolling/May 31st

The Annual International Weight Stigma Conference is an interdisciplinary event that brings together scholars and practitioners from a range of backgrounds (e.g., public health, government and public policy, psychology, medicine, sociology, anthropology, allied health professions, education, sports and exercise science, social sciences, media studies, business, law, activism, and the lay public) to consider research, policy, rhetoric, and practice around the issue of weight stigma.

Abstracts can be for oral presentations (10 mins, including time for questions), posters, or other formats (symposia, workshops, seminars, creative sessions, etc.).

They invite contributions across a wide range of disciplines and methodological and theoretical approaches. International voices discussing the situation in countries other than the US are particularly welcome. Equally so are intersectional approaches and perspectives from other marginalized groups. We encourage submissions from scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and activists. Students are especially encouraged to submit proposals.

Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice prizes will be awarded for the best oral presentation and best poster.

Note, accepted presenters will be required to register for the conference and pay the registration fee. Bursaries may be available on a case-by-case basis.

Visit the abstract submission page for more information.

This newsletter was authored by MSSI members Sophie Lalonde-Bester (University of Alberta) and Jay Liu (Stanford University).