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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

German 2-Year Yield Hits 2023 High as Rate Hike Bets Rise

German short-term borrowing costs climbed sharply on Tuesday as investors increased bets that major central banks will keep monetary policy restrictive to combat energy-driven inflation. Germanys policy-sensitive two-year...

US Futures Fall as Fed Meeting, Oil Surge Rattle Markets

U.S. stock futures moved lower Tuesday as investors prepared for the Federal Reserves two-day policy meeting while escalating Middle East tensions pushed oil prices above $105 a barrel and lifted Treasury yields. Dow...

UK Wage Growth Slows as BoE Rate Decision Looms

Britains labour market remained weak heading into the Bank of Englands latest interest rate decision, with job vacancies falling to a four-year low and wage growth staying subdued. Average weekly earnings excluding bonuses...

Japanese Yen Retreats as Dollar Rises Ahead of Fed, BOJ Rate Decisions

The Japanese yen weakened further on Tuesday, retreating from a seven-month high as investors prepared for key interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan later this week. USD/JPY climbed 0.24% to...

China Industrial Output Beats Forecasts as Exports Support Growth

Chinas industrial production grew faster than expected in August, supported by resilient overseas demand for Chinese exports even as other indicators pointed to continued weakness across the worlds second-largest economy....

Politics

Ukraine Races to Counter Russia’s Faster Jet-Powered Drones

Ukraine is scrambling to develop new air-defense weapons as Russia dramatically expands its use of fast, jet-powered attack drones that are proving difficult for existing interceptor systems to defeat. A Ukrainian military...

What is Zionism? The different meanings of a contested term

Haverford, a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, has become the latest U.S. school to settle a lawsuit over how it handled allegations of antisemitism. In a statement on Aug. 7, 2026, its president, Wendy Raymond,...

Lula, Flavio Bolsonaro Deadlocked in Brazil Election Polls

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro are locked in a statistical tie in potential runoff matchups ahead of Brazils presidential election next month, according to two polls...

Judge Blocks Trump Rule Limiting Foreign Student Visas

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a new immigration rule that would restrict how long foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists can remain in the United States without seeking...

Trump Rejects Calls for Tougher AI Regulation

President Donald Trump pushed back against growing calls for stricter AI regulation on Monday, arguing that the United States already has sufficient safeguards to police artificial intelligence companies and prevent...

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

Rosenblatt Starts Nokia at Buy on AI Networking Growth

Rosenblatt initiated coverage of Nokia with a Buy rating and a $15 price target, citing the companys growing exposure to artificial intelligence infrastructure and strong position in optical networking. Analyst Mike...

MediaTek Unveils 2nm Dimensity 9600 Pro AI Chip

Taiwans MediaTek has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone processors, including its first chip manufactured with TSMCs advanced 2-nanometre technology, as the company pushes deeper into premium handsets and on-device...

Qualcomm Gains on $60B Amazon AI Chip Deal

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) has emerged as one of the strongest performers in Investing.coms AI-powered Strategies portfolio after securing a major artificial intelligence infrastructure partnership with Amazon Web Services....

Cathie Wood Backs AI Slowdown as Safety Concerns Grow

ARK Investment Management founder Cathie Wood has welcomed calls from leading artificial intelligence executives to slow the rapid advancement of AI technology, arguing that greater scrutiny could help protect the industry...

Big AI wants to slow down AI research. Is it a safety pause or a strategic retreat?

Over the weekend, Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called for artificial intelligence (AI) companies, including his own, to slow down their work. Sam Altman and Elon Musk, heads of rivals OpenAI and xAI respectively,...