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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

Asian Currencies Hold Steady Amid U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Hopes and Soft U.S. Inflation Data

Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Wednesday as investors awaited further developments in U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations, while softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data offered modest relief to markets. The...

Gold Prices Ease From One-Month High Amid Iran Ceasefire Uncertainty

Gold prices slipped slightly from a one-month peak during Asian trading on Wednesday, with investors closely watching developments between the United States and Iran as a fragile ceasefire deadline approaches next week....

Strait of Hormuz Oil Shipments Resume Amid U.S.-Iran War Tensions

Global energy markets remain on edge as the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that normally handles roughly one-fifth of worldwide oil and gas...

Asian Stocks Rally on Tech Gains and U.S.-Iran Diplomacy Hopes

Asian equity markets extended their winning streak on Wednesday, buoyed by strong performances in technology stocks and growing optimism surrounding potential U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks. The positive momentum followed a...

Iran War Drives Asia's Plastic Crisis — and a Green Packaging Boom

The ongoing Iran conflict is reshaping the global packaging industry in ways environmental advocates never anticipated. By disrupting Middle Eastern oil and petrochemical supplies, the war has driven plastic prices to...

Politics

Federal Agencies Secretly Test Anthropic's AI Despite Trump Administration Ban

Despite a formal directive from President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to stop using Anthropics artificial intelligence technology, multiple U.S. government bodies have been quietly evaluating the companys latest...

Iran's Secret Use of Chinese Spy Satellite to Target U.S. Military Bases Revealed

A explosive new report from the Financial Times has uncovered that Iran covertly leveraged a Chinese spy satellite during a recent regional conflict, granting the Islamic Republic an unprecedented ability to surveil and...

Trump Warns Against Iranian Nuclear Weapons, Criticizes Pope Leo

President Donald Trump renewed his sharp criticism of Pope Leo on Tuesday, taking to his Truth Social platform to issue a stern warning about Irans nuclear ambitions while highlighting what he described as a severe human...

Japan Opens Arms Export Floodgates: New Policy Draws Global Defense Interest

Japan is preparing to significantly loosen its arms export restrictions, and allies from Europe to Southeast Asia are already lining up. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis ruling party has approved the sweeping policy changes,...

U.S. Blockade on Iran Tightens Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

United States military forces have fully enacted a naval blockade against Iran, halting all sea-based economic trade flowing in and out of the country, according to a statement released Tuesday by U.S. Central Command. The...

Science

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...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

ASML Raises 2026 Revenue Outlook as AI Chip Demand Surges

ASML Holding N.V. lifted its full-year 2026 revenue forecast after the Dutch semiconductor equipment giant surpassed first-quarter profit and sales expectations. The results were fueled by accelerating AI-driven chip...

KKR's $820M Investment Fuels Samsung SDS AI Expansion, Sending Group Shares Soaring

Samsung Group stocks rallied sharply on Wednesday following KKRs announcement of a major strategic partnership with Samsung SDS, reigniting investor confidence in the conglomerates artificial intelligence and digital...

DEEPX Partners with Hyundai to Power Next-Gen AI Robots Ahead of IPO

South Korean AI chip startup DEEPX is deepening its collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group to build a cutting-edge computing platform for generative AI-powered robots. The initiative will be driven by the companys upcoming...

Anthropic Nears $800 Billion Valuation as Investor Confidence Surges

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence startup behind the Claude AI assistant, is reportedly fielding investment offers that could value the company at up to $800 billion. According to Business Insider, multiple venture...

SK Hynix Shares Hit Record High Amid AI Memory Demand Surge

SK Hynix shares soared to an all-time high on Tuesday, riding a wave of renewed investor confidence in artificial intelligence infrastructure and fresh momentum from developments tied to fellow memory chipmaker SanDisk....