State Rep. Carol Alvarado will join a panel of experts to discuss health care reform and obesity. Participants also will hear about "Nightclub Cardio," a workout set to nightclub music.

"Obesity is a national health crisis," said Dr. Kathryn Peek, assistant vice president of university health initiatives. "By bringing together researchers from a variety of fields, UH's TORC is emerging as a national leader in finding workable solutions for the obesity epidemic."

• Welcome from TORC Director Rebecca E. Lee, PhD. Associate Professor of Nutrition, Department Health and Human Performance, Director, Texas Obesity Research Center, University of Houston

• UH Health Initiatives: Education, Research and Community Engagement
  Kathryn Peek, PhD. Assistant Vice President, University Health Initiatives, University of Houston

• Keynote Speaker: The Future of Childhood Obesity Research
  Michael I. Goran, PhD. Director, Childhood Obesity Research Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

Panel 1: Clinical and Translational Research

• Janet Buckworth, PhD. Associate Professor, College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University

• Romi Ghose, PhD. Assistant Professor, Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston

• Lovell Jones, PhD. Director, Center for Research on Minority Health, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

• Leigh Leasure, PhD. Director, Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Associate Professor,Department of Psychology, University of Houston

• Evangelina Villagomez, Ph.D. Research Scientist, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute-Center for Diabetes Research Division of Medicine

Panel 2: Community Based Research

• Baker Harrell, MEd. Founder & CEO, Active Life Movement

• Deanna M. Hoelscher, PhD. Professor of Health Promotion, University of Texas School of Public Health

• Lucie Levesque, PhD. Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University

• Lorna McNeill, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Health Disparities Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

• Jason A. Mendoza, MD, MPH. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine

• Salud Familia: Latino Children’s Wellness Program
  Nicolás Kanellos, PhD. Professor of Hispanic Literature, Department of Hispanic Studies, University of Houston

• Fit, Fabulous, & Free
  Cherita Andrews, BA. Founder of Fit, Fabulous & Free

Debate and Discussion: Obesity and Health Care Reform

• Carol Alvarado, MBA. Texas State Representative, District 145

• Charles Begley, PhD. Professor of Management and Policy Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

• Henry Brown, PhD. Associate Professor of Health Economics, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living Institute for Health Policy

• John Lunstroth, PhD. Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Houston Law Center