Alliance Members:
Members of GOPA consist of nine countries, all comprised of individuals with a lived experience with obesity. GOPA also is proud to include individual representatives who were also instrumental in the formation of GOPA and continue to serve in an advisory capacity for the Alliance.
North America:
Obesity Action Coalition (OAC)
Europe:
Adipositaschirurgie Selbsthilfe Deutschland e. V.
European Coalition for People Living with Obesity
South America:
Founding Individuals:
Pam Davis (United States)
Marty Enokson (Canada)
Amber Huett-Garcia (United States)
How Alliance Members Align:
What brings together members of GOPA is a desire to ignite and inspire global change in obesity. But, in order to come together, we first recognized the key areas where all organizations align, regardless of culture or healthcare system. Here are the key areas of alignment for members of GOPA:
- A belief that obesity is a chronic disease
- Passion for ending weight bias/stigma, along with changing the public perception of obesity
- Recognition that we need better access to care/treatment for those affected
Alliance Members Working Together:
Information Sharing:
One of the core motivations of the creation of GOPA was to allow fellow obesity patient organizations to collaborate through information sharing. Members of the Alliance meet at a minimum on a quarterly basis and come together both in-person and virtually to share key learnings and takeaways in their respective regions. These meetings serve as an invaluable opportunity to understand the greater challenges that lay ahead, along with organizations in other regions, effectively make an impact in other regions to raise the voice of the individual affected.
Fostering Advocacy around the Globe:
Given the rising statistics of obesity, it is hard to believe that there is not a strong representation of the patient all around the globe. The reality is that in order to impact change, the voice of the patient needs to be represented in every region. That’s why GOPA is also dedicated to fostering advocacy around the globe, by helping other patient organizations form. The goal is that members of GOPA can serve as mentors to newly-forming groups in other countries.
Amplifying the Voice of the Patient with Obesity:
The Alliance was also formed to amplify the voice of the patient. GOPA members are proud to align during World Obesity Day each year and share united messages representing the patient voice. As patients coming together, we are the experts in representing the real impact that obesity has in an individual’s life, and we are proud to share joint messages with one loud voice to be heard across the globe.
Joining the Alliance:
Interested in joining the Alliance? If you represent a patient organization in obesity, or have an emerging organization, we welcome you to contact us here for more information. Interested members are welcomed and encouraged to submit interest in being a part of this unique and powerful Alliance!