Professor Paul O'Brien is the Head of the Centre for Bariatric Surgery in Melbourne. He is Emeritus Professor of Surgery at Monash University after being Head of the University's Department of Surgery at the Alfred Hospital from 1986 to 2004. His current principal areas of clinical and research interest are in the morbidity of obesity and the health benefits of weight loss. He founded the Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) at Monash University in 2004 and is now the Emeritus Director. He is Advisory Editor for the journal “Obesity Surgery” and is a Life Member of IFSO and OSSANZ.