Led by Melanie R. Jay, MD, MS, our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to advancing obesity research by developing innovative, sustainable strategies that TRANSFORM CLINICAL CARE and ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE for vulnerable populations.

Our Mission

Our focus areas:

ADVANCE TREATMENT & PREVENTION: Discover obesity treatment mechanisms and integrate cutting-edge, evidence-based practices into clinical care for obesity.

FOSTER HEALTH EQUITY: Partner with stakeholders to reduce stigma and inequities affecting Veterans and vulnerable communities.

PROMOTE HEALTHY AND MEANINGFUL LIVING: Model healthy behaviors and mindsets at team meetings and community events.

CULTIVATE FUTURE LEADERS: Mentor students, trainees, and junior faculty in clinical, public health, and health services research.

Background on Obesity

• There are more than 42 percent of adults in the United States that have obesity with increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.
• Obesity is under-treated in primary care, and doctors often fail to adequately counsel patients to help them lose weight and improve their health.
• Health behavior interventions positioned within the primary care setting can be effective in encouraging health behavior change.
• Increasing physical activity and improving diet quality reduces the risk of developing obesity-associated disease including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
• There are effective medications and surgical treatments for obesity but only a small fraction of eligible patients have access to them.

Research Assistant Training Program

Our Research Assistant training internship allows undergraduate and graduate students to receive training in the responsible conduct of research, improve their knowledge and skills in patient-oriented research related to obesity, and gain experience working on our research projects.

We have a competitive application process from which interns are chosen to work on our studies under the direct supervision of our postdoctoral fellows and research staff. Dr. Jay oversees their mentorship with a senior trainee in our lab. Interns dedicate at least 10 to 15 hours per week over the course of a year and gain experience in a variety of roles and skills (depending on their preference and needs) as research assistants, lay health coaches, qualitative research coders, and data managers. Interns often receive school credit for their work and participate in scholarly projects such as papers and abstracts.

Research Assistants who have dedicated their time in the lab for at least one calendar year may also be nominated for our Senior Research Assistant (SRA) Program. In this program, SRAs have the unique opportunity to develop research projects and gain proficiency in research skills with the direct assistance of Dr. Melanie Jay and a senior research supervisor.

Through this program, we aim to increase the diversity of the research workforce. Since 2013, we have hosted more than 100 interns (approximately 1/3rd from underrepresented groups), and the majority go on to careers in medicine and/or research. Information regarding more recent statistics of our lab are currently undergoing data analysis.

Contact Us

Andrea Aquines, B.S., MBA
MOTIVATE LAB Research Coordinator
Phone Number: 212-686-7500 ext.5091
Email: Andrea.Aquines@NYULangone.org