dr. friedan to the podium. [applause] >> thank you very much.hanks to the staff of cdc who worked so hard to organize this conference and our partners, others who have been so critical not just to this conference but to pushing the effort to address obesity as a public health crisis that our country must face. i'd like to talk this morning a public health approach to addressing obesity. the problem with obesity is familiar to all of you. and the dramatic increase in obesity over the past several decades is something that i think none of us would have likely predicted 30 years ago. we know that not only is this a severe problem throughout the country but that there are severe problems with health disparities. obesity and with it diabetes are major health problems. they're problems that are getting worse and they're problems that are further exacerbating what are already unacceptable health disparities in this country. so what is the weight of the nation? the average american adult is about 23 pounds overweight. if you add that up, that comes to m

dr. friedan, for your remarks. i know you will all understand when i say we are truly blessed at cdc to have such a bold and visionary leader. thank you. [applause] >> our next speaker is dr. jim marks, senior vice president at the robert wood johnson foundation. and as you know, he has been a national leader in public health for more than 25 years. currently, he directs the program activities of the robert wood johnson foundation health group, which includes the foundation's work in childhood obesity, public health, and vulnerable populations. dr. mark served as assistant surgeon general as well as director of cdc's national center for chronic disease prevention and health promotion. during his tenure at cdc, he developed and applied effective strategies to prevent and detect diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. he worked to reduce tobacco use and, in fact, to bring visibility to the nation's understanding of the epidemic of obesity. dr. marks has received numerous awards for his outstanding work i