Meet Lawrence J. Cheskin - MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition and Food Studies
George Mason University & Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, FACP, FTOS is now Adjunct Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine) at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and since 2019 is Professor and Chair of Nutrition and Food Studies in the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
In his research, Dr. Cheskin studies the effectiveness of various lifestyle and dietary changes in weight loss and weight maintenance. He has experience in the design and implementation of controlled clinical trials and laboratory studies of different diet techniques, as well as individual and community-based interventions, including among underserved residents of inner-city and suburban Baltimore. His background and experience is broad, ranging from basic science work on dopamine genetics, to work on preventing childhood obesity through systems-focused studies of the effect of policies and the built environment. Most recently, he studies health risk factors among young adult college students and the utility of mHealth in positively influencing diet and weight control. He has written over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 6 books, and is frequently cited in the media on issues related to obesity, nutrition, and dieting.