Ian Patton is the director of advocacy and public engagement at Obesity Canada. In this role, he combines his academic background and training with his personal lived experience with obesity to help reach individuals living with obesity across Canada. Patton also aims to realize Obesity Canada's mission of improving the lives of Canadians living with obesity. He obtained a PhD from Western University in kinesiology and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto, where his research focused on body mass index, obesity and childhood physical activity. Patton has also lived with obesity for the majority of his life and is a post-surgical bariatric patient who now advocates both nationally and globally for improved access to care for individuals living with obesity as well as eliminating weight bias and discrimination.