Dr Abd Tahrani MD, MMedSci, CCT (Endocrinology and Diabetes), PhD, SCOPE (International Fellow), FRCP (London)

Dr Abd Tahrani

Department of Metabolism and Systems Science
Honorary Professor of Medicine

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0) 7801549960
Email
a.a.tahrani@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
Address
University 麻豆精选
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Abd Tahrani is an Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University 麻豆精选 and an Honorary Consultant in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Weight Management at the University Hospitals 麻豆精选 NHS Foundation Trust. He currently has a substantive role at Novo Nordisk global obesity team. Abd has wide ranging experience in the field of obesity academically and clinically. He worked extensively with patients organisations, policy makers, payers, professional societies, research funders and training bodies to improve obesity management and the care delivered to people living with obesity. His clinical experience covers wide aspects of obesity medicine including the management of obesity and its complications. His research work is focussed on translational research (including clinical trials) and real-world evidence as well as close collaborations with basic and public health scientists to develop our understanding of the pathogenesis of obesity from biological and environmental perspectives.

Obesity stigma: a key problem in tackling obesity

A recent report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity showed that 88% of people with obesity have been stigmatised, criticised or abused because of their disease.

Qualifications

  • SCOPE International Fellow in obesity, the World Obesity Federation, 2020
  • FRCP (London), 2017
  • SCOPE National Fellow in obesity, the World Obesity Federation, 2014
  • PhD in sleep, diabetes and microvascular complications, University 麻豆精选, 2013
  • CCT in Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2012
  • MMedSci, Master of Medical Sciences, Keele University, 2008
  • MRCP (UK), 2003
  • MD in Medicine, University of Aleppo, Syria 1998

Biography

Abd Tahrani is currently the International Medical Vice President, Obesity & NASH, Clinical Drug Development, Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen. He is an Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University 麻豆精选 (UoB) and an Honorary Consultant in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Weight Management at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, he was the lead for translational research in the Centre of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM), Birmingham Health Partners and the chair of the clinical committee of the Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO) UK. Abd also was an associate editor for the European Journal of Endocrinology, a senior editor for BMC Endocrine Disorders, the chair of the Type 2 Diabetes Research Steering Group in Diabetes UK and a member of the nutrition and obesity group of the ESE.

Abd received several awards including NIHR research training fellowship (2008), NIHR Clinician Scientist (2012), the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Young investigator award in OSA research (2013), and SCOPE National & International Fellowships from the World Obesity Federation in (2014 & 2020). Abd’s research themes included: 1) the metabolic consequences of sleep-related disorders, 2) obesity management & health care delivery, 3) diabetes-related neuropathy. 

Abd has published over 190 peer reviewed articles and delivered more than 140 invited talks in the leading conferences globally.  Abd held a number of positions before joining Novo Nordisk including being a trustee of ASO (UK), a panel member of the British Sleep Society Research Committee, an Expert advisor to NICE technology appraisals in obesity and neuropathy, a member of the Obesity Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) UK and a member of the strategic council of the Obesity All Party Parliamentary Group (Obesity APPG). He is a regular peer reviewer to the leading journals and research funding organisations.

What barriers do health professionals face when raising the issue of obesity?

Postgraduate supervision

I currently do not accept new PhD students. I have 4 completed PhD students and 7 completed Master students. I currently have 4 PhD students under my supervision.

Research

Research aims

  1. Examine the impact of sleep-related disorders (including obstructive apnoea) on metabolic health, diabetes and obesity and developing new treatment strategies to reduce the burden of metabolic disorders
  2. Obesity management including: the pharmacological and non-pharmacological, the long-term outcomes of bariatric surgery and other treatment modalities, health service delivery) as well as the management of obesity-related comorbidities such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, idiopathic intracranial hypertension and Type 2 diabetes.
  3. Improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of diabetes-related microvascular complications (peripheral neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, nephropathy, foot disease) and to identify new treatment targets and effective screening strategies

Research groups and centres

Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Publications

Highlight publications

Singh, P, Adderley, N, Subramanian, A, Gokhale, K, Hazlehurst, J, Singhal, R, Bellary, S, Tahrani, A & Nirantharakumar, K 2022, '', Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

Alshehri, Z, Subramanian, A, Adderley, N, Gokhale, K, Karamat, MA, Ray, C, Kumar, P, Nirantharakumar, K & Tahrani, A 2022, '', Diabetologia, vol. 65, no. 8, pp. 1353-1363.

Wang, Z, Hazlehurst, J, Subramanian, A, Tahrani, A, Hanif, W, Thomas, GN, Singh, P, Wang, J, Sainsbury, C, Nirantharakumar, K & Crowe, F 2022, '', Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 13, 888924.

Mollan, SP, Mitchell, JL, Yiangou, A, Ottridge, RS, Alimajstorovic, Z, Cartwright, DM, Hickman, SJ, Markey, KA, Singhal, R, Tahrani, AA, Frew, E, Brock, K & Sinclair, AJ 2022, '', Neurology, vol. 99, no. 11, pp. e1090-e1099.

Yang, W, Abbott, S, Borg, C-M, Chesworth, P, Graham, Y, Logue, J, Ogden, J, O'Kane, M, Ratcliffe, D, Sherf-Dagan, S, Singhal, R, Snowdon-Carr, V, Tahrani, A & Mahawar, K 2022, '', International Journal of Obesity, vol. 46, no. 7, pp. 1341-1350.

Recent publications

Article

Makhdom, E, Maher, A, Ottridge, R, Nicholls, M, Ali, A, Cooper, BG, Ajjan, RA, Bellary, S, Hanif, W, Hanna, F, Hughes, D, Jayagopal, V, Mahto, R, Patel, M, Young, J, Nayak, AU, Chen, MZ, Kyaw-Tun, J, Gonzalez, S, Gouni, R, Subramanian, A, Adderley, N & Tahrani, A 2025, '', Diabetic Medicine.

Albon, E, Afentou, N, Dretzke, J, Hall, J, Ogwulu, CO, Price, M, Clare, K, Singhal, R, Tahrani, A, Frew, E & Moore, D 2025, '', Health Technology Assessment.

Maretty, L, Gill, D, Simonsen, L, Soh, K, Zagkos, L, Galanakis, M, Sibbesen, J, Iglesias, MT, Secher, A, Valkenborg, D, Purnell, JQ, Knudsen, LB, Tahrani, A & Geybels, M 2025, '', Nature Medicine.

Clyde, DR, Adib, R, Baig, S, Bhasker, AG, Byrne, J, Cameron, D, Catalain, C, Clare, K, de Beaux, A, Drummond, G, Fawal, H, Fried, M, Ghanem, O, Graham, Y, Goel, R, Hopkins, G, Husain, F, Joyce, B, Kermansaravi, M, Kothari, S, Kow, L, Leite, S, Madhok, B, Mahon, D, Miller, K, Miras, A, Moussa, O, Neto, MG, Nimeri, A, O'Kane, M, Parmar, C, Peterli, R, Poggi, L, Saliminen, P, Sarkar, R, Shenfine, J, Sogg, S, Stenberg, E, Suter, M, Taha, S, Tahrani, A, Vilallonga, R, Voon, K, Welbourn, R, Zerrweck, C, Lamb, P, Mahawar, KK, Yang, W & Robertson, AGN 2024, '', Clinical Obesity.

Baker-Knight, J, Pournaras, DJ, Mahawar, K, Welbourn, R, Li, Y, Sharma, Y, Guerra, I & Tahrani, A 2024, '', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 7, e084356.

Nielsen, RL, Monfeuga, T, Kitchen, RR, Egerod, L, Leal, LG, Schreyer, ATH, Gade, FS, Sun, C, Helenius, M, Simonsen, L, Willert, M, Tahrani, AA, McVey, Z & Gupta, R 2024, '', Nature Communications, vol. 15, no. 1, 2817.

Mantzios, M, Bahia, H, Hussain, M, Keyte, R, Egan, H, Strachan, R & Tahrani, AA 2024, '', Nutrition and health.

Keyte, R, Mantzios, M, Hussain, M, Tahrani, AA, Abbott, S, Strachan, R, Singhal, R & Egan, H 2024, '', Clinical Obesity.

Makhdom, E, Maher, A, Ottridge, R, Nicholls, M, Ali, A, Cooper, BG, Ajjan, RA, Bellary, S, Hanif, W, Hanna, F, Hughes, D, Jayagopal, V, Mahto, R, Patel, M, Young, J, Nayak, AU, Chen, MZ, Kyaw-Tun, J, Gonzalez, S, Gouni, R, Subramanian, A, Adderley, N, Patel, S & Tahrani, A 2024, '', The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 947鈥�957.

Gokhale, KM, Chandan, JS, Sainsbury, C, Tino, P, Tahrani, A, Toulis, K & Nirantharakumar, K 2024, '', The American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 210, pp. 133-142.

Alimajstorovic, Z, Mitchell, J, Yiangou, A, Hancox, T, Southam, A, Grech, O, Ottridge, R, Winder, C, Tahrani, A, Tan, TM, Mollan, S, Dunn, W & Sinclair, A 2023, '', Brain Communications, vol. 5, no. 5, fcad272.

Comment/debate

Sadeghimakki, R & Tahrani, AA 2023, '', The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, vol. 35, 100796.

Editorial

Tahrani, AA 2023, '', Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, vol. 19, no. 12, pp. 1355-1356.

Review article

Eleftheriadou, A, Spallone, V, Tahrani, AA & Alam, U 2024, '', Diabetologia, vol. 67, no. 12, pp. 2611-2625.

Wang, Z, Crowe, FL, Tahrani, AA, Singh, P, Wang, J, Tan, L, Nirantharakumar, K & Hazlehurst, J 2024, '', Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, vol. 38, no. 9, 108813.

Expertise

Obesity, sleep apnoea, diabetes