Every month, year-round, we offer events of all kinds! Our hallmark education events and teach-ins deepen our understanding of health equity, improving access to healthcare, and abolishing weight-centric care. Member events are unique opportunities to connect with and learn from others who are ASDAH Members and committed to the Health at Every Size® Principles in their work and lives. Last but not least, we host Community Events to connect with the greater community of fat folks who seek Health at Every Size®-aligned care and support all fat people.
Education Events | No additional cost for ASDAH Members; tickets available to non-members at varying price levels
Member Events | Open to current ASDAH Members only at no cost to participants
Community Events | Open to the public and offered at no cost to participants
By registering for and attending ASDAH events, you consent to the following community agreements. The agreements can be read in full here.
- This is An Accountable Space
- Engage in Conversation in a Way that Is Inclusive, Generative & Impactful
- Embrace Conflict, Discomfort, Friction, Imperfection, Nuance & A Both/And Mentality
- No Racism, White Supremacy, Anti-Blackness, Anti-Fatness, Transphobia, Queer Antagonism, Ableism, Healthism, Ageism, Classism, or Other Forms of Oppression
- Know That You Will Fuck Up
- Take Care of Yourself
- Stories Stay; Lessons Leave
- Privacy & Confidentiality Cannot Be Assured
- Commit to Self-Reflection & Action When You Leave This Space
Upcoming Events
October | Health, Healthism, and the Good Fatty: Exploring Healthcare for the Bad Fatty (Education event, CEs offered)
November | Compassionate Care Audit (Member event, CEs offered)
December | Healing Event (topic TBD; Community event)
January-March | Three-part series on Weight Loss Drugs (Education event, CEs offered)
April | Patient Self-Advocacy around Weight Loss Drugs at the Doctor’s Office (Community event)
May | Community event (topic TBD)
June | UnConference (more details to come!)
Health, Healthism, and the Good Fatty: Exploring Healthcare for the Bad Fatty
DATE & TIME
Wednesday, October 25, 2024 | 1:00-3:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
What does it mean when a fat person goes for a run? What does it mean when a fat person eats a cupcake at 10am? Our implicit and explicit values around health influence how we perceive others; that perception can and does creep into our provision of healthcare. Join us to explore this topic through the archetypes of the Good Fatty and the Bad Fatty. We’ll begin by grounding our conversation in the definitions of health, healthism, and the Good and Bad Fatty. Then, we’ll dive into the ethical problems of the current sociopolitical environment for the provision of healthcare with a special focus on healthcare for the Bad Fatty. Lastly, we’ll consider what it means to be a Good Fatty or Bad Fatty in fat activism and Health at Every Size®-aligned care and what we can do to provide better care to all fat people.
Join us October 25th from 1-3pm ET! The CPE activity application for this event is pending CDR review and approval for 2 CPEUs.
Past Events
Select past events are available to the public on our Learning More page. Members have access to even more past events via the Member Portal! Join ASDAH today to access this great member benefit.
ASDAH Annual Meeting: Nourishing Our Roots: Committed to the True Essence of Health at Every Size®
DATE & TIME
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 8:00-10:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
This year’s theme, “Nourishing Our Roots: Committed to the True Essence of Health at Every Size®,” reflects our dedication to this work. Over the past year, we’ve faced significant challenges and profound losses, but we’ve also experienced immense growth and resilience. Despite these obstacles, we have remained committed to revising the Health at Every Size® Principles, unveiling the new HAES® Framework of Care, and delivering engaging monthly events. Your unwavering support has been crucial, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.
The ASDAH Annual Meeting is only open to ASDAH Members – join today!
Listing Application Party!
DATE & TIME
Friday, August 16, 2024 | 1:00-2:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Sometimes the only thing standing in your way is finding the time… The Health at Every Size® Healthcare Provider Listing has been up and running for over a year (!!) but less than a third of ASDAH Professional members have applied to be listed! We know how frustrating it is to have these items on your to do list that you never get to, so let’s do it together! Set aside an hour over lunch (or brunch, or dinner) to hop on a zoom call and get. this. done. Bonus: chat with like-minded community, listen to amazing tunes hand-selected by Angel, ASDAH’s Advocacy & Community Leader, and get personalized technical assistance from ani, ASDAH’s Operations & Projects Leader.
Applications for the Health at Every Size® Healthcare Provider Listing are only open to ASDAH Professional Members – join today!
This event was not recorded.
Member Book Club: Black Disability Politics
DATE & TIME
Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 | 12:00-1:00pm ET OR 8:00-9:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Black Disability Politics by Dr. Sami Schalk provides deep insights for anyone working in healthcare or advocating for better care for fat folks. As we endeavor to ensure our work is for all fat people, and particularly those most harmed by medical anti-fat bias, having an understanding of Black disability politics is necessary to support fat, Black, disabled people. Disabled people are far more likely to need healthcare services, and yet anti-fat bias, racism, and ableism entrenched in the Medical Industrial Complex makes this site one of those most harmful for us. Join us in reading and discussing Black Disability Politics to gain an understanding of the liberatory framework Black disability politics provides as well as tangible examples from history and present day to put this framework into practice. See how Black disability politics can help promote health and wellbeing without being ableist and offer healthcare in ways that are accessible to all.
This event was not recorded.
Embrace and Empower: A Creative Community Healing Art Event
DATE & TIME
Saturday, May 18th, 2024 | 1:00-3:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Prepare to unleash your creativity at “Embrace and Empower: A Creative Community Healing Art Event,” presented by ASDAH. This unique two-hour event is dedicated to create a supportive environment where you can reflect, envision, rest, and heal.
This event is your opportunity to create a personal vision board that represents your experiences, aspirations, and what it means to you to take up space in the world. This event is about as a creator and storyteller. There are no speakers, so everyone has the freedom to express and share openly.
What to Expect:
- Create A Vision Board: We will offer intriguing prompts and you can use arts and crafts materials for physical boards or software tools like Canva for digital creations.
- Sharing Circles: After crafting your vision boards, you’ll have the chance to share your creation and the stories behind them with fellow participants in a respectful and embracing setting.
- Community Connection: Create with others who are on their paths to self-love and empowerment. Share, listen, and support as we all grow together.
Navigating Bias: Unpacking Weight Bias in Diabetes Care
DATE & TIME
Friday, May 10th, 2024 | 12:00-1:15pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
ASDAH hosts Esther Tambe, MS, RD, CDN, CDCES for our May Education Event, Navigating Bias: Unpacking Weight Bias in Diabetes Care. Esther brings a wealth of experience as a dietitian and through her lived experiences to illuminate the ways weight bias impacts diabetes care.
Through a nuanced exploration, she will dissect the intersections of weight stigma and diabetes while educating how the HAES® Principles provide a revolutionary framework for personalized diabetes management, prioritizing holistic well-being over conventional weight-centric approaches. Attendees will gain insights into the pervasive nature of weight bias in healthcare, its roots in societal norms and stereotypes, and its harmful effects on patient-provider relationships and health outcomes. Whether you’re a healthcare provider, educator, or advocate, this presentation promises invaluable insights into fostering a more compassionate and practical approach to diabetes care rooted in respect, dignity, and empowerment.
The CPE activity application for Navigating Bias: Unpacking Weight Bias in Diabetes Care is pending CDR review and approval for 1.25 CPEUs.
Member Forum: A Critical Look at the O-Word Bill of Rights
DATE & TIME
Friday, April 26th, 2024 | 1:00-3:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
We will focus on the Ob*sity Bill of Rights proposed by the NCOA and NCL during this event. Participants will learn about its key components and supporting organizations. Through interactive discussions, those in attendance will work together uncover some potential implications of the bill on various groups, from fat patients to healthcare providers, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical firms. Attendees will also analyze the risks and benefits of the bill in combating weight stigma and improving healthcare access for fat people, leveraging historical context, research, and liberatory frameworks. Additionally, the event will foster dialogue around alternative advocacy approaches, exploring intersections of fat liberation, corporate influence, and addressing weight-related health disparities to empower attendees in advocating for equitable healthcare.
The CPE activity application for Member Forum: A Critical Look at the O-Word Bill of Rights is pending CDR review and approval for 2 CPEUs.
Compassionate Care Workshop: Clinical Physical Accessibility for Fat Bodies
DATE & TIME
Friday, April 12th, 2024 | 12-1:30pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Are you ready to enhance your understanding of compassionate care for your fat patients or clients? Join us on Friday, April 12 at 12 PM EST for our workshop that is designed to provide healthcare professionals with invaluable insights and practical strategies for ensuring physical accessibility and comfort for fat patients and clients, especially those who are on the largest end of the fatness spectrum.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the topics we’ll cover:
- Tackling Fatphobia in Healthcare: Delve into the pervasive biases and stigmas surrounding fat bodies within clinical settings and learn how to combat them effectively.
- Physical Accessibility Standards: Explore the importance of creating inclusive environments that accommodate the needs of individuals with diverse body sizes. From examination tables to medical equipment, we’ll discuss best practices for ensuring accessibility for all.
- Communication and Respectful Care: Gain essential communication skills for interacting with fat patients with empathy, respect, and sensitivity. Learn how to address medical concerns without judgment or bias.
- Practical Strategies for Patient/Client Comfort: Discover practical techniques and tools for optimizing patient or client comfort during medical examinations, procedures, consultations, or other types of appointments and interactions.
- Community Resources and Support: Explore available resources and support networks for fat folx and learn how to connect patients with the appropriate resources to enhance their overall well-being.
- Don’t miss out on this invaluable opportunity to elevate your practice and learn how to better provide compassionate care to your fat patients and clients.
A Health at Every Size® Metamorphosis: Unveiling the New HAES® Principles and Framework of Care
DATE & TIME
Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 | 12-2:00pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
What are now called the Health at Every Size® Principles have a long history underlying their development, including multiple groups with varying perspectives, values, and goals. Some things remain constant though. Health at Every Size® is a community project, Health at Every Size® is born from liberatory movements, and Health at Every Size® is always evolving.
After multiple rounds of community input and revisions, we are finally ready to roll out the third iteration of the Health at Every Size® Principles! Join us as we honor the history that brought us to this critical juncture, explore the newest evolution of the Health at Every Size® Principles & the brand-new HAES® Framework of Care, and discuss what is next for Health at Every Size®.
A recording for this session is available to ASDAH members.
Love is Not a Luxury: Dispatches from the Field with Omotara James, author of Song of My Softening
DATE & TIME
Thursday, February 15th, 2024 | 1-2:30pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
It’s the season for love! Join us for an afternoon conversation with Omotara James about love’s hidden abundance and the transformative power of finding your voice. During our time together, we will discuss the power of poems to hold space for the love we deserve as well as the grief that accompanies love. She will read from her debut poetry collection entitled, “Song of My Softening”, out next week, February 13!
Omotara describes her book as “a profoundly intersectional text that is also a third culture, queer, fat, love song of the interior. It’s a window into what perseverance looks like, ungilded, for the undervalued and trod upon: those hyper-visible and invisible folx who have survived every kind of grief.”
She will invite you to explore your pathway to radical self-love. Time permitting, she will field questions about love, poetry, and cultivating community.
This is a BIPOC-Only Community event, open to Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color regardless of membership status. You can also find a direct link to purchase Omotara’s book listed in our 2024 Black Fat Syllabus. Get your copy for a suggested donation when you visit asdah.org/BlackFatSyllabus.
This event was not recorded.
Members Only Book Club Meeting – Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness
DATE & TIME
Thursday, November 30th, 2023 | 12-1:30pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness As Anti-Blackness, the 2022 Lambda Literary Award Winner for Transgender Nonfiction, is a foundational text for the work that ASDAH does and is essential reading for any provider who claims or wants to be Health at Every Size®-aligned. In the book Harrison discusses the limitations of self-love and body positivity, the incongruity of “health” and “healthiness”, hyper-policing & carcerality, and the discrimination, abuse, condescension, and trauma that the Black fat faces within the medical industrial complex and under other systems of oppression.
During this members-only book club meeting with a special guest appearance by Harrison, we will process and unpack all that we have read while also visioning what’s next for how we nurture and care for each other, particularly the Black fat and those who are deeply impacted by medical anti-fatness.
Fat Liberation & Palestinian Liberation: What do they have to do with HAES®?
DATE & TIME
Friday, October 27th, 2023 | 1-2:30pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
During this teach-in, we will be in conversation with Dr. Caleb Luna, an artist, public scholar and theorist of the body. We will discuss fat liberation, Palestinian liberation, what they have to do with the HAES® principles and framework of care, and why HAES® providers and advocates should care about this issue. We will open with reading of a statement by Fat Rose in soldarity with Palestine and close with community processing and healing time.
ASDAH Annual Meeting
DATE & TIME
Wednesday, September 27th, 2023 | 7-8:30pm CT
EVENT DESCRIPTION
It is with great excitement that we invite you to join us for our Annual Meeting as we move into ASDAH’s 20th year of existence. Our theme for this year is “It’s Our Anniversary: Celebrating 20 Years of ASDAH.” As we commemorate this remarkable milestone, we have prepared an engaging agenda that reflects our journey, accomplishments, and aspirations for the future.
This is an ASDAH Member only event. If you are not a member and would like to join the conversation, become a member!
Community Event
DATE & TIME
Sunday, August 27th, 2023 | 5-6:30pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
We are thrilled to announce that this year marks a significant milestone for ASDAH – 20 years of promoting size diversity and supporting Health at Every Size®! As a valued member of our community, we cordially invite you to join us in commemorating this momentous occasion at our “It’s Our Anniversary! Celebrating 20 Years of ASDAH” Community Mixer Event, named for this year’s theme. Look forward to dancing to some fantastic music and participating in fun, engaging activities that will give you the opportunity to build new connections and strengthen existing ones as you mingle with like-minded individuals who share your commitment to promoting size diversity and Health at Every Size®️.
This is an ASDAH Community event, open to members and non-members thanks to our donors and accomplice members!
This event was not recorded.
Open Mic Night: An ASDAH Member Event
DATE & TIME
Thursday, July 27th, 2023 | 7-8:30pm CT
EVENT DESCRIPTION
We are kicking off our 2023-2024 board year with a very special members-only Open Mic Event on July 27, 2023 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET. This is an opportunity to share your talents with other ASDAH members through spoken word, song, dance, puppetry, and all the other ways you express your creativity. This year’s theme is It’s Our Anniversary! Celebrating 20 Years of ASDAH. We welcome members to explore themes of celebration, joy, growth, and transformation during the open mic. Members are also welcome to present on other areas of interest. If you plan to perform or just watch, please complete the event registration form.
This is an ASDAH Member only event. If you are not a member and would like to join the conversation, become a member!
This event was not recorded.
ASDAH Conference 2023
DATE & TIME
June 9th & 10th
EVENT DESCRIPTION
We are excited to announce ASDAH’s 2023 Annual Conference that will be held June 9-10 (plus pre- and post- conference sessions!) The theme and focus for our work this year has been Dreaming of New Worlds: Health at Every Size® in the Future. Together with conference attendees, speakers, performers, and facilitators, we will explore this theme with curiosity and hope.
We’re expanding the conference this year to span two days plus breakout sessions (all recorded so you won’t miss soaking up any of the wisdom offered). In support of our desire to make this work collaborative from a truly global perspective, we’re including replays so more timezones can join in with others for live community connection and conversation.
Check out the full conference schedule, session descriptions, and 2023 sponsors.
Taste & Talk: Edible Activism + Health at Every Size®
DATE & TIME
May 6th | 1PM CT
EVENT DESCRIPTION
ASDAH Members! Join edible activist Chef Fresh Roberson and certified culinarian Veronica Garnett (also ASDAH’s Vision & Strategy Leader) for a Cooking Demo & Conversation! In celebration of No Diet Day, Chef Fresh will be preparing a simple dish featuring ingredients from Fresher Together’s BIPOC Harvest Bag. We’ll chat about edible activism, food justice, Health at Every Size®, how to live out the spirit of No Diet Day all year long, and creating a new world where all of us are free. We will have the opportunity to connect with each other, build community, and share a snack together…virtually!
This is an ASDAH Member only event. If you are not a member and would like to join the conversation, become a member!
Suffocating Whiteness
Transforming Care: Dreaming of New Worlds
DATE & TIME
APRIL 21st | 10AM PT/1PM ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
This is the third in a three-part series examining the past, present, and future evolution of the Health at Every Size® framework of care. Folks who missed part one and/or two are welcome to join this session as well, as each session can also stand alone. In part three, we will provide an update on the Health at Every Size® Framework of Care revisions and look to the future of Health at Every Size® including the direction the ground-building work done this year on the HAES® Framework of Care is leading us. We’ll discuss a future where we move beyond Health at Every Size® as a necessary framework of care and what liberatory care might one day be like.
Fat Activism & HAES: Advocating for Ourselves & Our Clients in Healthcare Spaces
DATE & TIME
March 24th, 2023 12-2pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Fat people deserve justice. Access to quality healthcare is a basic human right. Despite what we deserve, we know the reality is quite different. Fat people are often denied gender- and life-affirming surgeries, organ transplants, medical & diagnostic testing, and participation in medical research studies. Providers’ fatphobic attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors often lead to healthcare avoidance by fat people. As fat people it can be very daunting to navigate these situations and advocate for ourselves. As fat-positive providers it can also be daunting going against the machine and advocating for our clients.
This free community event, a collaboration between ASDAH and NAAFA, will highlight the myriad ways both organizations are advocating for change in the areas of governance & policy, education & training, coalition building, and more. Participants will leave with actionable steps they can take to advocate for themselves and/or their clients when navigating fatphobia in our healthcare spaces and systems.
Anti-Blackness and Anti-Fatness: A 201-Level Teach-In
DATE & TIME
February 24th, 2023 12pm ET
EVENT DESCRIPTION
What does a Black fat femme centered future look like? How does it feel? What does it illuminate for you? In this workshop, we will discuss the intersections of antiblackness and fatphobia to think through our varying positionalities in relation to this hopeful future. We will engage experiential activities in this workshop to collaboratively envision a Black fat femme centered futurity that boldly refuses the limits of fatphobia, the weight of antiblackness, and the divisions that hegemony reinforces between marginalized peoples. Using pop culture figures like Lizzo to ground our time, we will consider how Black fat women have been seen as of use for others as an entry point for our engagement with one another.
Finding Breath: Using Counter Narratives to Resuscitate the HAES Framework of Care
DATE & TIME
January 13th at 12pm CST
EVENT DESCRIPTION
This is the second in a three-part series examining the past, present, and future evolution of the Health at Every Size® framework of care. Folks who missed part one are welcome to join this session as well, as each session can also stand alone. In part two, we dive deeper into using counter narratives to refocus our Health at Every Size® work to be by and for those most impacted by fatphobia. We’ll discuss the work ASDAH is doing to reclaim and reorient the Health at Every Size® Framework of Care. We’ll also cover how you can begin using counter narratives in your work today to begin divesting from white supremacist lenses too commonly used in the name of Health at Every Size® like healthism, nutritionism, and marginalizing those at the highest end of the size spectrum.
Beyond the O-Word: Exploring Nuance in the Language of Body Size
DATE & TIME
December 9th at 12pm CST
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Join us for this insightful round table discussion about navigating the nuances of body size terms and language. Susanne Johnson MSN, CRNP, FNP-BC, Family Nurse Practitioner; Ash Nischuk of the podcast The Fat Lip, & Dr. Jonathan Higgins of Nailed It! and Black Fat Femme Podcast bring their thoughtful perspectives to support both new and seasoned Health at Every Size® professionals navigating language around body size. Our discussion will be grounded in frameworks like patient/body autonomy, harm reduction, and trauma-informed care. We will discuss body size terms in various settings, particularly in healthcare and public health. We will explore the nuances of language in one-on-one settings, group settings, and public-facing media like pamphlets, websites, and social media. Most importantly, we’ll discuss language use as it pertains to all larger people, including those who don’t use the word ‘fat’ as a self-descriptor.
From South Africa to Nicaragua: Global Perspectives on HAES
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Due to European colonialism and western imperialism, white supremacist, anti-Black, and anti-fat notions about bodies, food, health, and wellbeing are pervasive across the globe. We know that oppression is universal, but the ways in which oppression impacts people differ based on geographical and social locations.
Frameworks such as Health at Every Size® have emerged to address & combat the problem of anti-fatness in healthcare. However they have been created & promoted from a very American/western/anglophone perspective and context. The Health at Every Size® “movement” itself has perpetuated white supremacy culture. It has not only drowned out BIPOC & fat voices in the west, but also international voices from people of the global majority. This panel discussion will highlight the voices of three HAES-aligned practitioners & fat liberation activists from Africa, Latin America, and the Francophonie.
Please join this lively discussion with Pontsho Pilane, Julia Lévy-Ndejuru, and Mónica Peralta where we will discuss and explore ways that Health at Every Size® is useful, but also fall short in a global context, how this framework of care can transform to be more inclusive of global perspectives, and how we can build coalitions and transnational solidarity as we do this work.
Suffocating Whiteness: A History & Critique of HAES
EVENT DESCRIPTION
We are pleased to be collaborating with Eating Disorder Registered Dietitians & Professionals (EDRD Pro) for our Suffocating Whiteness Series: A History and Critique of Health at Every Size®!
This workshop is the first in a three-part series examining the past, present, and future evolution of the Health at Every Size® (HAES) framework of care. The narratives around Health at Every Size® have primarily been led by white women; disconnected from intersectional social justice movements; and centered white feelings, needs, and priorities. The resulting advocacy and care in the name of HAES has further oppressed people of the global majority (particularly Black people) and superfat/infinifat people. In this session, we’ll discuss the history of the Health at Every Size® framework of care with a particular focus on how whiteness and white supremacy culture showed up in this movement deflecting from radicalness, making concessions in the name of health equity, and impeding fat liberation in healthcare.
State of ASDAH Annual Meeting
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Join us for our highly anticipated Annual Meeting! We are excited to connect with you and discuss our last year of work to improve healthcare for fat folks through the Health at Every Size® framework. This meeting will serve as libation for all we’ve transformed in the fires of freedom. It will also serve as a visioning space for the collective new world we’re building together.
AfroFuturism: Changing the Narrative on the Future of Bodies
EVENT DESCRIPTION
This interactive workshop will give a history of AfroFuturism as well as an opportunity to discuss and work with the ideology of AfroFuturism (context, resilience, futurist ideation) as they apply to the ongoing work of ending fat antagonism. We will also discuss how we envision the ways in which we talk about bodies, examine bodies, and celebrate bodies in a way that humanizes all individuals along a spectrum of the diversity of bodies.
Open Mic: An ASDAH Member Event
EVENT DESCRIPTION
The first event of the 2022-2023 ASDAH board year is a very special members-only Open Mic Event on July 24, 2022 at 1pm CT. This is an opportunity to share your talents with other ASDAH members through spoken word, song, dance, puppetry, and all the other ways you express your creativity in 5-minute time slots. At ASDAH’s 2022 Conference, we announced this year’s theme, Dreaming of New Worlds: HAES in the Future. We welcome members to explore this theme during the open mic or present other areas of interest.
Select past events are available to the public on our YouTube Channel. Members have access to even more past events via the Member Portal! Join ASDAH today to access this great member benefit.
To learn about upcoming and more recent events, click here.