Speaker

Michael Vallis, psychologist and associate professor, family medicine, Dalhousie University, affiliate research scientist, Nova Scotia Health

Michael Vallis is a health psychologist based in Halifax and an associate professor in family medicine at Dalhousie University. He obtained his masters and PhD from Western University and his bachelor of science from Dalhousie University. His main area of expertise is adult health psychology, with an emphasis on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular risk and gastroenterology. He spends most of his time training health-care providers in behaviour change for chronic disease management. Vallis regularly supervises clinical and academic students and is active in research on motivation, behavioural change and adaptation to chronic disease. He consults nationally and internationally and is heavily involved in academic publications, journal editing and clinical practice guidelines. He was on the executive committee of the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Obesity in 2020 and lead author of the psychological and behavioural chapter for these new guidelines, as well as the 2006 guidelines. In addition, Vallis is an author of the psychology and mental health chapter of Diabetes Canada’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for 2004, 2013, 2018 and 2023. He received the 2024 distinguished service award from the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons, the 2021 Charles H. Best award from Diabetes Canada and holds a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Government of Canada on the recommendation of Diabetes Canada.