Rethinking Weight and Health // What to Expect at RE:SUMMIT 2026 in Dubai

Few health topics come with as much judgement as weight. A new public event coming to Dubai next weekend hopes to change that. RE:SUMMIT 2026 is presented by Lilly and hosted by radio and TV personality Kris Fade. On Saturday 7 November, it will bring around 2,500 people to Madinat Jumeirah Arena to challenge misconceptions and open up a more honest conversation about obesity.

It’s a timely subject. According to the World Health Organization, more than one in three adults in several GCC countries live with obesity. Yet the factors that shape our weight are still widely misunderstood.

One of the headline speakers is Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is known for her work on weight bias. “Obesity is a complex chronic disease, and there is no single approach that is right for everyone,” she says. Her session will look at why care needs to consider the whole person.

The programme also gets personal. Emirati entrepreneur and #ABtalks host Anas Bukhash will lead a candid conversation with Kris Fade, content creator Hadeel Marei and entrepreneur Karen Wazen. They’ll talk about identity, self-perception and the pressures that shape how we feel about our bodies, from public scrutiny to social media. Specialists in clinical psychology and nutrition will also explain the biological, behavioural and environmental factors behind weight.

Away from the stage, interactive installations invite visitors to engage with the topic. A digital wall asks people to rethink familiar comments about weight and the impact those words can have. A “receipt of effort” recognises the small everyday actions people already take for their wellbeing.

RE:SUMMIT is free and open to the public, but you need to register in advance and seats are limited. Reserve your place at resummit.ae.