RE:SUMMIT 2026 Dubai: Rethinking Weight and Body-Image
RE:SUMMIT 2026 is a free event at Madinat Jumeirah Arena on 7 November exploring weight, health and body image. Register in advance.
On Saturday 7 November, around 2,500 people will gather at Madinat Jumeirah Arena in Dubai for RE:SUMMIT 2026, a free public event about the science of weight and health, and about how we talk about both. Hosted by radio and TV personality Kris Fade and presented by Lilly, it aims to challenge common misconceptions and open up a more honest conversation. Advance registration is required and seats are limited.
Event details
- Date: Saturday 7 November 2026
- Venue: Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai
- Cost: Free, with advance registration
- Register: www.resummit.ae
Why this conversation matters According to the World Health Organization, obesity affects more than one in three adults in several Gulf countries. Yet the factors behind weight are widely misunderstood, and misconceptions can lead to judgment and blame, which makes conversations about health harder. RE:SUMMIT sets out to create a welcoming space where people can learn and recognise something of their own experience.
What to expect The programme combines medical insight with personal stories.
Dr Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, is among the speakers. Her work focuses on weight bias and health disparities. “Obesity is a complex chronic disease, and there is no single approach that is right for everyone,” she said. “Care needs to consider the whole person: their body, their life and their goals.”
A candid conversation led by #ABtalks host Anas Bukhash will bring together Kris Fade, content creator Hadeel Marei and entrepreneur Karen Wazen. They will talk about identity, self-perception and the pressure of public scrutiny and social media, and how expectations around weight and appearance can affect confidence and self-worth.
Specialists in clinical psychology and nutrition will explain the biological, behavioural, psychological and environmental factors that influence weight, in terms that relate to everyday life.
Beyond the stage, visitors can explore interactive installations on the link between weight and health, add to a digital wall that invites people to rethink familiar comments about weight, and create a personal “receipt of effort” that recognises the everyday actions they already take for their wellbeing.
Our take Body image is as much cultural as it is clinical. It is shaped by what we see, hear and feel pressure to be, which is why mental health sits at the centre of any honest conversation about weight. Nutrition, medical care, training and mental wellbeing all shape a healthy body, and understanding how they fit together is what makes events like RE:SUMMIT worth attending.
Related reading:
Therapy Speak: When Clinical Language Goes Casual
Why Nafsi is the Cultural Bridge the Middle East’s Mental Health Market Needed
