Prof. Dr. van Rossum

Despite the high percentage of the population being affected by overweight and obesity, there has been little available treatments and virtually no coverage by the insurance companies to mitigate the problem. Dr van Rossum, professor at Erasmus Medical Center (EMC), is actively working to tackle this situation nationwide. In 2011 she started the 'Centrum Gezond Gewicht' (CGG), which researches obesity and develops new treatment programs. Further, Dr van Rossum aims to make these new obesity treatment methods part of insurances' basic coverage package in order to make it accessible to everyone. Currently, Dr van Rossum is negotiating with government officials, insurance companies, and other stakeholders in order to transform her vision into reality. After a slow start-up phase, she has recently reached an important milestone in being able to negotiate with crucial partners that will eventually enable change in obesity treatment. This case outlines the development of communicating her message to the right parties, which has turned out to be a daunting endeavour. A recurring theme is the alienation she experiences as result of the interdisciplinary communication