The National Institute of Health yesterday announced that it will award $37 million in grants to hospitals and other organizations to develop innovative ways of combating obesity.  Hospitals participating in NIH-funded research programs include Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI, and Weil Medical College of Cornell University-New York Presbyterian Hospital. “Obesity is a significant public health challenge raising an individual’s risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke … and other conditions,” said NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D. “These grants are intended to develop new and innovative ways to tackle this important problem by placing new emphasis on applying findings from basic behavioral and social science to improve behavioral strategies.”