Kentucky has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country, and the health consequences carry forward throughout life. That’s one of the reasons researchers at the University of Kentucky are leading a groundbreaking clinical trial to determine if medical intervention can reverse the early signs of heart disease in children struggling with severe obesity. The MODERN study (Mitigation of Cardiovascular Disease Risks in Pediatric Extreme Obesity) is specifically designed to address a growing health crisis in the Commonwealth, and its results could have profound implications for the state’s public health policy and the long-term well-being of its youngest residents.