(KRON) -- The San Francisco Department of Public Health is bringing in an expert to educate its staff on addressing weight stigma and body positivity. SFDPH hired Virgie Tovar, who describes herself as "plus-size Latina author, lecturer, and leading expert on weight-based discrimination and body positivity." Tovar is popular on Instagram with more than 84,300 followers. SFPDH believes the stigma around weight can be harmful to mental health and can cause eating disorders. Blimp over San Francisco Thursday was likely Pathfinder 1 on test flight "Weight stigma can lead to psychological distress and can have a negative impact on mental health. Weight stigma can also undermine health behaviors and preventive care, causing disordered eating, decreased physical activity, health care avoidance, and weight gain," SFDPH told KRON4. Tovar wrote a book titled "You Have the Right to Remain Fat" and has contributed as a writer for Forbes. On Instagram, she expressed her excitement about working for SFDPH. "I'm UNBELIEVABLY proud to serve the city I've called home for almost 20 years in this way! This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it's my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health," she said. Tovar will work for SFDPH through June 2025 and will earn $12,000, the health department said.