Jessica Kobleur, MD, an American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) Diplomate, answers questions regarding the importance of an obesity medicine physician.

What unique skill set can the obesity medicine physician bring to the bariatric surgical setting?
The obesity medicine physician brings a vision of the big picture as well as an understanding of the specific processes at play in the development of obesity. We can work with the patient on various levels including diet, activity, stressors, psychosocial components, possible genetic factors, medical conditions related to obesity, and medications. By providing a good base and understanding of how surgery plays into all the other elements, I believe it sets the patient up for better success. This also provides a platform for collaboration between the surgeon, the obesity medicine physician, and the patient.

What impact can the obesity medicine physician have on patient outcomes?
By tailoring the approach to weight loss to the individual patient, we can help provide support before, during and after surgery to facilitate compliance and optimize results. I believe every additional support, whether from physicians, dieticians, exercise physiologist, or therapist, can play a big role in the individual success of a patient depending on the needs of that specific patient.

Have you had the experience of working with a bariatric surgeon?
We have several wonderful bariatric surgeons at our facility. My practice is pediatric based and we have recently acquired a pediatric surgeon to extend bariatric surgical services to our population of patients. There has been great effort and collaboration between our groups to develop this program so we can offer bariatric surgery to qualifying adolescents. As we see more data supporting the success and relative low risk of certain bariatric procedures in adolescents, surgical intervention is becoming a valuable component in fighting the metabolic dysfunction found in many young patients with obesity.

What is the value of working with an ABOM Diplomate specifically?
ABOM Diplomates have taken an extra step to become as knowledgeable and specialized in the treatment of obesity as possible. We have committed to staying up to date on current information and maintaining certification in this specialized area of medicine. This passion and commitment is reflected in our practice of obesity medicine and in our collaboration with specialists to provide the most comprehensive specialized care possible to our patients.

Jessica Kobleur, MD is the Medical Director of a pediatric multidisciplinary weight management program, the Gulfstream Children’s Wellness Clinic, at Memorial Health University Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. She is also a practicing general pediatrician at the hospital’s outpatient center University Pediatrics. Dr. Kobleur teaches students and residents about the implications and management of childhood obesity. She and her Wellness Team provide education and act as a resource for local community pediatricians, schools and community programs. Dr. Kobleur graduated medical school and completed residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. She is board certified in pediatric medicine and has been a Diplomate of the Board of Obesity Medicine since 2016.