Dr. Robert Kushner, an American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) Diplomate, answers questions regarding the importance of an obesity medicine physician.

KushnerWhat unique skill set can the obesity medicine physician bring to the bariatric surgical setting?

Board certified physicians have a demonstrated competency in all aspects of obesity care. For patients considering bariatric surgery, the obesity specialist leads a team of other healthcare providers including a registered dietitian, mental healthcare provider, nurse practitioner or physician assistant in guiding the comprehensive pre-operative assessment and managing the patient through the peri-operative and post-operative experience.

What impact can the obesity medicine physician have on patient outcomes?

Assessment and management of obesity-associated medical conditions is important to reduce in-hospital and long-term outpatient complications. Chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and depression require ongoing monitoring and medication adjustment. Additionally, bariatric surgical patients are at risk for development of multiple nutritional deficiencies that require similar vigilance. More information on bariatric surgery can be found over at somewhere like peachtreebariatrics.com, and they may be worth checking out if you’re considering any surgery of this nature.

Have you had the experience of working with a bariatric surgeon?

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in partnership with Northwestern Memorial Hospital developed a comprehensive obesity care program in 1998 that coordinated medical and bariatric surgical services within one ‘virtual’ center. Thus, patients seeking comprehensive obesity care services are seen by a multidisciplinary team that provides a range of treatments including lifestyle management, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery. Since obesity is viewed as a chronic relapsing disease, patients benefit from the integration of treatment approaches and expertise.

Are there any clinical findings or evidence based research supporting the value of obesity medicine physicians and bariatric surgeons working together?

All bariatric surgery guidelines call for the inclusion of a multidisciplinary team in the evaluation and long-term follow up of patients. The NIH Development Conference from 1991 stated “Patients who are candidates for bariatric procedures should be selected carefully after evaluation by a multidisciplinary team with access to medical, surgical, psychiatric, and nutritional expertise.” More recently, the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) states that “postoperative rehabilitation and long-term follow up includes dietary, exercise and psychological counseling.” The obesity medicine physician holds an integral position in coordinating the non-surgical care.

What is the value of working with an ABOM Diplomate specifically?

The “surgical-medical” physician team is well established in the healthcare setting. Using similar models as “cardiologist and cardiac surgeon” or “nephrologist and kidney transplant surgeon”, the “obesity medicine specialist and bariatric surgeon” can provide exceptional care to patients seeking long-term and durable surgical treatment for their obesity and associated medical problems.

About Dr. Kushner
Dr. Robert Kushner is Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Clinical Director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity, and Medical Director for the Center for Lifestyle Medicine in Chicago, IL. He recieved his medical degree from the University of Illinois in 1979. After finishing a residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University, he went on to complete a post-graduate fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and earned a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago in 1984. Dr. Kushner is past president of The Obesity Society (TOS), past president of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), past president of the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists (ABPNS), and fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) and The Obesity Society (FTOS). Dr. Kushner is currently serving as the first Chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). He is on the editorial board for Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In 2002, Dr. Kushner was the recipient of the distinquished Dannon Institute Award for Excellence in Medical/Dental Nutrition Education presented by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, inducted as an Hororary member of the American Dietetic Association in 2010, and recepient of the Atkinson-Stern Award for Public Service by The Obesity Society in 2011. Dr. Kushner has authored over 190 original articles, reviews, books and book chapters covering medical nutrition, medical nutrition education, and obesity, and is an internationally recognized expert on the care of the overweight and obese patient. He is author/editor of multiple books including Dr. Kushner’s Personality Type Diet (St. Martin’s Griffin Press, 2003; iuniverse, 2008), Fitness Unleashed (Three Rivers Press, 2006), Counseling Overweight Adults: The Lifestyle Patterns Approach and Tool Kit, (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2009) and editor of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Assessment and Management of Adult Obesity: A Primer for Physicians (2003), Treatment of the Obese Patient (Humana Press, 2007) , and his most recent book, Practical Manual of Clinical Obesity (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).