Program Highlights
Program Overview
UMass Memorial Health is home to a comprehensive Metabolic Weight Loss Program led by two ABOM-certified endocrinologists, Drs. Nina Rosano and Amin Sabet, as well as advanced practice providers (APPs) specializing in the medical management of obesity. The Weight Center at UMass Memorial Health, led by Dr. Richard Perugini, is a comprehensive metabolic surgery program which includes bariatric surgeons, behavioral health specialists, registered dieticians, and an exercise physiologist. In addition, UMass Memorial Health has specialists in pediatric obesity, endobariatric procedures, metabolic liver disease, as well as endocrine, cardiometabolic, psychiatric, gynecologic, obstetric, orthopedic, vascular, and neoplastic complications of obesity. Fellows will train in a clinical preceptorship model. Our fellowship faculty in each of these specialties are passionate about obesity medicine and dedicated to medical education.
Our fellows also have the opportunity to train in the delivery of specialized obesity care to a diverse patient population in a primary care setting. As is the case with other highly prevalent chronic diseases, primary care providers have a critical role in providing care for obesity. With leadership from ABOM-certified, faculty Drs. Jeevaratha Subramanian and Beth Mazcyk, our primary care physicians (PCPs) have created obesity medicine programs within primary care divisions. Through rotations in the primary care setting, our fellows will learn to be leaders in the obesity medicine education and training of primary care colleagues. In providing care to patients from throughout the Greater Worcester area, fellows will learn to provide high quality obesity care to medically underserved and vulnerable groups of all ages.
Obesity fellows will additionally have the opportunity to participate in UMass Memorial Health’s Advanced Therapeutics (ATRx) program, an innovative, multidisciplinary program designed to provide advanced cardiometabolic therapeutics to patients while reducing the burden on PCPs. Housed within the Center for Digital Health Solutions led by Dr. Michael Hyder, the ATRx program uses data mined from Epic to identify patients with cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity and related-conditions such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A comprehensive team of medical specialists, APPs, and pharmacists collaborate via online teleconferencing to determine the best management plan for the patient. By participating in ATRx, our obesity fellows will learn teamwork building and problem solving in the context of innovative care delivery. They will also benefit from increased work flexibility since ATRx multidisciplinary rounds and patient visits are all conducted remotely via teleconferencing.
Additional Information
UMass Chan Medical School consistently ranks as one of the leading medical schools nationally for primary care education and is among the top 50 U.S. medical schools for research. UMass Chan attracts more than $300 million annually in research funding. Recently, a new 350,000-square-foot facility was built to support the school's expanding education and research initiatives. Our mission is to advance the health and wellness of diverse communities throughout Massachusetts and across the world by leading and innovating in education, research, health care delivery, and public service. UMass Chan provides a full range of resources and services in the field of obesity medicine and is wholly committed to training future physicians to provide comprehensive care to patients with obesity.
UMass Chan Medical School has multiple ongoing research programs with opportunities for collaboration to enrich the research training of an obesity medicine fellow. These programs are contained in a spectrum of departments including the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism; Diabetes Center of Excellence; Division of General, Bariatric, and Minimally Invasive Surgery; Division of Health Informatics and Implementation Science; and Prevention Research Center. The program director and other designated faculty advisors/mentors will assist the fellows in research and/or quality improvement project identification and planning.
Fellows will have an active role in presenting at conferences and seminars within the context of the program. They will also be supported and mentored in presenting their work in national meetings such as ObesityWeek and in submitting work for publication in peer-reviewed journals.