I’m all set to attend the spring conference of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) that takes place later this week in Philadelphia.
Being the nerd that I am, our bi-annual conferences are one of the highlights of the year for me. Each conference increases my knowledge of how to help my overweight patients lose weight and live healthier lives. And I will have the opportunity to reconnect with my talented colleagues from across the country.
On Wednesday, March 13th, I will be attending the Nutrition & Metabolism Society Symposium. This leg of the conference will explore the latest on low-carbohydrate and carbohydrate-restricted diets and their use in weight management and improving conditions such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cancer. We will hear from leading researchers such as Stephen Phinney, MD, PhD, Jeff Volek, PhD, and Eric Westman, MD, MPH, among others.
The main conference—Obesity: Diagnosis to Treatment—will run from Thursday to Sunday. A variety of topics will be covered, including:
- More on ASBP’s Obesity Algorithm
- Nutrition
- Physical Activity
- Managing diabetes during weight loss
- The neuroscience of eating behaviors
- Treatment of obesity in children & the elderly
- Pearls for helping patients make long-term lifestyle changes
- Discussion of challenging cases
In addition to educational activities, I will participate in two committee meetings.
As co-chair of the Advanced Practitioners Special Interest Group, I will lead our bi-annual meeting of nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants. Our current focus is on increasing the visibility and influence of ASBP and obesity medicine through professional activities, professional networking, and providing clinical education to other medical professionals.
As a member of the CME Program Committee, I will meet with the other committee members to develop future conference programs. We will discuss topics and speakers for our fall conference in Austin, Texas and the 2015 spring conference in Denver, Colorado.
The new ASBP Mentorship Program that was introduced at the last fall conference will continue in Philadelphia. As an experienced obesity medicine specialist I will serve as a mentor for two nurse practitioner attendees who are new to obesity medicine. It is my role to ambassador them into ASBP and obesity medicine by providing support and advice, and facilitating their connection with other members and leaders. The role of mentor is one of my favorites, so I am really looking forward to connecting with these emerging leaders in obesity medicine.
I will have my reporter’s notebook in hand throughout the conference and will share my newfound learning and other juicy stuff when I return.
Stay tuned.
