The Boston Course in Obesity Medicine 2023

The past year has been an incredible one for the advancement of obesity science and clinical practice. To name a few of the highlights that will be discussed in this year’s program:

• Report of SURMOUNT-1 study, the first phase 3 study of tirzepatide treatment for obesity, which showed up to an average 22% weight loss
• Report of the STEP TEENS study of semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly for the treatment of obesity in adolescents, which showed an average of 17% weight loss
• FDA approval of semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly for the treatment of obesity in adolescents
• Publication of new American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents
• Completion of the SELECT study of the effect of semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity without diabetes
• Publication of new Institute for Clinical and Economic Review report of the utility and cost-effectiveness of anti-obesity medications
• New studies revealing the mechanisms of the body’s resistance to weight loss by calorie reduction alone, and demonstrating that GLP-1 receptor agonists block this resistance
• New studies of the adverse effects of highly processed foods
• New studies demonstrating the benefits – and limitations – of timed feeding and intermittent fasting
• New studies describing the many negative clinical and psychosocial effects and manifestations of weight-related bias, stigma and discriminationPublication of new Canadian clinical practice guidelines for obesity evaluation and management
• Report of the one-year phase 2 trial of resmetirom, which showed resolution of NASH and improvement in liver fibrosis
• Publication of multiple new clinical practice guidelines for the evaluation and management of patients with NAFLD and NASH
• Landmark report of long-term cancer outcomes after bariatric surgery, revealing substantial improvement in cancer incidence and mortality
• Report of the first data demonstrating that metabolic and bariatric surgery improves markers of kidney disease
• New studies revealing effective approaches to optimizing the benefits and safety of metabolic and bariatric surgery
• Publication of new clinical practice guidelines for the selection and use of metabolic and bariatric surgery
• New studies demonstrating substantial benefit of endoscopic approaches to treating obesity, diabetes and NAFLD
• New studies demonstrating the unique benefits of combination and multimodal treatment of obesity
• Development of new models for more efficient organization and dissemination of effective obesity care
• Emerging collaborative efforts to substantially improve equitable patient access to effective obesity care
• Emergence of a new cadre of start-up companies aiming to streamline access to effective obesity care
• Increasing payer and policymaker attention to the substantial clinical and economic benefit of treating obesity effectively as a means of decreasing the number and severity of its medical complications – a first step in improving reimbursement for obesity treatment

Program :

Obesity Medicine Board Review

Obesity Treatment 2023