The fellowship offers a diverse array of clinical training experiences within obesity medicine. Fellows dedicate patient care time at the Johns Hopkins Healthful Eating, Activity and Weight Program under the supervision of faculty preceptors certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. This experience provides in-depth training in adult obesity medicine, including group visits and management of conditions associated with obesity.

In addition, fellows will spend time observing and working in other settings – including the Johns Hopkins Bariatric Surgery Center in both the clinic and operating room settings, pediatric obesity medicine at the Mt. Washington Weigh Smart Program, psychological evaluations at the Obesity Behavioral Medicine Program, and minimally invasive procedures.

Training Schedule

The program supports the development and advancement of skills in obesity medicine by dividing the fellowship experience into three key blocks:

Block 1 – Building the Foundation
For the first 20 weeks, the overall aim is for the fellow to establish a foundation of knowledge of the key elements of obesity medicine. During these weeks, the fellow has protected time to complete an online didactic curriculum of core obesity medicine content and participate in programming to build skills in motivational interviewing and patient engagement. In addition, the fellow shadows registered dieticians at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Nutrition Clinic to gain a better understanding of nutrition as well as appreciate the role of the dietician in weight management. The fellow also educational sessions with exercise physiology to understand testing such as indirect calorimetry and exercise prescriptions. Finally, the fellow begins clinical work at the Johns Hopkins Healthful Eating, Activity and Weight Program (HEAWP), which continues throughout their training year.

Block 2 – Focus on Surgical and Pediatric Management
The overall aim for the subsequent 20 weeks is for the fellow to gain experience with bariatric surgery and pediatric obesity medicine. During these weeks, the fellow spends sessions in the outpatient setting in bariatric surgery, as well as observing bariatric procedures in the operating room. The outpatient experience with bariatric surgery enables the fellow to understand the preoperative evaluation as well as post-operative care from the surgical perspective. In addition, the fellow spends sessions with a pediatric obesity medicine program, the Mt. Washington Weigh Smart Program, which is an intensive multi-disciplinary program. With this experience, the fellow learns obesity medicine strategies in a pediatric population. The fellow continues their clinical work at the Johns Hopkins HEAWP that allows continued skill development and progression towards independence in adult obesity medicine.

Block 3 – Focus on Psychology and Minimally Invasive Procedures
For the final 10 weeks, the overall aim is for the fellow to gain experience with psychology and minimally invasive procedures. During these weeks, the fellow spends sessions shadowing and observing psychological evaluations, specifically pre-bariatric surgery assessments as well as management of obesity-related eating disorders (e.g., binge eating disorder) at the Johns Hopkins Obesity Behavioral Medicine Program. In addition, the fellow spends time shadowing and observing minimally invasive procedures performed in interventional radiology and/or gastroenterology as well as post-procedural management in the outpatient setting. The fellow continues their clinical work at the Johns Hopkins HEAWP that allows final skill development in preparation for independent adult obesity medicine practice.

Meet the Obesity Medicine Fellowship Faculty

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