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Contact Us
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Bariatric Physicians
2821 S. Parker Road
Ste. 625
Aurora, CO 80014
303.770.2526 | asbp.org
Staff
Laurie Traetow, CAE, CPA
Executive Director
laurie@asbp.org
Beth Amelon
Administrative Coordinator
beth@asbp.org
Carly Crosby
Administrative Coordinator
carly@asbp.org
Heidi Gordon
Director of Marketing &
Communication
heidi@asbp.org
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Obesity Medicine e-Weekly
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Dr. Westman
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Resolve to Get Involved in 2014
(with the Society that is!)
A Message from ASBP President Eric C. Westman, M.D., M.H.S.
Did you know that by being an obesity medical specialist (a.k.a. medical bariatrician) you are already considered a leader and expert among most other physicians? Just as the need for practitioners in obesity medicine grows, there is also a need for leaders in obesity medicine. Fortunately, your skills as a health practitioner have probably already prepared you to handle most of the aspects of becoming a leader.
There are many ways to be a leader in obesity medicine, and probably the best way to start is to get involved with a national organization, like the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP). You will work with other talented, committed individuals and learn from them as well. Whereas the Society began as an educational resource for doctors treating obesity, its members are now playing a greater role in sharing knowledge and skills with others who are grappling with the complexities of treating obesity in the current health care system. So, we are the leaders.
It doesn't take much time, effort or experience to get involved with the Society. All it really takes is interest. Ask one of the ASBP leaders or staff, "How can I get involved?"
A great way to get started is to look over the current committees, and see what holds some interest for you. Currently, there are several task forces and special interest groups that are open to all members of the Society. These include the CME Program Committee, Marketing-Communication Task Force, Advanced Practitioners Special Interest Group, and Pediatric Obesity Special Interest Group. These groups usually meet in person twice per year during biannual conferences and work on projects together throughout the year via regular conference calls and discussions on LinkedIn. Each group also has a staff member assigned to facilitate with carrying out plans and a board liaison to communicate needs to the ASBP Board of Trustees.
Another way to get involved is to suggest topics or speakers for ASBP CME activities. The Society welcomes ideas for topics and speakers for biannual conferences, which may be submitted online. If you're interested in speaking about a certain topic, you can start by sending a proposal to the Society for the Advanced Curriculum Fellowship Program webinars. Giving a lecture during a fellowship conference call is a great way to get started as a leader in the Society.
In upcoming e-newsletters, I'll go into greater detail about involvement and leadership in the Society, but in the meantime, "Resolve to get involved" in some way!
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Resources
Obesity Updates: Click titles to view articles
Salas-Salvado, J., et al. Annals of Internal Medicine, January 2014.
The Mediterranean diet is often thought of as a healthy diet to follow to reduce disease risk. A recent study followed more than 3,500 older adults at high risk of heart disease. The researchers assigned them to one of three groups: a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil; a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts; or a low-fat diet, which served as the comparison diet. Subjects did not receive special instructions on losing weight or increasing their physical activity. After four years, the researchers found those in the olive oil group had a reduced diabetes risk of about 40 percent compared to the comparison diet group. Those in the nuts group had a reduced risk of 18 percent. These data suggest that a Mediterranean diet without calorie restrictions that is supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Tirosh, A., et al. Diabetes Care, August 2013.
There is some controversy about whether or not high-protein diets adversely affect kidney function. A two-year study was conducted on 318 participants who were randomized to low-fat, Mediterranean or low-carbohydrate diets. The low-carbohydrate diet had 22 percent protein. Significant improvements in estimated glomerular filtration rate were achieved in low-carbohydrate (+5.3 percent), Mediterranean (+5.2 percent), and low-fat diets (+4.0 percent) with similar magnitude across diet groups. The urine microalbumin-to-creatinine ratio improved similarly across the diets. These data support the idea that a low-carbohydrate diet is as safe as Mediterranean or low-fat diets in preserving/improving renal function among participants with moderate obesity who either have or don't have type 2 diabetes.
Keats, S. & Wiggins, S. The Oversees Development Institute, January 2014.
In the developing world, there are now about 1 billion adults classified as obese or overweight. Aside from North America and Europe, Latin America and North Africa lead the world in highest number of adults with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25. The percentage of people worldwide with this BMI increased from 23 percent in 1980 to 34 percent in 2008. Higher incomes are thought to have altered food choices, in addition to changes in lifestyle, the increasing availability of processed foods, advertising and media influences.
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Advocacy
 AMA Advocacy Update now available The December issue of the American Medical Association (AMA) Advocacy Update newsletter is now available for download by clicking here. A note about the AMA: Remember, your membership in the Society includes representation from the only obesity medicine-focused medical specialty society with a seat in the AMA House of Delegates. It is important we retain enough ASBP member physicians who are also members of the AMA, or we risk losing our seat. If we lose our seat, we lose our ability to influence AMA policy, such as last year's victory in the fight for obesity being recognized as a disease. Click here to learn more.
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Education
Preliminary program now available for spring conference: Hurry! Early registration ends Feb. 14
Whether you are interested in obesity medicine certification, nutrition and metabolism-specific education or simply furthering your knowledge about the latest discussions taking place in the exciting field of obesity medicine, the upcoming spring conference, Diagnosis to Treatment: Recognizing Obesity as a Disease, at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel will have something for you! Preview course content and speakers for the upcoming conference in the preliminary program.
- Obesity Medicine Certification Review Course (March 12-13)
Provides preparation to those planning to take the American Board of Obesity Medicine certification exam.
Click here to preview topics and speakers for this course. - Nutrition & Metabolism Society Symposium (March 13)
Provides specific education on carbohydrate-restricted diets as a way to improve metabolic health.
Click here to preview topics and speakers for this course. - Obesity: Diagnosis to Treatment Course (March 14-16)
Provides a wide selection of plenary sessions focused on trending topics in obesity medicine.
Click here to preview topics and speakers for this course.
Save the date now and plan to join nearly 600 clinical obesity medicine physicians and other health care providers at the conference! Click here to register online, or download the PDF registration form for one or more of these exciting educational opportunities!
  Planning to attend the spring conference? Book your room today to guarantee a discounted rate
Don't miss your opportunity to reserve your room at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel at the special ASBP conference rate of only $179+tax per night! Click here to reserve a room online or call 800.235.6397 and mention the code, "ASBP Conference" before Feb. 17, to receive this limited-time discount.
 Register now for 2014
Obesity Basic Medical Treatment Courses
The one-day Obesity Basic Medical Treatment (OBMT) Course dates kick off this month, offering 7 hours of CME and a full day's worth of information about practicing clinical obesity treatment. Click on a date and city below for registration details: Click here to download the 2014 OBMT course brochure.
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New ConscienHealth article, 'Bad news for bogus weight-loss products'
U.S. News & World Reports rates Mediterranean and DASH diets among the best for 2014 
