Dr. Wilmer Lee Asher (Bill) passed away last Tuesday. Dr. Asher founded the National Obesity Society in 1950, which evolved to become what is now the Obesity Medicine Association. By the end of its first year, the National Obesity Society had 25 members. Dr. Asher dedicated the entirety of his medical career to obesity medicine. He graduated from medical school in 1961 and started his first "weight-control" practice in 1964, following an internship in Denver.

Even as the organization evolved, Dr. Asher regularly attended conferences and remained committed to the betterment of the field of obesity medicine. He came to his last conference in Denver in 2015. We thank Dr. Asher for everything he did for the field of obesity medicine, and continue to honor his memory through the Dr. W. L. Asher and Dr. Peter G. Linder Lecture held at every conference.

We are pleased to report back to OMA members from the 2016 annual meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) that took place in Chicago June 11-15. OMA was well-represented, not only by us, but by staff too, including our executive director, Laurie Traetow.

One highlight of the meeting was the obesity caucus, which OMA founded and hosted again this year. The caucus brought together thought leaders in obesity and directors of other organizations, including the American Academy of Clinical Endocrinologists, Endocrine Society, American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, American Association of Public Health Physicians, and California Medical Association. We also had representation from both the AMA board of directors and staff. We discussed obesity education, advocacy efforts, and relevant AMA resolutions.

At the last meeting, we authored a letter to the AMA asking for them to aid in our lobbying efforts regarding the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA). The AMA agreed to assist, and AMA staff participated in our last visit to Capitol Hill. This is a great example of how OMA can leverage its influence by taking an active role in the larger medical community.

There were many areas of interest debated at this meeting. Resolutions included:

• Calling on the AMA to research the role of fructose (and high fructose corn syrup) in the obesity epidemic
• Calling for parity in payment for eating disorders
• Calling for better coverage of the Diabetes Prevention Program
• Calling for payment to physicians for time wasted on prior authorizations

Other hot topics included a resolution calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift the ban on researching gun violence. This was a direct response to the mass shooting that occurred in Orlando during the AMA meeting. Also, AMA passed policy to utilize its resources to research and halt the spread of the Zika virus.

We had a booth in the Medical Student Specialty Symposium, (pictured above) where we spoke to more than 100 medical students who expressed an interest in learning more about obesity medicine.

It was a pleasure and an honor to represent OMA at this meeting. We thank each of you who has made a commitment by being a member of AMA. Without your membership in AMA, we would not be allowed to have a delegate. OMA having a voting seat in the AMA house of delegates adds credibility to the field of obesity medicine and boosts awareness among all state and specialty medical societies.

If you are reading this but are not a member of AMA yet, we urge you to consider joining so we can retain a seat at the table - we are just barely at the required threshold. With enough OMA members who are also members of AMA, we could double our influence.

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new device to help patients control their calorie absorption. The AspireAssist works by removing one-third of what's in a patient's stomach after they eat through a tube. According to an FDA spokesperson, the device "helps provide effective control of calorie absorption." Learn more about the approval of AspireAssist and read FAQs about the device.

Every year at the fall Overcoming Obesity conference, we present awards to members who have demonstrated outstanding service and worked tirelessly on behalf of OMA. We're now accepting nominations for this year's awards. If you know an OMA member deserving of special recognition, complete a nomination form and return it to Rachel Nevers at rachel@obesitymedicine.org. Please complete one form per nominee. The deadline to submit your nominations is July 8. View the list of last year's award winners.