Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit 2026

Attend the Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit
Register to join your colleagues for Cleveland Clinic’s 19th Annual Obesity Summit on May 8 – 9, 2026, offered both in person and via live stream. The Summit is designed for a diverse mix of health care practitioners interested in discussing innovative solutions and new strategies for caring for patients with obesity. This Summit features sessions that highlight the causes of obesity and diabetes, preventive strategies, and therapeutic management approaches, including health disparities, lifestyle, diet & exercise, surgical treatment, medical treatment, patient-centered treatment, obesity types and complications, and weight recurrence. Ideally scheduled immediately following the 30th Annual Diabetes Day, attendees can take advantage of three days of accredited education.
By Attending, You Will Be Able To:

Describe the full spectrum of patient needs, including biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors, to create personalized and comprehensive obesity care plans.
Develop skills to identify and address the unique challenges and considerations in managing obesity across diverse populations, including children, older adults, and individuals with comorbidities.
Highlight strategies for optimizing patient outcomes through GLP-1 agonists, anti-obesity medications, behavioral interventions, and lifestyle modifications, including exercise prescription and dietary counseling.
Evaluate the clinical impact of obesity on chronic diseases, enabling the healthcare team to integrate preventive and therapeutic strategies effectively.
Appraise the indications, risks, and benefits of metabolic and bariatric surgery, as well as pre- and post-operative care, to optimize patient outcomes.
Identify interdisciplinary and interprofessional team approaches to obesity management and develop practical skills to collaborate across disciplines to deliver patient-centered obesity care.

Who Should Attend
The Summit is directed to health care practitioners (including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, physician assistants, and dietitians), social workers, psychologists, pharmacists, researchers, hospital and corporate administrators, and others who have an interest in obesity-related fields, including endocrinology, family practice, cardiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry and psychology, bariatric surgery and wellness.

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Friday, May 8
All times in Eastern Time

7:45 am

Welcome

7:50 am

Opening Remarks

HOLISTIC OBESITY MANAGEMENT: ADDRESSING THE FULL SPECTRUM OF PATIENT NEEDS

8:00 am

Managing Obesity in 2026
Bartolome Burguera, MD, PhD

8:30 am

Supporting Patients with Obesity Through Trauma-Informed Care
Leslie Heinberg, PhD

8:50 am

Innovative Management Strategies in Obesity: The Role of Shared Medical Appointments
Marcio Griebeler, MD

9:10 am

Obesity Lancet
Josep Vidal, MD, PhD

9:30 am

Obesity Guidelines in 2026: Key Updates and Insights
Timothy Garvey, MD

9:55 am

Break and Visit Exhibits

OBESITY MANAGEMENT IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

10:10 am

Customizing Weight Management for Diverse Ethnic and Racial Groups
Ricard Correa, MD

10:30 am

Outrunning a Bad Diet
Michael Joyner, MD

10:50 am

Metaorganismal Endocrinology as a Therapeutic Target in Obesity
J. Mark Brown, PhD

11:10 am

“Just Do It,” Won’t Do It: Enhancing motivation to move more
David Creel, PhD, RD, CDCES

11:30 am

How Corporations Are Rethinking Wellness and Prevention for Their Employees
Bartolome Burguera, MD, PhD; Anthony Harris, MD; Pietro Antonio Tataranni, MD

12:30 pm

Lunch Break

OPTIMIZING OBESITY OUTCOMES THROUGH LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS

1:30 pm

Optimizing Weight and Body Composition Through Exercise
Ricard Rosero, MD

1:50 pm

Physiological adaptations to weight loss and effects of incretin therapies
Michael Jensen, MD

2:10 pm

Nutrition in the Era of GLP-1 Agonists: Practical Considerations
Oscar Morey Vargas, MD

Pharmacological Management of Obesity

2:30 pm

Obesity Management in Older Adults: Strategies and Considerations
Willy Valencia, MD

2:50 pm

Upcoming Weight Loss Medications
Vinni Makin, MD

3:10 pm

Cutting Edge Updates for Current GLP-1s
Peminda Cabandugama, MD

3:30 pm

Break and Visit Exhibits

THE CLINICAL IMPACT OF OBESITY

3:45 pm

Obesity and Cancer: Exploring the Link
Zahraa Al-Hilli, MD

4:05 pm

Extreme Exercise Regimens and High Risk Activities: Is it Possible to get Too Much of a Good Thing?
Barry Franklin, PhD

4:30 pm

Patient Voices: Weight Loss Journeys and Challenges in Accessing Care

5:00 pm

Adjourn

5:00 – 6:30 pm

Attendee Reception

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Saturday, May 9
All times in Eastern Time

7:55 am

Welcome

SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH OBESITY

8:00 am

Perioperative Management of AOMs: Guidelines vs. Evidence
Josep Vidal, MD, PhD

8:25 am

Real-world outcomes of obesity treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists vs bariatric surgery
Hamlet Gasoyan, PhD

8:50 am

Post-Bariatric Surgery Weight Regain: Strategies for Management
Norma Atkinson, MD

9:15 am

Q&A
Norma Atkinson, MD
Hamlet Gasoyan, PhD
Josep Vidal, MD, PhD

9:30 am

Break and Visit Exhibits

SURGICAL MANAGEMENT
Moderators: Ricard Corcelles, MD & Adrian Dan, MD

10:00 am

Metabolic Surgery: The Ultimate Cure or Just One Piece of the Puzzle?
Josep Vidal, MD, PhD

10:15 am

Next-Generation Bariatric Surgery: The Rise of Endoscopic and Robotic-Assisted Technique
Chelsea Feng, MD

10:30 am

Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Following Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
Tammy Kindel, MD

10:45 am

Revisional Bariatric Surgery: Addressing Challenges and Advancing Solutions
Salvador Navarrete, MD

11:00 am

Bariatric Surgery and MASH: A Game-Changer for Fatty Liver Disease?
Ali Aminian, MD

11:15 am

Beyond Restriction and Malabsorption: The Gut–Brain–Microbiome Axis in Metabolic Surgery
Valentin Mocanu, MD

11:30 am

Bariatric Surgery for Special Populations: Are We Doing Too Much or Not Enough?
Rickesha Wilson, MD

11:45 pm

Panel Discussion

12:00 pm

Lunch Break

1:00 pm

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

Practical Approaches to Improving Access to AOM
Jennifer Mackey, MSN, CNP

Menopause and Weight Gain: Understanding the Connection
Reena Bose, MD
Prescribing Exercise in Obesity: Bridging Evidence and Real Life
Ariela Goldenshluger, PhD
Michael Joyner, MD

1:45 pm

Transition

1:55 pm

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
Culinary Medicine Workshop: Food as Medicine
Alexis Supan, RD
Peris Kibera, DO

Why Become an Obesity Specialist
Raj Hallock, MD
Obesity and chronic disease
Natalie Larson, DNP, APRN-CNP
Kristin Louden, CNP

2:40 pm

Break and Visit Exhibits

3:00 pm

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
Obesity Management in Primary Care
Samina Yunus, MD
Homa Varghai, MD
Case-Based Approaches in Pharmacotherapy for Obesity
Timothy Garvey, MD
Kristin Louden, CNP
Neetu Mulchandani, MD
Behavioral & Psychological Interventions in Weight Management
David Creel, PhD, RD, CDCES
Allyson Wright, PhD

3:45 pm

Closing remarks

4:00 pm

Adjourn