Houston Methodist 2nd Annual Essentials of Obesity Symposium 2025

Event starts:  08/02/2025 – 8:30am CDT

Event ends:  08/02/2025 – 3:30pm CDT

In 2022 the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) issued new guidelines updating the previous 1991 guideline for bariatric surgery from the National Institute of Health (NIH).  Since the original release of the 1991 guidelines, the research and treatment of metabolic and bariatric surgery has vastly expanded.  Updates to criteria, thresholds, approved/endorsed procedures and devices, and considerations for comorbidities are not widely known or understood.  The symposium offers the opportunity to bridge the knowledge gap for learners by disseminating these updates to learners who support bariatric patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

Target Audience

Physicians, Weight Management Staff (RD), Inpatient Care Team (RN, RD, PT, OT, PCA)

Learning Objectives

Attendees will be able to identify challenges faced by patients with obesity and develop strategies, within their scope, to better address patients’ needs
Attendees will be able to identity opportunities to collaborate, across disciplines to offer more robust, comprehensive, and coordinate care to improve disease management and facilitate better patient outcomes
Attendees will be able to utilize the most up-to-date information to provide optimal evidence-based treatment options to patients with obesity or met-s

The Houston Methodist 2nd Annual Essentials of Obesity Symposium 2025 is best for physicians, surgeons, nurses, dietitians, and allied health professionals who manage patients with obesity and want to stay current with the latest international guidelines, surgical criteria, and multidisciplinary approaches to care.
Who Should Attend

Primary care physicians and internists managing obesity and related comorbidities
Bariatric and metabolic surgeons applying updated surgical criteria and techniques
Endocrinologists and obesity medicine specialists integrating medical and surgical therapies
Nurses, dietitians, and allied health professionals supporting patients in inpatient and outpatient settings
Residents and fellows seeking structured updates on obesity management and bariatric surgery

What You’ll Learn
The symposium is designed to bridge the knowledge gap created by new international guidelines and evolving practices. Key highlights include:

Review of the 2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines, which updated the original 1991 NIH criteria for bariatric surgery
Updates on criteria, thresholds, approved procedures, and devices for obesity treatment
Considerations for comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease
Practical strategies for multidisciplinary management of bariatric patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings
Case-based discussions to translate guidelines into real-world clinical practice

 
+ Topics:

Second Annual Essentials of Obesity Symposium Saturday, August, 2, 2025

Time 
Topics
Speaker

7:30 AM
Registration and Breakfast

8:30 AM
Welcome
Nabil Tariq, MD, FACS, FASMBS

8:40 AM
Obesity Pathophysiology
Aman Ali, MD

9:00 AM
Why is This Important – Weight Loss and Impact on Health
Kershaw Patel, MD

9:45 AM
Lifestyle Interventions in the Management of Obesity
Wynnifred Hoodis, MS, RD, CSOWM, LD

10:05 AM
Resistance Exercise for Weight Loss Patients: Role of physical activity in treatment of Obesity
Brandon Jay, CEP, CMES, CPT

10:20 AM
BREAK

10:35 AM
Enhancing Patient Engagement in Minutes: Motivational Interviewing for Time-Pressed Clinicians
Ramiro Saavedra, MS, RD, CSR, LD

10:50 AM
Initial Clinical Assessment in Obesity Management
Ahmed Ali, MD

11:05 AM
Pharmacotherapy in Obesity Part I – Old Tools, New Insights: Revisiting Traditional Anti-Obesity Medications
Garth Davis, MD, FACS, FASMBS

11:30 AM
Pharmacotherapy in Obesity Part II – GLP-1 and Other New Medications
Garth Davis, MD, FACS, FASMBS

12:00 PM
LUNCH

12:30 PM
Therapeutic Interventional Discussion (is surgery still relevant in 2025)
Nabil Tariq, MD, FACS, FASMBS

1:00 PM
Advanced Endoscopic Interventions
Thomas McCarty, MD, MPH

1:15 PM
Case Presentation and Therapeutic Panel Discussion
Kyle Stephens, MD, FACS

2:00 PM
BREAK

2:15 PM
Practice Management/Patient Workflow
Joanna Schaffer, NP

2:30 PM
Patient Panel Discussion – Patients that have had success with Medical, Surgical, and Endoscopic Therapy
Laura Choi, MD, FACS

3:15 PM
Closing Remarks and Evaluations
Nabil Tariq, MD, FACS, FASMBS