Throughout my 40+ years as an obesity medicine physician, I’ve been fortunate to remain involved with multiple obesity care stakeholders.
I am also pleased to see the collective initiatives occurring to improve the care of people living with overweight and obesity.
The future of obesity care is shifting. My hope is that clinicians and the patients they treat will stay abreast of what’s new and what’s coming in this rapidly growing field.
Here are 3 collaborative steps moving us forward that I’m excited about:
1-An Increasing Number of Prepared Clinicians
As a Founder and First Chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM), I am thrilled to see that it has grown to over 11,500 diplomats in the U.S. and Canada since 2012.
ABOM is a certifying organization that offers physicians advanced training needed to treat patients with overweight and obesity safely and effectively.
To ensure that candidates acquire core knowledge pertaining to the science and practice of obesity, a minimum of 60 continuing medical education (CME) credits on the topic of obesity is required for certification. For more information, visit https://www.abom.org/
Clinicians can look forward to new requirements and review courses to come.
2-Shifting Toward Targeted Health Outcomes
Professional societies like The Obesity Society (TOS), the Obesity Medical Association (OMA), the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Heart Association and the Endocrine Society, to name some, are following the scientific data and best practices to draft New Practice Guidelines and Standards of Care for healthcare professionals.
The core focus is shifting away from weight loss to meaningful health gains like improved liver and heart health, reducing the burden of sleep apnea and osteoarthritis, and improved quality of life and activities of daily living.
The many professional societies concur that obesity care is personalized care. Obesity treatments move beyond the scale to target each individual’s health conditions.
Highlighting this major shift, the new ADA Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, Evaluation and Staging in Adults: Standards of Care in Overweight and Obesity 2026, was just published online.
This document provides a modern blueprint for clinicians to diagnose and assess obesity-based medical complications and risk factors, rather than solely relying on a body mass index (BMI).
3-Including Patient Voices
Patients are also important stakeholders in the future of obesity care.
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) has been leading the way to capture patient voices in their advocacy efforts and now partnering with clinical research teams.
The OAC is launching the Lived Experience Research Collaborative (LERC) to transform how obesity research is developed, implemented, and evaluated by centering the voices of individuals with lived experience.
In addition, listening closely to our patients’ personal stories and engaging in shared decision-making are vital components of delivering patient-centered care.
My latest book for healthcare professionals, Patient-Centered Weight Management, serves as a practical guide to prepare clinicians, target health outcomes and honor patient voices in obesity care.
I’m excited about the future of obesity care.
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
