Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit 2026

Advanced Obesity Management, Metabolic Health & Personalized Care

Stay current with the latest advances in obesity medicine and comprehensive weight management through the Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit 2026.

Held May 8–9, 2026, this expert-led educational summit brings together healthcare professionals to explore innovative approaches to the prevention, treatment, and long-term management of obesity and its associated complications.

The program addresses obesity from a multidisciplinary perspective, including lifestyle interventions, nutrition, exercise, anti-obesity medications, GLP-1 agonists, metabolic and bariatric surgery, behavioral health, health disparities, patient-centered care, and weight recurrence.

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Course Details

• Course: Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit
• Year: 2026
• Dates: May 8–9, 2026
• Format: In-Person & Live Stream
• Provider: Cleveland Clinic
• Specialty: Obesity Medicine / Metabolic Health
• Focus: Obesity, Diabetes, Weight Management & Comprehensive Patient Care

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Course Overview

The Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit is designed for healthcare practitioners interested in innovative solutions and new strategies for caring for patients with obesity.

The program explores the complex causes and consequences of obesity while providing practical approaches to prevention and treatment.

Key areas include:

• Causes of obesity and diabetes
• Preventive strategies
• Lifestyle modification
• Diet and exercise
• Anti-obesity medications
• GLP-1 agonists
• Behavioral interventions
• Metabolic and bariatric surgery
• Patient-centered obesity treatment
• Obesity-related complications
• Health disparities
• Weight recurrence
• Management of obesity across diverse populations

The multidisciplinary approach makes the program relevant to clinicians caring for patients across different ages, backgrounds, and levels of obesity-related risk.

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Personalized Obesity Care

Learn how to consider the complete spectrum of patient needs when developing obesity treatment plans, including:

• Biological factors
• Psychological factors
• Social factors
• Cultural factors

The program emphasizes creating personalized and comprehensive obesity care plans rather than relying on a single treatment approach.

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Obesity Across Diverse Populations

Explore the unique challenges involved in managing obesity among:

• Children
• Older adults
• Patients with multiple comorbidities
• Diverse patient populations

The course highlights strategies for adapting obesity management to individual patient characteristics and clinical circumstances.

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GLP-1 Agonists & Anti-Obesity Medications

Review contemporary pharmacologic approaches to weight management, including:

• GLP-1 agonists
• Anti-obesity medications
• Patient-specific treatment considerations
• Integration of medication with lifestyle interventions
• Long-term weight management

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Lifestyle, Nutrition & Exercise

Explore practical approaches to:

• Dietary counseling
• Exercise prescription
• Behavioral interventions
• Lifestyle modification
• Long-term weight management

The program emphasizes combining lifestyle strategies with appropriate medical therapies to optimize patient outcomes.

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Obesity & Chronic Disease

Evaluate the clinical impact of obesity on chronic diseases and learn how healthcare teams can integrate:

• Preventive strategies
• Therapeutic interventions
• Risk reduction
• Comprehensive chronic disease management

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Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery

Review the role of metabolic and bariatric surgery, including:

• Surgical indications
• Risks and benefits
• Patient selection
• Pre-operative care
• Post-operative care
• Long-term outcome optimization

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Weight Recurrence

Explore the challenges associated with maintaining weight loss and managing weight recurrence as part of long-term obesity care.

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Interdisciplinary Obesity Management

The summit emphasizes collaborative care involving multiple healthcare professionals.

Topics include:

• Interdisciplinary obesity treatment
• Interprofessional collaboration
• Patient-centered care
• Coordinated treatment strategies
• Team-based weight management

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Learning Objectives

By attending this program, participants 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 involved in managing obesity across diverse populations, including children, older adults, and individuals with comorbidities.
• Apply strategies for optimizing patient outcomes through GLP-1 agonists, anti-obesity medications, behavioral interventions, and lifestyle modifications.
• Incorporate exercise prescription and dietary counseling into obesity management.
• Evaluate the clinical impact of obesity on chronic diseases and integrate preventive and therapeutic strategies.
• Appraise the indications, risks, and benefits of metabolic and bariatric surgery.
• Apply appropriate pre-operative and post-operative care strategies.
• Identify interdisciplinary and interprofessional approaches to obesity management.
• Develop practical skills for collaborating across disciplines to deliver patient-centered obesity care.

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Who Should Attend?

The summit is directed toward healthcare professionals and other individuals interested in obesity-related fields.

Best For

• Endocrinologists
• Family Practice Physicians
• Cardiologists
• Internal Medicine Physicians
• Pediatricians
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists
• Bariatric Surgeons
• Wellness Specialists

Also Relevant For

• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses
• Physician Assistants
• Dietitians
• Social Workers
• Pharmacists
• Researchers
• Hospital Administrators
• Corporate Administrators

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Major Clinical Areas

• Obesity Medicine
• Diabetes
• Metabolic Health
• Weight Management
• GLP-1 Agonists
• Anti-Obesity Medications
• Lifestyle Medicine
• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Behavioral Interventions
• Bariatric Surgery
• Metabolic Surgery
• Weight Recurrence
• Obesity-Related Complications
• Health Disparities
• Patient-Centered Care
• Interdisciplinary Obesity Management

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Why This Course Is Valuable

The Cleveland Clinic 19th Annual Obesity Summit 2026 provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to one of the most important challenges in modern healthcare.

Rather than focusing exclusively on weight reduction, the program addresses the biological, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of obesity, while examining medications, lifestyle interventions, surgery, behavioral approaches, and long-term patient management.

+ Topics:

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

 

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