Lillian Craggs-Dino, DHA RDN LDN CLT
Chair & IHSEC Liaison
Laura Aylward, PhD
Co-Chair
Members
Leah Hurley Ahearn, MS RD LDN
Rheanna Ata Brown, PhD
Cynthia Blalock, MSN, AGPCNP-BC
Rachel Byers, PsyD
Gwendolyn Crispell, RN, MSN, CBN
Kasey Goodpaster, PhD, Immediate Past Chair
Karen Groller, PhD RN CV-BC CMSRN
Karen Grothe, PhD ABPP LP
Haylee Hannah, MS RD LD CSOWM
Carah Horn, MBA-HCA BSN RN
Kellene Isom, PhD MS RD CAGS
Larissa Mahoney, LD RDN
Lisa Matero, PhD
Larissa McGarrity, PhD Clinical Psych Assistant Professor
Jillian Reece, RD LDN
Melissa Santos, PhD
Colleen Tewksbury, PhD MPH RD CSOWM LDN
Amanda Van Prooyen, PharmD BCPS
Clinical Issues Committee MD Liaison
Wesley Vosburg, MD FACS DABOM FASMBS, Chair
ASMBS Staff Liaison
Leslie Vinson
Charge
In alignment with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) mission to elevate global health and quality of life by significantly reducing the impact of obesity and its related illnesses, the Integrated Health Section Clinical Issues Committee (IHSCIC) is charged with creating evidence-based position statements focusing on clinical issues pertinent to the integrated interdisciplinary team. The committee aims to address individual integrated health disciplines’ challenges, with the overarching goal of enhancing the safety, quality, and outcomes of bariatric and metabolic surgical patient care.
Description
The Integrated Health Section Clinical Issues Committee comprises diverse bariatric integrated health professionals, representing disciplines such as nursing, behavioral health, nurse practitioner and physician assistant, registered dietitian, and pharmacist. Committee members are appointed by the Integrated Health Section Executive Council (IHSEC) President, ensuring a broad, equal representation of perspectives and expertise.
Objectives
- Prioritize and develop evidence-based projects and publications, offering clinical and practice recommendations through a multi-specialty integrated health lens.
- Identify, develop, and revise best practice recommendations, clinical guidelines, position statements, and protocols for different integrated health disciplines, reassessing every five years to ensure relevance and accuracy.
- Collaborate with surgeons’ Clinical Issues Committee to provide an integrated health perspective in their projects, fostering a cohesive approach to patient care.
- Provide support to committee members in developing best practices, clinical guidelines, position statements, and recommendations, fostering a collaborative environment conducive to knowledge exchange and innovation.
- Develop protocols for initiating and implementing projects, establishing direct communication channels with the IHEC to streamline processes and ensure effective project management.
Goals
- Prioritize and develop evidence-based projects and publications.
- Rationale: This goal ensures the committee’s efforts are directed towards addressing the most critical clinical and practice issues faced by integrated health teams. This focused approach enhances the relevance and impact of the committee’s work, ultimately leading to improved patient care outcomes and advancements in the field of integrated health.
- Identify, develop, and revise best practice recommendations.
- Foster collaboration with surgeons’ Clinical Issues Committee.
2024/2025 Current Projects
- Multidisciplinary Considerations for Cannabis Use Before and After Bariatric Surgery Review – Pending BEC review.
- Update ASMBS IH Nutritional Guidelines for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient 2016Update: Micronutrients – Draft in progress.
- Contraceptive Counseling and MBS Review – Draft in progress.
2023/2024 Completed Projects
- ASMBS Statement on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery for Beneficiaries of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with a Review of the Literature, Collaboration with Clinical Issues Committee, November 2023.
- Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) and its Role in the Treatment of Obesity: A Systematic Review, Collaboration with Clinical Issues Committee, September 2023.
Apply to Join a Committee
