Brooke Doucet, RN CBN
Chair
Nicole Franklin, PsyD
Co-Chair
Janelle Coughlin, PhD
IHSEC Liaison
Members
Anita Baird, RN BSN CBN
Lucille Beseler, MS RDN LDN CDCES
Genna Hymowitz, PhD, Senior Past Chair
Joshua Malone, NP MS MSN-Ed APRN AGACNP-BC CCRN
Eva Panigrahi, PhD
Kate Rountree, RDN LDN
Colleen Schreyer, PhD, Immediate Past Chair
Dawn Stepnowski, DNP APN-C
Judith Summers, PA-C
Kalyn True, RD LD
Catherine Tuppo, PT MS CLT-LANA
Mae Zoltowsky, RN BSN CPHQ
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 Multidisciplinary Care Committee (IHS MDC) Committee is tasked with providing evidence-based support for the role of team members in the long-term success of bariatric surgical patients. It consists of representatives from various specialties within the integrated team, including exercise, behavioral health, nursing, nutrition, surgery, and obesity medicine.
Description
Composed of experts from different disciplines within the integrated healthcare team, the committee aims to explore and evaluate existing published literature on the role of team members in the care and long-term success of bariatric surgical patients, seeking to define optimal approaches to patient care and identify areas for further investigation.
Objectives
- Define optimal multidisciplinary approach to surgical care.
- Evaluate current evidence and identify knowledge gaps through a comprehensive review of existing literature to assess the impact of multidisciplinary approaches on patient outcomes.
Goals
- Establish a Mentorship Program for professional development, offering valuable guidance and support to integrated health section professionals.
- Host educational webinars for continuous learning, providing opportunities for knowledge dissemination, sharing of best practices, and fostering discussions among IH professionals.
- Collaborate on publications to promote public health awareness with like organizations to publish articles and raise awareness about obesity-related issues and encourage healthy lifestyle choices.
- Enhance committee membership diversity to include representatives from all integrated health specialties in order to leverage expertise.
2024/2025 Current Projects
- ASMBS Integrated Health Section Mentorship Program Continues.
2023/2024 Completed Projects
- Launched the ASMBS Integrated Health Section Mentorship Program in June 2023 at the Annual Meeting with completion of pairing December 2023 and beginning of mentoring January 2024.
Apply to Join a Committee
