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TOS Spokesperson Network

The Obesity Society (TOS) has an established network of experts across diverse disciplines who are trained and qualified to serve as TOS spokespersons, listed below. These professionals are available for interviews and commentary on a wide range of topics, including:

Weight Management and Metabolism

TOS experts can explain the science behind weight regulation, energy balance, and effective, evidence-based approaches to weight management.

Obesity Policy

Specialists address the unique causes, prevention strategies, and treatment considerations for obesity in children and adolescents.

Anti-Obesity Medications

Qualified spokespersons provide insight into current and emerging pharmacologic treatments for obesity and how they work.

Health Impacts of Obesity

Experts explain how obesity increases the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, and highlight the importance of early intervention to improve long-term health outcomes.

Spokesperson Network

Request an Interview

To request an interview with a TOS spokesperson, please email [email protected] and include the following details:

  • Your name
  • Contact information
  • Credentials
  • Deadline
  • Area of expertise or specific spokesperson requested

Jacqueline M. Stephens, PhD, FTOS

President

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dr. Jacqueline Stephens is the Claude B. Pennington, Jr. Endowed Chair at Pennington Biomedical, where she leads research in adipocyte biology and teaches endocrinology at Louisiana State University. She is deeply committed to mentoring, advancing scientific rigor, and reducing weight stigma.

Areas of Expertise: Adipocyte biology; Endocrinology; Research leadership; Mentorship; Weight stigma reduction

Jonathan Purnell, MD, FTOS

President-Elect

Portland, Oregon

Dr. Jonathan Purnell is a Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, specializing in endocrinology and obesity medicine. His work spans translational research on cardiometabolic health and metabolic-bariatric surgery, and he has led major national efforts to improve medical education in obesity care.

Areas of Expertise: Endocrinology; Obesity medicine; Cardiometabolic health; Medical education

Marc-Andre Cornier, MD, FTOS

Immediate Past President

Charleston, South Carolina

Dr. Marc-Andre Cornier is Professor of Medicine and Director of Endocrinology at the Medical University of South Carolina. A clinician-scientist with long-term National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, he studies the regulation of food intake and metabolism and leads multidisciplinary weight-loss services.

Areas of Expertise: Endocrinology; Metabolism; Food intake regulation; Clinical weight-loss programs

Vance L. Albaugh, MD, PhD, DABOM, DABS-FPMBS, FACS, FASMBS

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dr. Vance Albaugh is a metabolic and bariatric surgeon and researcher at Louisiana State University and Pennington Biomedical, whose work focuses on the gut–brain axis, obesity pharmacotherapy, and metabolic surgery. He has authored more than 100 scientific publications.

Areas of Expertise: Metabolic surgery; Gut–brain axis; Obesity pharmacotherapy

Allen Browne, MD, FAAP, FACS, FAAP, FOMA

Falmouth, Maine

Dr. Allen Browne is a pediatric and adolescent obesity specialist and a retired surgeon who has led major weight-management programs and served as the lead investigator for the first Food and Drug Administration study of gastric banding in adolescents.

Areas of Expertise: Pediatric obesity; Adolescent weight management; Clinical program leadership

Peminda K. Cabandugama, MD, DABOM

Cleveland, Ohio

Dr. Peminda Cabandugama is an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, where he leads innovation efforts and the Obesity Medicine Fellowship. He is widely published and a national leader within TOS.

Areas of Expertise: Endocrinology; Obesity medicine; Clinical innovation

Karen Corbin, PhD, RD

Orlando, Florida

Dr. Karen Corbin is an Associate Investigator and Obesity Program Lead at AdventHealth, whose research focuses on the mechanisms of nutrition, metabolism, and the gut microbiome that drive metabolic disease. She also founded Geeks That Speak to advance scientific storytelling.

Areas of Expertise: Nutrition science; Metabolism; Gut microbiome; Clinical-translational research; Scientific communication

Richele Corrado, MD

Washington, D.C.

Dr. Richele Corrado is an internist and obesity medicine specialist known for advancing obesity care in the Department of Defense. She co-led the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense guideline update and is an award‑winning educator and national speaker.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity medicine; Military health; Clinical education; Guideline development

Reema Dbouk, MD

Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Reema Dbouk is an Assistant Professor at Emory University and co-founder of the Emory Lifestyle and Weight Management Clinic, focusing on evidence-based obesity care, weight stigma reduction, and AI-enabled clinical innovation.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity care; Weight stigma reduction; AI in healthcare

Florencia Halperin, MD

Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Florencia Halperin is Chief Medical Officer at Form Health and a Harvard-trained endocrinologist specializing in virtual evidence-based obesity care. She previously co-founded Brigham’s weight management center.

Areas of Expertise: Endocrinology; Telehealth obesity care; Metabolic management

Faith Anne Heeren, PhD

Winston‑Salem, North Carolina

Dr. Faith Anne Heeren is a postdoctoral fellow at Wake Forest University, studying ways to improve the clinical care experience for individuals living with obesity. A longtime patient advocate, she founded OCEANS to support adolescents undergoing obesity treatment.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity care experience; Patient advocacy; Adolescent support; Clinical research

Wayne Ho, MD

Los Angeles, California

Dr. Wayne Ho is an internal medicine and obesity specialist, clinical investigator in diabetes and obesity, and professor at Keck School of Medicine, focused on improving access to high-quality obesity care.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity medicine; Clinical research; Public health

Robert M. Homer, MD, PhD

Boca Raton, Florida

Dr. Robert Homer is a psychiatrist and obesity medicine diplomate integrating metabolic and mental health care using pharmacotherapy, motivational interviewing, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)-informed approaches.

Areas of Expertise: Integrated obesity–mental health care; CBT; Motivational interviewing

Sibylle Kranz, PhD, RDN, FTOS

Charlottesville, Virginia

Dr. Sibylle Kranz is a University of Virginia researcher and TOS Fellow specializing in child nutrition, diet quality, feeding trials, and national nutrition policy.

Areas of Expertise: Child nutrition; Diet quality; Nutrition policy

Becca Krukowski, PhD

Charlottesville, Virginia

Dr. Becca Krukowski is a Professor at the University of Virginia whose National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research focuses on digital behavioral weight management, self‑monitoring strategies, and improving access to evidence‑based interventions.

Areas of Expertise: Behavioral interventions; Digital health; Self‑monitoring

Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Ted Kyle is a pharmacist, health policy expert, and founder of ConscienHealth, widely known for advancing public understanding of obesity through his daily evidence-based commentary.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity policy; Science communication; Public health messaging

Travis Masterson, PhD

State College, Pennsylvania

Dr. Travis Masterson directs Penn State’s Health, Ingestive Behavior, and Technology Lab, studying food cue reactivity, food noise, and environmental influences using novel technologies and methodologies.

Areas of Expertise: Ingestive behavior; Neuroscience; Digital food environments

Jennifer Nasser, PhD RD

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dr. Jennifer Nasser is an Associate Professor of Nutrition Science in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University.  She is the director of the Human Eating Behavior Research Laboratory and the lead investigator and Interim Director of The SNAP-Ed Eat Right Philly Program at Drexel.

Areas of Expertise: Ingestive behavior; nutritional neuroscience; non-invasive brain scanning; clinical/health consequences of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and substance abuse.

Christina Nguyen, MD

Flowery Branch, Georgia

Dr. Christina Nguyen is a dual board‑certified family and obesity medicine physician at Knownwell and a former Medical Director of Obesity Medicine at Northeast Georgia Health System.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity medicine; Family medicine; Advocacy

Tracy Norfleet, MD, MBA

St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Tracy Norfleet is triple board‑certified in internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine, the founder of Weight Liberation, and a TEDx speaker on breaking weight bias in healthcare.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity medicine; Lifestyle medicine; Weight bias

Marsha Novick, MD

Malvern, Pennsylvania

Dr. Marsha Novick is an obesity medicine specialist and Medical Director of Weight Management & Wellness Online with over 20 years’ experience treating children and adults.

Areas of Expertise: Pediatric obesity; Adult obesity; Telehealth

Babak Orandi, MD, PhD

New York, New York

Dr. Babak Orandi is a transplant surgeon, obesity medicine specialist, and NIH‑funded investigator at New York University, and the founding director of the POWER Clinic supporting pre‑transplant weight optimization.

Areas of Expertise: Transplant surgery; Obesity medicine; Clinical research

Robyn Pashby, PhD

Washington, D.C.

Dr. Robyn Pashby is a clinical health psychologist and national expert in behavioral obesity treatment.  She leads Health Psychology Partners and serves on major national committees.

Areas of Expertise: Behavioral obesity treatment; Clinical psychology; Chronic disease care; Food Noise

Ivania Rizo, MD

Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Ivania Rizo is Director of Obesity Medicine at Boston Medical Center and focuses on equitable metabolic and diabetes care as a board‑certified endocrinologist and obesity specialist.

Areas of Expertise: Endocrinology; Obesity medicine; Health equity

Katie Robinson, MD, PhD

Iowa City, Iowa

Dr. Robinson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa, studying weight stigma, adiposity‑related health risks, and clinical outcomes related to obesity and diabetes.

Areas of Expertise: Weight stigma; Endocrinology; Clinical outcomes

Renee Rogers, PhD

Kansas City, Kansas

Dr. Renee Rogers is a lifestyle intervention specialist with 20+ years’ experience designing physical activity and weight management programs across research, clinical, and corporate settings.

Areas of Expertise: Physical activity; Lifestyle intervention design; Behavior change

Katherine H. Saunders, MD, FTOS

New Canaan, Connecticut
New York, New York

Dr. Katherine H. Saunders is an internationally recognized physician innovator. She is on the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founded FlyteHealth to deliver evidence-based cardio-kidney-metabolic care across the United States.

Areas of Expertise: Pharmacotherapy; Obesity medicine; Cardio-kidney-metabolic care; Health innovation

Melissa Shoemaker, MD, MPH

Dallas, Texas

Dr. Melissa Shoemaker is an obesity, lifestyle, and preventive medicine specialist at the University of Texas, Southwestern, providing multidisciplinary weight wellness care and public health education.

Areas of Expertise: Lifestyle medicine; Obesity medicine; Preventive care

Gitanjali Srivastava, MD

Nashville, Tennessee

Dr. Gitanjali Srivastava is a Professor at Vanderbilt and Chief of Obesity Medicine, leading clinical innovation, fellowship training, and pharmacotherapy research.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity medicine; Pharmacotherapy; Clinical leadership

John Thyfault, PhD

Kansas City, Kansas

Dr. John Thyfault is a Professor at Kansas University Medical Center researching exercise, metabolism, and chronic disease prevention, directing the KU Diabetes Institute.

Areas of Expertise: Exercise physiology; Metabolism; Diabetes prevention

Chelsea Yost, MD

Tampa, Florida

Dr. Chelsea Yost is an Obesity Medicine Specialist at Tampa General Hospital and University of South Florida faculty member active in statewide obesity advocacy.

Areas of Expertise: Obesity medicine; Surgical collaboration; Advocacy

Our spokespersons are committed to helping media professionals clearly understand and accurately communicate complex information to diverse audiences.

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