Meet the Obesity Medicine Association Board of Trustees
The Governing Body of the OMA
The OMA Board of Trustees sets the strategic direction of the Obesity Medicine Association. Elected by membership, the Board of Trustees is the governing body of OMA, bringing years of expertise in the field of obesity medicine to guide the organization and its membership.
Lydia C. Alexander, MD, DABOM, DABLM, MFOMA
President
Dr. Lydia C. Alexander is the Chief Medical Officer for Enara Health. She is a fellow and diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and she is also a medical chef! Dr. Alexander received her B.A. from Tufts University in International Relations and Spanish with a minor in Political Science and her M.D. from UC Davis School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and received her residency training at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, where she was also Chief Resident.
Dr. Alexander is passionate about the practice of obesity medicine and committed to working with the Obesity Medicine Association to further its mission, including educating primary care providers about the benefits of taking a weight-centric approach when addressing chronic diseases. She credits her mentor, Dr. Carla Callao, also an ABOM diplomate, for introducing her to this highly fulfilling field of medicine where doctors focus on treating the “roots, not the fruits” of disease. In her free time, Dr. Alexander loves to be with her four children, husband, and dog. She ran competitive track and field through college and still enjoys running the annual family Spartan Race, rock climbing with her boys, bicycling, reading, and, of course, cooking!
Harold Bays, MD, MFOMA (CSO), FTOS, FACC, FNLA, FASPC
President-Elect, Chief Science Officer
Dr. Harold Bays is the Medical Director and President of the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He has served as a Principal Investigator for over 600 clinical trials. Dr. Bays is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Dr. Bays has authored/co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and book chapters and has authored/coauthored and/or presented hundreds of abstracts at national and international scientific conferences. He has authored/co-authored scientific consensus statements, position statements, and clinical practice statements.
Dr. Bays originated the term "adiposopathy" ("sick fat"), which helps define the adverse metabolic consequences of obesity-driven dysfunctional adipose tissue. Dr. Bays is Editor-in-Chief of Obesity Pillars® (the official journal of the OMA) and Chief Science Officer of the OMA. Dr. Bays was awarded the Obesity Medicine Clinician of the Year Award (2016), the Committee Leadership Award (2014), and the Dr. Peter G. Lindner Award (2019).
Angela Fitch, MD, FACP, MFOMA
Past President
Dr. Angela Fitch is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer at knownwell and former Co-Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and faculty at Harvard Medical School. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and then went on to do a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospitals. After her four-year residency, Dr. Fitch was chief resident in internal medicine for another year. Dr. Fitch then moved to Minnesota to be a primary care physician for eight years for Fairview Health Systems. There she developed her skills and passion for treating obesity in the primary care setting and also developed a medical home model and a new system of primary care delivery.
Dr. Fitch helped create a multidisciplinary medical-surgical weight center at the University of Cincinnati and was the medical director of the Executive Health Program and Vice President of Primary Care before moving to Boston to join the MGH Weight Center.
She currently is serving as President of OMA and has previously served as President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Trustee on OMA’s Board of Trustees, the 2015-2016 chair of the clinical management of obesity section of The Obesity Society, and a member of the ABOM writing committee.
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Marisa Censani, MD, FOMA
Vice President
Dr. Marisa Censani is the Director of the Pediatric Obesity Program in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital. She founded the Kids and Teens Healthy Weight Program at her institution, where she has developed after-school nutritional sessions for families and collaborated with various sub-specialists in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. She has served as chairperson of OMA’s Pediatric Committee, is a member of the OMA CME Review Committee and CME Planning Committee, and is co-author of OMA’s Pediatric Obesity Algorithm.
As an obesity medicine specialist, her goal is to address obesity and its comorbidities and to provide treatment and education for her patients and their families. Dr. Censani has been a featured speaker in Endocrine Society Annual Meeting news conferences on vitamin D and obesity, and her research has been reported in numerous media outlets, including Medscape, MedPage Today, Endocrine News, Clinical Endocrinology News, Science News, and Science Daily. She is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology and is a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. In 2018, she received the Committee Leadership Award from OMA.
Bharti K. Shetye, MD, DABOM, ABIM, MFOMA
Secretary/Treasurer
Dr. Bharti Shetye (Dr. Abby) is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and a Fellow of the OMA (FOMA). She is also certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). She owns Dr. Abby’s Weight Management Clinic in Tampa, FL, has been the medical director of a bariatric surgical center of excellence in St. Petersburg, FL, and has pioneered an award-winning national model obesity clinic for the Florida Department of Health. She received the Dr. Peter G. Lindner Award from the OMA in 2020 & has been recognized for initiating the OMA Bariatric Medical-Surgical Committee in 2020. She has served on the Board of The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) state chapter & chaired their advocacy committee.
Actively engaged with The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), The Obesity Society (TOS), the Obesity Care Action Network (OCAN), and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), her vision is to slow the growing trajectory of the obesity epidemic. She has walked hand-in-hand with OAC members at Capitol Hill to raise congressional support for the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) legislation. Passionate about Obesity Medicine, she has been active with the OMA since 2006, has been a mentor, served on all OMA committees & considers herself a life-long member.
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Anthony Auriemma, MD, JD, FOMA
Trustee
Dr. Anthony Auriemma is the medical director at Ascension Illinois Weight Loss Solutions in Chicago, IL. He received his medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and completed his residency at Hinsdale Hospital. Dr. Auriemma is board-certified in Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. Dr. Auriemma also serves as an alternate delegate at the American Medical Association, representing the Obesity Medicine Association. He is a founding member and past president of the Illinois Obesity Society.
Karli Burridge, PA-C, MMS, FOMA
Trustee
Sandra Christensen, MSN, ARNP, FNP-BC, MFOMA, FAANP
Trustee
Sandra Christensen is a board-certified nurse practitioner and has specialized in obesity treatment since 2005. She owns Integrative Medical Weight Management in Seattle, Washington, and holds a Certificate of Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine from OMA. Ms. Christensen speaks on the topic of obesity at international, national, state, and local conferences and webinars. She is an Associate Editor of Obesity Pillars®, as well as a contributing author of several OMA Clinical Practice Statements and the OMA Adult Obesity Algorithm. She is the author of the book “A Clinician’s Guide to Discussing Obesity with Patients” published by Springer.
Her OMA service includes education planning and overview, committee leadership, and mentoring clinicians new to obesity medicine. She advocated for the creation of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and serves as its board liaison. Ms. Christensen was the recipient of the Dr. Raymond E. Dietz Meritorious Service Award in 2018 and the Committee Leadership Award in 2019 and was named the OMA Clinician of the Year in 2022. In addition to her OMA service, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Washington Obesity Society. Through clinical practice, speaking, writing, mentoring, and advocacy, she empowers clinicians to address obesity with knowledge and compassion.
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Tiffany N. Lowe Clayton, DO, DABOM, MHPE
Trustee
Tiffany N. Lowe Clayton, DO, DABOM, MHPE (a.k.a Dr. TLC), is an assistant professor and director of clinical education at Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lillington, North Carolina. She is also an obesity medicine specialist at WakeMed Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Loss, with practices in both Cary and Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. Additionally, she is the Founder and CEO of the Institute of Transformational Health and Wellness, Inc. in Wendell, North Carolina. She earned her medical degree in 2000 from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, New Jersey, where she also completed an internship and residency in family medicine in 2003. A consummate teacher at heart, Dr. TLC is the author of the best-selling book, “A Woman’s Guide to De-Stress for Success: 10 Essential Tips to Conquer Stress and Live At Your Best.” In her personal life, Dr. TLC is a devoted wife, mother, and “Glamma.” She enjoys spending time with her family as well as traveling, singing and recreational boxing.
Suzanne Cuda, MD, FAAP, MFOMA
Trustee
Dr. Suzanne Cuda is the medical director for Alamo City Healthy Kids & Families, her private practice in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Cuda has served as the Chairperson on the OMA pediatric subcommittee and is on the Speakers Bureau and the CME Planning Committee. She was the Secretary/Treasurer for the Obesity Treatment Foundation, the lead author of the Pediatric Obesity Algorithm, and the Editor in Chief for the Pediatric Self-Assessment program.
At present, Dr. Cuda is the Executive Editor of the online journal for the OMA, Obesity Pillars®. Dr. Cuda is also the moderator for the OMA Pediatric Podcast, “Obesity a Disease.” Dr. Cuda is an active researcher and academician. She has published original articles in peer-reviewed journals and teaches in pediatric residency programs. Dr. Cuda has lectured at the OMA conference many times and has presented at other national conferences. She was a member of the Pediatric Overweight Enrollment Registry for over 5 years. Dr. Cuda is on the MOC committee for the ABOM and is an active question writer for the JARRP. She has provided interviews for Medscape and the Bariatric Times. Dr. Cuda is board-certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Carolynn Francavilla Brown, MD, DABOM, FOMA
Trustee
Dr. Carolynn Francavilla Brown is Board Certified in Family Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She owns and operates Green Mountain Partners for Health and Colorado Weight Care in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Francavilla Brown is a nationally recognized obesity expert, lecturing to clinicians on the topic of obesity as well as teaching through her own platform HelpYourPatientsLoseWeight.com.
She also hosts “The Doctor Francavilla Show”, a podcast about weight and health. She serves on the Obesity Medicine Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Dr. Vernon B. Astler Award for dedicated service and support of OMA in 2017. Dr. Francavilla Brown is an Assistant Professor at Rocky Vista University and a Volunteer Faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Francavilla Brown is also committed to protecting private medical practices as she believes they offer the best care for patients, serving as the Chair-Elect for the AMA’s Private Practice Physician Section. In her free time, she enjoys running, skiing, CrossFit, and exploring Colorado with her husband and two children.
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Christopher Weber, MD, FAAP, FACP, CSCS, DABOM, FOMA
Trustee
Courtney Younglove, MD, FOMA, FACOG, DABOM
Trustee
Ethan Lazarus, MD, MFOMA, AMA Delegate
Ex-Officio
Dr. Ethan Lazarus is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, and a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. He runs the Clinical Nutrition Center in Greenwood Village, Colorado, where he has practiced full-time obesity medicine since 2004. As the OMA delegate at the American Medical Association (AMA), Dr. Lazarus advocated successfully for the recognition of obesity as a disease in 2013. Subsequently, he has introduced and passed policies to improve obesity education, reduce weight bias, and eliminate barriers to providing obesity care.
In recognition of these achievements, the OMA has granted him several awards, including the Dr. Peter G. Lindner Award in 2017, the Obesity Medicine Clinician of the Year in 2015, and the Dr. Vernon B. Astler Award in 2013. Dr. Lazarus is also a Senior Clinical Instructor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and serves as a preceptor in their Obesity Medicine Fellowship training program. In his free time, Dr. Lazarus enjoys spending time in the Colorado outdoors with his wife and three children. He is also an accomplished cellist, pianist, and composer.
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