Uniting to Combat the Burden of Obesity

Event Summary

Start Date/Time: 10/7/2022 8:00 AM
End Date/Time: 10/7/2022 10:00 AM
Venue: Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick Hotel
Address: 801 Greenwich Ave.
City: Warwick
State: Rhode Island
Summary: Steps employers and healthcare stakeholders can take.

Event Description

What: Uniting to Combat the Burden of Obesity & the Benefits of Obesity Management - Learn the steps that employers and healthcare stakeholders can take. 

This event is a collaboration between

and   

• This program will explore the extent of the obesity epidemic, the health risks of obesity, and the ways in which obesity can be costly to your organization.
• Learn how employers are taking action through providing obesity-relevant benefits, and how your organization can improve obesity management to support weight management for appropriate employees.
• Gain access to a robust toolkit compiled by these expert panelists and their respective organizations, helping employers to better understand how to actively engage their employees around chronic weight management. 
• Toolkit will include specific guides, websites, suggestions, and best practices from organizations leading the way with comprehensive benefits including how to address stigma and bias, ERGs, and step-by-step guides. 
• Leave the program with actionable steps your organization can take and continue the conversation, as well as working together with other employer’s by joining RI’s first state-wide Obesity Task Force. 

When: Friday, Oct. 7, 2022; 8-10am (breakfast and registration begin at 7:30am)

Who: 

Click here to register! 

Panelist bios:

Angela Fitch, MD, FACP, FOMA

Angela Fitch, MD, FACP, FOMA is the President Elect at the OMA, Co-Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and assistant professor at the Harvard Medical School. She is board certified in obesity medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. A graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Dr. Fitch worked for Procter and Gamble as a product development engineer before following her passion and attending medical school. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and then stayed for a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics. Dr. Fitch was chief resident in internal medicine before moving to Minnesota to practice primary care at Fairview Health Systems and the University of Minnesota. There she developed her skills and passion for treating obesity in the primary care setting. She began the practice of obesity medicine at the University of Minnesota treating children with obesity. In 2012, Dr. Fitch became the medical director for the Metabolic Health and Weight Management Clinic at Park Nicollet and began practicing obesity medicine full time. Dr. Fitch became a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine in 2012. Dr. Fitch moved back to Cincinnati to create a multidisciplinary medical surgical weight center. There she was also appointed medical director of the Executive Health Program and Vice President of Primary Care before moving to Boston. She currently is serving as Vice President of the Obesity Medicine Association and previously served as a trustee and secretary-treasurer. She was the 2015-2016 chair of the clinical management section of The Obesity Society. Dr. Fitch is the winner of the 2017 Clinician of the Year Award from the Obesity Medicine Association. Dr. Fitch enjoys seeing patients of all ages to help them reach their weight and wellness goals. She enjoys cooking, traveling and outdoor activities with her husband and son and looks forward to exploring New England.

Steve Kogut, Ph.D., MBA

Dr. Stephen Kogut specializes in the areas of medication outcomes research and managed care pharmacy. He teaches courses in pharmacoeconomics, health economic modeling, and health care systems and policy. He is Director for Tracking and Evaluation for Advance-CTR, which serves as Rhode Island’s statewide hub of research resources and services for clinical and translational investigators. Dr. Kogut is a member of the Rhode Island Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board, the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council, and the Board of Directors of Healthcentric Advisors. He is a former member of the Rhode Island Board of Pharmacy, and served as Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice from 2008-2011. His current research interests include the application of pharmacoeconomic research in managed care environments, and measuring and improving the quality of prescription medication use in populations.

Tom Hubbard

Tom Hubbard joined NEHI in 2005 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. At NEHI he is responsible for projects on coverage and payment for innovative biopharmaceuticals, comparative effectiveness research policy, Real World Evidence, medication management and patient medication adherence. He previously served as Executive Assistant for Economic Affairs to U.S. Senator John Kerry, Deputy Director of Economic Development for Governor Michael Dukakis, and Director of Community Development for the City of Gardner. He is a graduate of Harvard and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Nancy Glick

Nancy Glick joined the staff of the National Consumers League as Director of Food and Nutrition Policy in September 2020 after a long career in health and nutrition communications, advocacy, and public policy. At NCL, Nancy works closely with the executive director and stakeholder organizations to develop policy positions and mount education and advocacy campaigns on key issues of concern to consumers, including food insecurity, food safety, eliminating food waste, food fraud, obesity and diet-related diseases, and improving food and beverage labeling.  NCL provides government, businesses, and other organizations with the consumer’s perspective on concerns including child labor, privacy, food safety, and medication information.  Most recently, the NCL released A New Patient-Centered Action Agenda calls for people with obesity to have the same rights and access to care as people with other chronic diseases.  A New Patient-Centered Obesity Action Agenda: Changing the Trajectory of Obesity Through Patient Empowerment, Health Professional Intervention and Supportive Government Policies, a new report with a blueprint to change how Americans think about obesity, empower people with obesity to get the best care, and afford those with obesity the same access to care as adults with other serious chronic diseases. 

Corey O'Brien

Corey O’Brien is Novo Nordisk’s Medical Account Associate Director for the New England region. Corey provides medical insights and health economic outcomes data across the Novo Nordisk medication portfolio to payers, employers, and health system decision makers. This includes information on guidelines, products, disease states, and the drug pipeline. Corey received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and his bachelor’s degree from Providence College. Corey completed a managed-care PGY1 residency at Clinical Pharmacy Services in Shrewsbury, MA focusing on Medicaid formulary management. Following his residency, and prior to joining Novo Nordisk, Corey was employed at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for almost 10 years serving as the Clinical Pharmacy Manager on the Medicare Operations team. Corey was responsible for all aspects of formulary and clinical program management for the Medicare lines of business.

David K. Ahern Ph.D.

Dr. Ahern is a Co-Founder and Senior Scientist for Abacus Health Solutions. He ensures that all Abacus products and programs are evidence-based and scientifically rigorous. He managed a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program at Abacus with over 15 awards and a $10 million dollar portfolio. Over his 40-year career, Dr. Ahern has focused on the intersection of informatics and behavioral science to improve health and healthcare. Dr. Ahern was National Program Director for the Health e-Technologies Initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation from 2002-2009 where he managed a technology research portfolio of 26 grants promoting the use of technology for health behavior change and chronic disease management. Dr. Ahern also serves as the Director of the Digital Behavioral Health & Informatics Research Program within the Department of Psychiatry at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Assistant Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School. He has published over 100 articles, book chapters, and technical reports.