Pediatric Committee

Jeffrey Zitsman, MD
Chair

Jeremy Aidlen, MD FACS FAAP
Co-Chair

Farah Husain, MD
Executive Council Liaison

Members

Marwa Abu El Haija, MBBS
Angelina Bernier, MD
Aleksander Bernshteyn, MD
Allen Browne, MD 
Matias Bruzoni, MD
Judy Chen, MD FASMBS
Artur Chernoguz, MD
Joy Collins, MD 
Anita Courcoulas, MD MPH
Robert Cywes, MD PhD
Daniel DeUgarte, MD 

Amy D’Angelo, MPH RD LDN
Laura Fischer, MD MS FACS FASMBS
Jason Fraser, MD FACS FAAP
Thomas Inge, MD PhD  
Edmund Lee, MD
Sanita Ley, PhD
Lori Lynch, DNP APRN CPNP CBN
Kristin McCoy, MD
Marc Michalsky, MD FASMBS
Nestor de la Cruz-Munoz, MD
Ann O’Connor, MD

David Podkameni, MD FASMBS
Janey Pratt, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past Chair
Faisal Qureshi, MD MBA
Kirk Reichard, MD, Senior Past Chair
Kamran Samakar, MD
Kimberly Steele, MD PhD FASMBS
Toghrul Talishinskiy, MD FACS FASMBS Nancy Thompson, MS RN CPNP CBN
Mark Wulkan, MD 

Ad Hoc Member

Jaime Moore, MD MPH, The Obesity Society (TOS)

ASMBS Staff Liaison

Leslie Vinson

Description

The mission of the Pediatric Committee is to develop, foster and promote best care practices and resources for the pediatric bariatric patient. The Pediatric committee has continued to carry out its strategic mission in response to the increase prevalence of severe obesity within the pediatric population and associated rise in the number of weight loss surgeries being performed as a result of this public health crisis.

Mission

  • To improve the care and treatment of people suffering from obesity
  • To advocate the science and understanding of metabolic and bariatric surgery
  • To foster communication between health professionals on obesity and related conditions
  • To be the recognized authority and resource on metabolic and bariatric surgery
  • To advocate for the health care policy that ensures patient access to high quality prevention and treatment of obesity
  • To be a highly valued specialty society that serves the educational professional needs of its diverse membership

Objectives

  • Provide leadership on pediatric bariatric surgery
  • Expand membership (adult surgeons, nursing, behavior sciences, etc.)
  • Develop and maintain resources for existing/developing centers that provide care for pediatric patients
  • Develop and maintain web content for Professionals (public information to be coordinated with the Public Education Committee)
  • Collaborate with Access to Care Committee for pediatric bariatric surgery issues

Committee Goals

  1. Update ASMBS website on pediatric bariatric surgery
  2. ASMBS Pediatric Surgery Course at Annual Meeting 2023
  3. Create a Resource Toolkit to assist with developing a pediatric program
  4. Update the 2018 ASMBS Pediatric Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Guidelines
  5. Augment Guidelines to include additional content from Pediatric Course
  6. Continue to push MBS publications in pediatric literature
  7. Increase young members on the committee
  8. Continue to develop relationship with the TOS Pediatric Committee

Specific Projects that Achieve Goals and Objectives

  1. The committee reviewed and updated the pediatric bariatric surgery resources on the ASMBS website in phase I and are now working on more extensive revision – phase II
  2. Develop and direct ASMBS Course “New Rules and New Tools: Pediatric Obesity Care”
  3. Phase II Development of an easy to locate repository of bariatric handouts and resources for pediatric patients containing nutrition handbooks, consent/assent forms, templates, protocols for surgery, anesthesia, preop evaluation, etc. on the ASMBS website
  4. 2018 Pediatric Guidelines Update – aiming for 2022-2023 with intention to include more about bias mediation, lack of access, transition of care, and new data supporting safety and efficacy especially when combined with medications
  5. Several MBS papers were published in non-surgical journals
  6. Several members joined the committee throughout the year
  7. TOS Pediatric Committee Chair is an Ad Hoc member of the committee

2022-2023 Completed Projects

  1. Collaboration with the Clinical Issues Committee, et al.: 2022 ASMBS and IFSO: Indications for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, October 2022
  2. Updated the ASMBS Website Pediatric Public Education page – Phase 1 of website revision complete
  3. Contributed content regarding “Raising Awareness for Childhood Obesity Month” to the September 2022 Top 5 on the 5th
  4. Developed and directed Pediatric Course “New Rules and New Tools: Pediatric Obesity Care” at ASMBS Annual Meeting 2023
  5. Added Ad Hoc member from TOS to the Committee
  6. Maintained links with AAP Section on Obesity (SOOB) and American Pediatric Surgical Association Childhood Obesity Committee
  7. Added bariatric surgeons who expressed interest in expanding care for adolescent patients to the committee

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