Research Committee

Abdelrahman Nimeri, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Chair

Michael Edwards, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Co-Chair

Ann Rogers, MD, FACS, DABS-FPMBS, FASMBS
Executive Council Liaison

Members

  • Ben Clapp, MD (Past Chair)
  • Tammy Kindel, MD (Past Co-Chair)
  • Dimitrios Stefanidis, MD, PhD, FASMBS
  • Nancy Puzziferri, MD
  • Mohammed Ali, MD
  • John Pilcher, MD
  • Bhavani Pokala, MD
  • Shanil Shah, DO
  • Subhash Kini, MD
  • Victoria Lyo, MD
  • Pavlos Papsavas, MD
  • Elizabeth Hechenbleikner, MD
  • Marios Alogakos, MD
  • Tom Shin, MD
  • Sergio Bardaro, MD
  • Milot Thaqi, MD
  • Mike Kachmar, DO
  • Tarik Yuce, MD
  • Jason Samuels, MD
  • Austin Airhart, MD

ASMBS Staff Liaison

  • Karen Loerzel, MS, CMP, ODCP

Mission

  • To advance the science and understanding of metabolic and bariatric surgery
  • To improve the care and treatment of people with obesity and related diseases

Description

The mission of the Research Committee is to advance the science of metabolic and bariatric surgery by advocating clinical and basic science research.

Objectives

  • Promote the highest quality research in metabolic and bariatric surgery
  • Establish grant opportunities for academic and private practice research
  • Identify new research opportunities

Committee Goals

ASMBS Mission(s) Met by the Committee

  • To advance the science and understanding of metabolic and bariatric surgery
  • To improve the care and treatment of people with obesity

Short-Term

  • Select and award the 2024-2025 ASMBS/TREO grant
  • Present committee’s work at the annual 2025 ASMBS meeting
  • Complete and submit survey manuscripts to SOARD
  • Identify the rsearch priorities of ASMBS research collaborative members
  • Complete the VTE, PPI, and Heart Failure research protocols
  • Define the policies and process of the ASMBS research collaborative
  • Sign data transfer agreements with research collaborative sites
Specific Projects that Achieve Goals and Objectives
  • Promote the highest quality research in metabolic and bariatric surgery
  • Establish grant opportunities for academic and private practice researchers
  • Explore new research opportunities and funding streams
  • Create and maintain the ASMBS Research Collaborative

Mid-Term

  • Conduct and complete the first ASMBS collaborative research projects
  • Develop and administrative structure for the ASMBS research collaborative that will ensure its sustainability
  • Set society research agendato focus on priority research topics (update the Delphi project)
  • Identify and promote the research interests of the ASMBS membership
  • Maintain ability to fund ASMBS research grants
  • Promote relationships between ASMBS research efforts and MBSAQIP
  • Assist members to being and maintain research protocols
Specific Projects that Achieve Goals and Objectives
  • Updated the grant selection process
  • Create a report on the awarded grants for publication in SOARD
  • Surveyed the ASMBS membership on. current practices regarding DVT/VTE and PPI usage and submitted two abstracts to ASMBS annual meeting
  • Held membership wide zoom meetings to discuss the creation of a Research Collaborative with over 200 participating sites
  • Submitted three (3) abstracts to the ASMBS Annual Meeting on our surveys to the membership on VTE and PPI and on the experience of ASMBS grant recipients
  • Created the framework for the Research Collaboartive – which will allow members to submit research proposals for prospective trials that could include 20-50% of the membership. Obtained IRB approval from Indiana University

Long-Term

  • Increase availability of research support funds for members
  • Develop new projects that will address important research questions in bariatric surgery
  • Create a robust ASMBS Research Colaborative that will enable the conduct of high quality prospective studies and acquisiton of grants to conduct them

Completed Projects

  • Awarded two (2) grants in 2025

ASMBS Research Committee 2025 Top Two Accomplishments:

  1. Continuing the ASMBS Research Collaborative (ARC) with over 200 MBSAQIP sites engaged in the first two collaborative research projects related to VTE and PPI prophylaxis.
  2. Awarded two (2) research grants in 2025

View Research Produced by ASMBS Research Grant Awards

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