I have been caring for hearts for over 20 years.
Me (little redhead in front, age 4) and my family next to our apartment building in the Edgemere projects in Rockaway, Queens. Rita, far left, age 19. The beginning of her lifelong journey with her weight, and our friendship.
Rita lost her fight in 2015 after a lifetime of managing the complications from what the medical field calls “morbid obesity”. Rita shared to me that her doctors said things that left her feeling ashamed and humiliated. We now know that her weight was not her fault.
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Rita and her kitty, age 30
She tried to find doctors who were accepting of her condition, but this was not easy. I have no doubt that her medical problems progressed because she delayed seeking care, afraid of feeling shamed.
With the sadness that I did not know how to help Rita while she was alive, I sought training in “Obesity Medicine” to try to bring evidence-based practice to my patients and help them lose weight safely and in line with their other medical problems. If I couldn’t help my sister, I wanted to help my patients, my community.
I created a telemedicine practice that incorporates what I have learned to serve all of Ohio. There are silver linings in every cloud: the pandemic increased medical services that are treated online. As it turns out, weight loss is more effective using online tools. (Johnson, et al. Telemedicine and e-Health Vol. 25 No. 2 (2019))
Credentials
Ohio Medical License: 1997 to present
Board Certified Internal Medicine 1996 - present
Board Certified Cardiology 2003 - present
Medical School: University of Texas, Southwestern 1991
Cardiology Fellowship: Case Western Reserve University/MetroHealth Medical Center 2001
Fellow of the American College of Cardiology 2008 - present
Member Obesity Medicine Association 2018 - present
Trained in “Intuitive Eating” methods 2020