Countdown to Obesity Week 2013

Interview #7

Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, FASMBS

Bariatric Times. 2013;10(7):10–11.

Dr. Nguyen, thank you for taking the time to talk with us about Obesity Week. Please beging by telling us what Obesity Week is?

Obesity Week (OW) is a collaboration between the ASMBS and TOS to merge their respective society’s annual meeting into one. The purpose of this collaboration is to form the largest forum for exchange of information and ideas on the science of obesity, treatments, and preventative strategies. We are expecting more than 5,000 attendees at this initial inaugural event in Atlanta, Georgia, taking place November 11 to 16, 2013.

How is the OW different than our previous ASMBS annual meeting?

Our ASMBS members will continue to find similar traditions of our annual meeting program as in previous years. However, for OW, we have shortened the postgraduate program to two days, which occurs immediately before the scientific session. We then extended the scientific session to 3.5 days. You can now find the preliminary program on the Obesity Week website (www.obesityweek.com)

What are some highlights of the upcoming OW program for the ASMBS?

For the postgraduate program, we will continue to have a variety of courses from which our members may choose. Some of the topics we will be covering are fundamentals of bariatric surgery, complications of sleeve gastrectomy, optimizing your practice, the new Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), and the advanced bariatric life support course, just to name a few. Additionally, we have several hands-on laboratories from which our members may choose. These labs include the following: flexible endoscopy lab, sleeve gastrectomy lab, advanced suturing lab, and, new this year, the endoscopic suturing lab. Within the scientific session, there are many symposia and, of course, many scientific presentations. We had a record number of scientific and video abstract submissions this year. We will continue with our tradition of highlighting the top 10 scientific papers on the program. We also have many great symposiums, some of which include lively debates, access coverage, and an optimal technique video session. We also have several collaborative symposia, such as the ASMBS/International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) symposium on the topic of bariatric surgery around the world, the ASMBS/TOS/Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Bariátrica e Metabólica. (SBCBM) symposium on multidisciplinary management of metabolic syndrome, and the ASMBS/TOS symposium on the management of adolescent obesity. New this year, we will have a live televised surgery symposium of primary and revisional bariatric operations on Thursday, November 13, 2013. We will continue to have our yearly Mason lecture. This year, the Mason lecturer will be Dr. Bruce Wolfe who will be updating us on the new National Institues of Health (NIH) guideline. Finally, we certainly cannot forget our presidential address, presented by our president Dr. Jaime Ponce, which will take place on Friday, November 14, 2013 at 11:15am

It sounds like there are a lot of great things planned for all attendees. Do you have any words for someone who may still be deciding whether they should attend the OW meeting?

I can just say that this is an event that you do not want to miss. For our ASMBS members, not only can you enjoy our traditional ASMBS program, you can also attend any of the TOS programing, all of which is included with your registration fee. New this year, there are also seven partner symposiums that you can attend: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO), American Heart Association (AHA), Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and IFSO. Additionally, we will continue to offer our lively social events, including the welcome reception and the “After Dark” dance. I hope to see everyone on the dance floor and mingling with our executive council. Also do not forget to attend the ASMBS Foundation award luncheon, which will take place on Tuesday, November 11, 2013. Reserve your seat early as seating is limited. I hope to see everyone there for this exciting and memorable, inaugural event of what will be the largest obesity meeting to date.

Dr. Nguyen, thank you again for speaking with us. We look forward to seeing you at Obesity Week 2013.

To learn more about Obesity Week 2013, please visit www.obesityweek.com.

Obesity Week Upcoming Dates and Venues

Obesity Week 2013
Atlanta, Georgia
November 11–16

Obesity Week 2014
Boston, Massachusetts
November 2–7

Obesity Week 2015
Los Angeles, California
November 1–7

Category: Interviews, Past Articles