Caroline M. Apovian, MD

Adjunct Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Caroline M. Apovian, MD, FACP, FTOS, DABOM is Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Until December 2020, she was the Director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center and the Fellowship Program in Obesity Medicine and Nutrition at Boston Medical Center (BMC). For over thirty years, Dr. Apovian has held a position at the forefront of the obesity and nutrition fields. One of the world’s premier weight loss experts, she has distinguished herself as a leading researcher, healthcare provider, teacher, and New York Times bestselling author.

Under Dr. Apovian’s direction, the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at BMC has specialized in the assessment and treatment of obesity and its comorbidities with a focus on underserved populations, as the Center sees a diverse ethnic population. Nationally, she is one of the founding creators of the American Board of Obesity Medicine which provides certification and recognition for physicians who have specialized knowledge and training in the practice of obesity medicine.

Her current research interests are weight change and its effects on adipose tissue metabolism and inflammation, obesity and cardiovascular disease, resolution of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the bariatric surgery population, disparities in the treatment of obesity in underserved populations, and novel pharmacotherapeutic agents for the treatment of obesity. She is also an expert in sampling subcutaneous adipose tissue and muscle tissue in humans and has been studying the relationship between adipose tissue inflammation and obesity for over 15 years.

Dr. Apovian has published over ten books and over 200 peer-reviewed original research and review articles on obesity and nutrition. Dr. Apovian was a member of the expert panel for updating the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, published in the Circulation and Obesity journals and was the Chair of the Endocrine Society Guidelines for Medical Treatment of Obesity published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2015. She is a former Nutrition Consultant for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Dr. Apovian has given over 150 invited lectures nationally and internationally and currently serves as Immediate Past-President of The Obesity Society (2017-2018). She has been an active member of The Obesity Society since 1994 and was Secretary/Treasurer from 2005-2009 and President from 2017-2018. She is also Co-Director of the Blackburn Course in Obesity Medicine and Co-Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored Boston Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (BNORC).

Publications

  • Published 7/29/2025

    Jirapinyo P, Hadefi A, Thompson CC, Patai ÁV, Pannala R, Goelder SK, Kushnir V, Barthet M, Apovian CM, Boskoski I, Chapman CG, Davidson P, Donatelli G, Kumbhari V, Hayee B, Esker J, Hucl T, Pryor AD, Maselli R, Schulman AR, Pattou F, Zelber-Sagi S, Bain PA, Durieux V, Triantafyllou K, Thosani N, Huberty V, Sullivan S. Erratum to American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy-European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guideline on primary endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies for adults with obesity, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Volume 99, Issue 6, June 2024, Pages 867-885.e64. Gastrointest Endosc. 2025 Oct; 102(4):626. PMID: 40728484.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/1/2025

    Cusi K, Abdelmalek MF, Apovian CM, Balapattabi K, Bannuru RR, Barb D, Bardsley JK, Beverly EA, Corbin KD, ElSayed NA, Isaacs S, Kanwal F, Pekas EJ, Richardson CR, Roden M, Sanyal AJ, Shubrook JH, Younossi ZM, Bajaj M. Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in People With Diabetes: The Need for Screening and Early Intervention. A Consensus Report of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2025 Jul 01; 48(7):1057-1082. PMID: 40434108.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/3/2025

    Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, Alexander L, Apovian CM, Bindlish S, Bonnet J, Butsch WS, Christensen S, Gianos E, Gulati M, Gupta A, Horn D, Kane RM, Saluja J, Sannidhi D, Stanford FC, Callahan EA. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: A joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and the Obesity Society. Obes Pillars. 2025 Sep; 15:100181. PMID: 40673264.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/30/2025

    Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, Alexander L, Apovian CM, Bindlish S, Bonnet J, Butsch WS, Christensen S, Gianos E, Gulati M, Gupta A, Horn D, Kane RM, Saluja J, Sannidhi D, Stanford FC, Callahan EA. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Jul; 122(1):344-367. PMID: 40450457.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/30/2025

    Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, Alexander L, Apovian CM, Bindlish S, Bonnet J, Butsch WS, Christensen S, Gianos E, Gulati M, Gupta A, Horn D, Kane RM, Saluja J, Sannidhi D, Fatima Cody S, Callahan EA. Nutritional Priorities to Support GLP-1 Therapy for Obesity: A Joint Advisory From the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and the Obesity Society. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2025 May 30; 15598276251344827. PMID: 40452753.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 254 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Adjunct Professor, Pediatrics
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Full Member, Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center
    Boston University Medical Center
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, MD
  • Barnard College, BA

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