Caroline M. Apovian, MD
Adjunct Professor, 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).
Other Positions
- Adjunct Professor, Diabetes & Endocrinology, 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
Education
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, MD
- Barnard College, BA
Publications
- Published on 7/28/2022
Ludwig DS, Apovian CM, Aronne LJ, Astrup A, Cantley LC, Ebbeling CB, Heymsfield SB, Johnson JD, King JC, Krauss RM, Taubes G, Volek JS, Westman EC, Willett WC, Yancy WS, Friedman MI. Competing paradigms of obesity pathogenesis: energy balance versus carbohydrate-insulin models. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022 09; 76(9):1209-1221. PMID: 35896818.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/7/2022
Karampela I, Vallianou N, Magkos F, Apovian CM, Dalamaga M. Obesity, Hypovitaminosis D, and COVID-19: the Bermuda Triangle in Public Health. Curr Obes Rep. 2022 Sep; 11(3):116-125. PMID: 35391661.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/17/2022
Bikman BT, Shimy KJ, Apovian CM, Yu S, Saito ER, Walton CM, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. A high-carbohydrate diet lowers the rate of adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022 09; 76(9):1339-1342. PMID: 35177807.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/19/2022
Coughlin JW, Nauman E, Wellman R, Coley RY, McTigue KM, Coleman KJ, Jones DB, Lewis K, Tobin JN, Wee CC, Fitzpatrick SL, Desai JR, Murali S, Morrow EH, Rogers AM, Wood GC, Schlundt DG, Apovian CM, Duke MC, McClay JC, Soans R, Nemr R, Williams N, Courcoulas A, Holmes JH, Anau J, Toh S, Sturtevant JL, Horgan CE, Cook AJ, Arterburn DE. Preoperative Depression Status and Five Year Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in the PCORnet Bariatric Study Cohort. Ann Surg. 2022 Jan 19. PMID: 35058404.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/5/2022
Charoenngam N, Ponvilawan B, Thongpiya J, Yingchoncharoen P, Chaikijurajai T, Chaisidhivej N, Apovian CM, Ungprasert P. Body mass index and risk of clostridioides difficile infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Infection. 2022 Jun; 50(3):725-737. PMID: 34985688.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/27/2021
Istfan N, Hasson B, Apovian C, Meshulam T, Yu L, Anderson W, Corkey BE. Acute carbohydrate overfeeding: a redox model of insulin action and its impact on metabolic dysfunction in humans. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2021 11 01; 321(5):E636-E651. PMID: 34569273.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/14/2021
Gagliano-Jucá T, Apovian CM. Eliminating the "Morbid" in Obesity: A Step Toward More Sensitive Documentation in the Era of Open Notes. Ann Intern Med. 2021 10; 174(10):1452-1453. PMID: 34516274.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/1/2021
Charoenngam N, Kalajian TA, Shirvani A, Yoon GH, Desai S, McCarthy A, Apovian CM, Holick MF. Reply to S Minisola et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 09 01; 114(3):1252-1253. PMID: 34467971.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/1/2021
Charoenngam N, Kalajian TA, Shirvani A, Yoon GH, Desai S, McCarthy A, Apovian CM, Holick MF. A pilot-randomized, double-blind crossover trial to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of orally administered 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and vitamin D3 in healthy adults with differing BMI and in adults with intestinal malabsorption. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 09 01; 114(3):1189-1199. PMID: 34008842.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/1/2021
Gokce N, Karki S, Dobyns A, Zizza E, Sroczynski E, Palmisano JN, Mazzotta C, Hamburg NM, Pernar LI, Carmine B, Carter CO, LaValley M, Hess DT, Apovian CM, Farb MG. Association of Bariatric Surgery With Vascular Outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 07 01; 4(7):e2115267. PMID: 34251443.
Read at: PubMed
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