Caroline M. Apovian, MD

Adjunct Professor, Medicine

Caroline Apovian
capovian@bu.edu
75 E. Newton St
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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

Websites

Education

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

Publications

  • Published on 12/18/2024

    Ostrominski JW, Wagholikar KB, Olsson K, Unlu O, Zelle D, Kumar S, Smith AM, Toliver JC, Michalak W, Fabricatore A, Hartaigh BÓ, Baer HJ, Cannon CP, Apovian CM, Fisher NDL, Plutzky J, Scirica BM, Blood AJ. Contemporary treatment patterns of overweight and obesity: insights from the Mass General Brigham health care system. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024 Dec 18. PMID: 39696750.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 12/15/2024

    Almandoz JP, Wadden TA, Tewksbury C, Apovian CM, Fitch A, Ard JD, Li Z, Richards J, Butsch WS, Jouravskaya I, Vanderman KS, Neff LM. Response to the Letter to the Editor by Athinarayanan. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Jan; 33(1):9-11. PMID: 39675924.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 10/31/2024

    Kim DW, Apovian CM. Considerations Regarding Association of Semaglutide and Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2024 Oct 31. PMID: 39480405.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 10/3/2024

    Almandoz JP, Wadden TA, Tewksbury C, Apovian CM, Fitch A, Ard JD, Li Z, Richards J, Butsch WS, Jouravskaya I, Vanderman KS, Neff LM. Response to the Letter to the Editor by Bett et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024 Oct 03. PMID: 39363483.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 10/1/2024

    Jakicic JM, Apovian CM, Barr-Anderson DJ, Courcoulas AP, Donnelly JE, Ekkekakis P, Hopkins M, Lambert EV, Napolitano MA, Volpe SL. Physical Activity and Excess Body Weight and Adiposity for Adults. American College of Sports Medicine Consensus Statement. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Oct 01; 56(10):2076-2091. PMID: 39277776.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 7/17/2024

    Kaplan LM, Apovian CM, Ard JD, Allison DB, Aronne LJ, Batterham RL, Busetto L, Dicker D, Horn DB, Kelly AS, Mechanick JI, Purnell JQ, Ramos-Salas X. Assessing the state of obesity care: Quality, access, guidelines, and standards. Obes Sci Pract. 2024 Aug; 10(4):e765. PMID: 39026558.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 6/10/2024

    Almandoz JP, Wadden TA, Tewksbury C, Apovian CM, Fitch A, Ard JD, Li Z, Richards J, Butsch WS, Jouravskaya I, Vanderman KS, Neff LM. Nutritional considerations with antiobesity medications. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024 Sep; 32(9):1613-1631. PMID: 38853526.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 4/19/2024

    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. American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy-European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guideline on primary endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies for adults with obesity. Endoscopy. 2024 Jun; 56(6):437-456. PMID: 38641332.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 4/19/2024

    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. American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy-European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guideline on primary endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapies for adults with obesity. Gastrointest Endosc. 2024 Jun; 99(6):867-885.e64. PMID: 38639680.

    Read at: PubMed
  • Published on 4/2/2024

    Paranzino AB, Vieira B, Apovian CM, Agarwal S. Medical Weight Management Considerations in Plastic Surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025 Jan 01; 155(1):207-216. PMID: 38563562.

    Read at: PubMed

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