Ivania Rizo, MD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Ivania Rizo, MD, is dedicated to advancing excellence in diabetes, obesity, and health equity. She serves as Director of Obesity Medicine, Co-Medical Director, and Assistant Professor in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Rizo is the Diabetes Clinical Co-Lead for Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Health Equity Accelerator and the Endocrine Lead for Heart of Communities, a multisector partnership between BMC, Mass General Brigham, and Mattapan Community Health Center.

Dr. Rizo earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, completed her Internal Medicine residency at Georgetown University, and completed her Endocrinology fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She subsequently joined the UAB faculty as an Assistant Professor and Staff Physician at the Kirkland Clinic before being recruited to her current role at BMC. She is triple board-certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Obesity Medicine.

Her clinical and academic interests include obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic disease. As Diabetes Clinical Co-Lead for BMC’s Health Equity Accelerator, Dr. Rizo develops programs aimed at expanding equitable access to high-quality diabetes and obesity care—advancing BMC’s mission of providing exceptional care without exception.

Dr. Rizo is an active member of the Endocrine Society, the American Diabetes Association, and The Obesity Society.

Publications

  • Published 6/6/2025

    Campos A, Fantasia KL, Rizo I. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in obesity among trained and in-training primary care providers in an urban safety-net hospital system. Obes Pillars. 2025 Sep; 15:100185. PMID: 40546447.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/25/2025

    Mohanty A, Austad K, Bosch NA, Long MT, Nolen-Doerr E, Walkey AJ, Drainoni ML, Rizo I, Fantasia KL. Assessing Clinician Engagement With a Passive Clinical Decision Support System for Liver Fibrosis Risk Stratification in a Weight Management Clinic. Endocr Pract. 2025 Jul; 31(7):899-905. PMID: 40288606.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/15/2022

    Ryan TJ, Heyman AS, Mulvey EN, McLaughlin A, Rizo IM, Assoumou SA. Factors associated with inpatient complications among patients with obesity and COVID-19 at an urban safety-net hospital: A retrospective cohort study. Obes Sci Pract. 2022 Aug 15; 8(6):794-800. PMID: 35938065.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/10/2021

    Fantasia KL, Wirunsawanya K, Lee C, Rizo I. Racial Disparities in Diabetes Technology Use and Outcomes in Type 1 Diabetes in a Safety-Net Hospital. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2021 09; 15(5):1010-1017. PMID: 33719610.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2019

    Nolen-Doerr E, Stockman MC, Rizo I. Mechanism of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Improvements in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity. Curr Obes Rep. 2019 Sep; 8(3):284-291. PMID: 31124035.

    Read at: PubMed

Education

  • Georgetown University, MD
  • University of Maryland, BS