Caroline M. Apovian MD
Adjunct Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management
Adjunct Professor, Diabetes & Endocrinology
720 Harrison Ave | (617) 638-8556capovian@bu.edu
caroline.apovian@bmc.org
Sections
Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management
Centers
Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
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
Websites
Nutrition and Metabolism Research Center
Boston Medical Center Provider Profile
Education
MD, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
BA, Barnard College
Publications
Falahee B, Apovian CM, Istfan N. Incretin-Based Therapies: A Testable Hypothesis Linking Incretin Signaling, Mitochondrial Redox, and OXPHOS Efficiency. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2026 Sep 24. PMID: 42782166.
Published on 9/7/2026Shin H, Salim K, Sheu EG, Nimeri AA, Cristancho CC, Gao R, Apovian CM, Kim DW. Residual late risk of severe adverse events in metabolic bariatric surgery patients after discharged emergency department visit. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Sep 07; 110:355-362. PMID: 42748531.
Published on 9/2/2026Kim DW, Sheu E, Nimeri A, Cristancho C, Salim K, Shin H, McDonnell M, Apovian C. Excess-weight Metrics Misrepresent Weight Loss and All Weight Metrics Poorly Predict Early Glycemic Outcome After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Obes Surg. 2026 Sep 02. PMID: 42681258.
Published on 8/25/2026Kushner RF, Iceta S, Tronieri JS, Still CD, Fitch A, Apovian CM. Fixed-dose, extended-release combination of naltrexone and bupropion reduces craving and body weight: A pooled post hoc analysis. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2026; 20(5):445-450. PMID: 42642275.
Published on 8/14/2026Falahee B, Ostrominski JW, Wagholikar KB, Unlu O, Zelle D, Kumar S, Gabovitch D, Tucci M, Smith A, Nichols H, McCarthy IG, Mushtaque S, Rutkowski TV, McCarthy AC, Baer HJ, Cannon CP, Fisher NDL, Plutzky J, Apovian CM, Scirica BM, Blood AJ. A Remote Program for Navigator- and Pharmacist-Led Management of Obesity Medications in Adults: Rationale, Design, and Implementation. Obes Sci Pract. 2026 Aug; 12(4):e70176. PMID: 42603929.
Published on 8/8/2026Salim K, Cristancho C, Nimeri AA, Kim DW, Istfan N, Austen M, Apovian CM. Standardized inpatient protein-sparing modified fast as a bridge to metabolic/bariatric surgery in high-risk acutely ill adults with severe obesity. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2026 Aug 08. PMID: 42697762.
Published on 6/16/2026Ryan DH, Fitch A, Kushner RF, Tronieri JS, Still CD, Apovian CM. Identifying Predictors of Weight-Related Outcomes With Fixed-Dose, Extended-Release Naltrexone and Bupropion Among Treatment-Adherent Patients in Phase 3 COR Trials: A Treatment Target Analysis. Obes Sci Pract. 2026 Jun; 12(3):e70159. PMID: 42311561.
Published on 6/3/2026Baer HJ, Cho J, Fay R, Apovian CM, McCarthy AC, Blood AJ, Samal L, Fisher NDL, Orav EJ, Wien M, Plutzky J, Block JP, Bates DW, Rozenblum R, Tucci M, McPartlin M, Oates M, McManus KD, Scirica BM. Engagement and Weight Change in an Online Weight Management Program in Clinical Settings: An Implementation Project. J Gen Intern Med. 2026 Jun 03. PMID: 42234371.
Published on 5/9/2026Mozaffarian 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, Sanndhi D, Stanford FC, Callahan EA. Erratum: 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. 2026 Jun; 18:100269. PMID: 42255462.
Published on 4/7/2026Mozaffarian 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, Sanndhi D, Stanford FC, Callahan EA. Corrigendum to 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; 122: 344-367]. Am J Clin Nutr. 2026 Jun; 123(6):101303. PMID: 41962912.
Media Mentions
Published on 5/20/2025
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View full list of 88 media mentions.