Catherine is a gastroenterologist specializing in bariatric endoscopy and obesity medicine. She is the Director of Obesity Medicine at University Medicine Center New Orleans. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at LSU Medical School in New Orleans.

Katie E. Queen, MD, is a pediatrician who is passionate about nutrition and prevention of chronic disease in children. She is board certified in both Pediatrics and Obesity Medicine and directs a pediatric multidisciplinary weight management clinic at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, LA - where she takes care of the most severe cases of pediatric obesity in Louisiana. She also takes care of patients with obesity in her pediatric rural practice at Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa, Louisiana. She co-leads the Louisiana state AAP chapter committee on obesity and nutrition and is an active member of the Louisiana Obesity and Diabetes Commission. Dr. Queen has spoken on obesity treatment at the state and national level and is a strong advocate for improved access to evidence based care for children with obesity. In her free time, she enjoys time with her three daughters, being outdoors, travel, and cooking.

Dr. Levy is double board certified in General Surgery and Obesity Medicine. She is fellowship trained in Minimally Invasive Surgery with an emphasis on Foregut and Bariatric Surgery; and is the Medical Director of the Tulane Bariatric and Weight Loss Center. Dr. Levy’s focus is on fitness, weight loss and nutrition. She is passionate about helping patients treat the disease of obesity and presents as an advocate for patient access to care. She specializes in anti-obesity medications as well as surgical weight loss treatments including vertical sleeve gastrectomy, roux en y gastric bypass and duodenal switch. She is determined to work closely with patients for the best treatment in the disease of obesity including medication, surgery, or both.  In addition to all the above, the clinic is suited to help patients who have experienced weight gain after bariatric surgery. Dr. Levy is dedicated and will work with each patient to help achieve long term weight loss.

Dr. Philip Schauer is the United Companies Life Insurance Co./Mary Kay and Terrell Brown Professor of Metabolic Surgery at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana, USA. He is past president of ASMBS and founder of Obesity Week. He has performed more than 8000 operations for obesity and diabetes and published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles in high impact journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, JAMA, and Lancet. He is the Principal Investigator of the STAMPEDE trial which showed that surgery can cause long-term diabetes remission.

Amanda Fontenot has been treating Obesity since 2011, completing ABOM diplomate status in 2014. After incorporating Obesity Medicine (OM) into her primary care practice with Ochsner Westbank, she moved to the Bariatric Surgery department at Ochsner Jefferson Highway, developing a complex, robust and rewarding full time OM practice. In 2021, they also became a center for excellence for Obesity Medicine through the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). She teaches residents, give academic talks and is an active member of the Obesity Medicine Association, acting as the Louisiana State Advocacy Representative and sitting on the Bariatric surgery/Obesity Medicine committee.

Dr. Timothy Gilbert is a clinical endocrinologist practicing in Lake Charles, LA. He is the medical director of the endocrine and obesity division of Imperial Health Systems. Dr. Gilbert has 17 years of experience in the treatment of various endocrine disorders, with a strong emphasis on the medical management of obesity and associated complications. He is the director of Southwest Louisiana's only comprehensive center that focuses heavily on obesity management. Dr. Gilbert attended medical school at LSUHSC in New Orleans, LA, followed by an internal medicine residency at LSUHSC in Baton Rouge, LA and an endocrinology fellowship at Ochsner Health Systems in New Orleans, LA.

Dr. Marcella Houser is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at LSUHSC New Orleans School of Medicine. She specializes in general pediatrics and obesity medicine at DePaul Community Health Center in Metairie. Dr. Houser started her career teaching 10th grade Biology in Compton, California which fueled her passion for working with young people. She completed her residency and chief residency at LSUHSC and Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. She has served as an academic pediatrician for nine years, caring for patients alongside resident physicians and training Louisiana’s future pediatricians. Additionally, Dr. Houser is certified in Obesity Medicine since 2019 and strives to help children and adolescents with the chronic disease of obesity. Her interests include improving resident education, health care access for under-resourced communities and obesity prevention and treatment methods.

Jean "Jimmy" Domercant, MD, earned his medical degree from the Medical University of the Americas in St. Kitts & Nevis. He completed Internal Medicine residency at Chabert Medical Center in Houma. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. He is a member of Obesity Medicine Association and Louisiana Obesity Society.

Dr. Cook is the Medical Director of the Center for Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery at University Medical Center--New Orleans. He is also the associate program director for the LSU/Pennington Bariatric Surgery Fellowship. He has a passion for caring for patients with obesity, particularly those that are underserved due to insurance status, extremes of BMI, and complex revisions. He is chair of the insurance committee for ASMBS and actively involved in advocating for comprehensive treatment of obesity including medication, surgery, endoscopic treatments, nutrition consultation and physical therapy.

Ms. Boyer has specialized in the care of metabolic and bariatric patients since 2000. She is currently the Administrative Program Director at Metamor Institute in Baton Rouge LA. She was among the first group of certified bariatric nurses and serves as faculty for the CBN review courses. Ms. Boyer served on the executive board of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and is a past president of the Integrated Health section of the ASMBS. She has also served in many conference faculty and committee roles in the organization. She is a member of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Louisiana State Chapter of ASMBS.

Donna Ryan is Professor Emerita at Pennington Biomedical in Baton Rouge, LA, USA where she had a 25-year career in clinical research in obesity. She was an Investigator on POUNDS Lost, Look AHEAD, DPP, DASH and many other studies of the health benefits of weight loss by diet, lifestyle intervention and medications. She was PI of a series of studies over 25 years funded by the US Department of Defense targeting military nutrition. Her personal research studied improving primary care management of obesity. She has been an active member and former President of The Obesity Society (North America) and World Obesity Federation. Currently Dr. Ryan serves as Co-Chair of the SELECT Steering Committee and member of the Data Safety Monitoring Boards for setmelanotide and retatrutide. She has more than 300 publications, is an frequent speaker on obesity and diabetes treatments and remains an active consultant and advisor to companies developing drugs, devices, lifestyle programs and medical approaches to obesity management.

Dr Sharan has earned her medical degree from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India. She completed her Family Medicine residency from LSU Health Sciences-Shreveport, EA Conway Hospital, Monroe, LA. She elected to stay on as faculty and has since then devoted her time to teaching medical students & residents as well as having her own primary care clinic at the hospital. She is currently practising as Assistant Professor, Family Medicine at Ochsner LSU Health Sciences Shreveport , Monroe Medical Centre, Monroe, LA . She is the Clerkship Director for the LSU-Shreveport medical students rotating on Family Medicine at Monroe.  She is an active member of the Obesity Medicine Association, serving on their Advocacy Committee, The Obesity Society, and the Louisiana Academy of Family Practice, also serving on their Advocacy committee.

Amanda Perron, RD, LDN, NSCA-CPT, earned her bachelor's degree in nutrition from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Over the last 20 years, she has worked as a Registered Dietitian counseling medical weight loss patients. Amanda has provided her weight management expertise during health fairs, nutrition seminars, personal training and weight loss support group sessions. She holds a certificate in adult weight management by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is also a Certified Personal Trainer. (CPT).

Robert Dubin metabolic and obesity researcher at LSU Pennington. Prior to coming to LA, he spent 20 years in clinical metabolic medicine at Florida State University in Sarasota, FL. Dr. Dubin recently started a full-time research position in BTR studying the impact that incretin-based agents have on body composition. He is involved with pharma-based studies as well as NIH-sponsored projects. His mentors are Drs Frank Greenway and Steve Heymsfield. He is also will be the program director for the new Obesity Medicine fellowship that starts in the summer of 2025.

Dr. Drake Bellanger is one of the few physicians Board Certified in obesity medicine in the Baton Rouge region. His certification by the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) signifies specialized knowledge in the practice of obesity medicine and care. He is also board certified in general surgery and practiced bariatric surgery for over twenty years. Dr. Bellanger’s in-depth knowledge of weight loss from medicine to surgery provides him a unique perspective on helping patients achieve their personal goals.