The American College of Physicians announces $260,000 in grants to promote obesity equity

The American College of Physicians announces $260,000 in grants to promote obesity equity

Today, the American College of Physicians (ACP) announced that it has awarded a total of $260,000 in grants to support regional programs that address equity challenges in obesity care. Thirteen fellows received $20,000 each to implement collaborative regional outreach projects.

Through “Advancing Equitable Obesity Care through Regional Action Grants,” ACP strives to inspire local collaborative models across the country, train and empower healthcare professionals to work with patients, combat misinformation, and increase clinical capacity to provide care for people with obesity. The program leverages the relationships and partnerships of local internal medicine physicians and partnerships with a variety of delivery systems and partnerships in the community to expand educational reach for both physicians (and physician trainees) and their patient populations.

Projects for fellows will address goals such as increasing knowledge and skills in obesity equity and management among medical students, physicians, and other clinical staff. Addressing the treatment of obesity, cardiometabolic diseases associated with obesity, and preventive care for general health in people with obesity; Alleviate stigma and bias against people with obesity, particularly in healthcare settings, and combat misinformation about the causes and treatment of obesity for patients and the public.

Projects were selected based on feasibility and potential impacts and description of the approach used to assess impacts. The following grants were awarded for the projects summarized below:

Jennifer Meyfeldt, MD, ACP Arizona Chapter, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Internal Medicine Residency, Project Name: Beyond the Skal: Empowering Resident Physicians in Comprehensive Obesity.

Julie A. Venci, MD, ACP Colorado Chapter, Denver Health Project Name: A community-based approach to combat obesity stigma and misinformation among interprofessional health care teams and food-insecure patients in southwest Denver.

Bissi Alli, MD, ACP Arizona Chapter, Wellnest Medicine, LLC, Project Name: Changing Arizona Obesity Through Food as Medicine.

Gerald A. Cox, II, MD, MPH Dabom, Dablm, ACP Southern California Chapter, Region II, Mirror Health & Wellness LLC, Project Name: Transforming Obesity: Bridging Communities with Education and Innovation.

Arvind Kumar Venkataramana Raju MD, George M. Abraham MD, MPH, MACP, FIDSA, FRCP (Lon.), ACP Massachusetts Chapter, Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA, Project name: From awareness to action: a pilot initiative for the management of cardiovascular Kardyney-Metaby-Metaby-Metenene synchronoma.

Alicia D. Shelly, MD FACP Dabom, ACP Georgia Chapter, Healthy Living for Life LLC, Project Name: Escape the Stigma: A Virtual Journey Through Obesity Medicine.

Meenal Shukla, MD, ACP New York Chapter, Janice Prime Care Medical PC, Project Name: 365 Day Obesity Challenge of Brooklyn.

Carla Margarita Martín, MD, FACP, FAAP, Dipabom, Dipaclm, ACP Rhode Island Chapter, Project Name: Bilingual Family-Oriented Obesity Education Videos and Materials.

Molly B. Southworth, MD, MPH, MACP, ACP Alaska Chapter, Project Name: Obesity Progress for Alaskans: a Multi-Stakeholder Initiative.

Dawn E Dewitt MD, MSC, CMEDED, MACP, FRACP, FRCP-London, ACP Washington Chapter, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University (WSU), Project Name: From Knowledge to Application: Interprofessional Obesity Simulation.

Tammy Lin, MD, MPH, FACP and Vineet Gupta, MD, SFHM, FACP (University of California, Medical School of San Diego), ACP California Southern Region 3 Chapter, an integrative table: expert targets, quick bites and comfortable spaces.

Catherine Tridico Hudson, MD, ACP Louisiana Chapter, Project Name: Scoring System for Equitable Allocation of GLP1 Receptor Agonists in Patients With Obesity.

Judith A. Melin, MA, MD, FACP, ACP Massachusetts Chapter, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Project Name: Addressing Obesity: Successful Implementation.

"Obesity is a critical public health issue and presents a significant challenge to healthcare eligibility. This grant initiative is an effort to harness the creativity and innovation of internal medicine physicians and other clinicians across the country to fill knowledge gaps and promote advances in obesity care," said Isaac O. Opole, MBChb, PHD, MACP, MACP, MACP, PRESIDENT, ACP. “We congratulate the recipients of this grant and look forward to their efforts to promote obesity equity.”

Funding support for the program was provided by Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and the American Heart Association. ACP received $250,000 in collaboration funding from Lilly to support program workshops and grant projects. ACP also received $100,000 in grants through the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Renal Metabolic Health Initiative, of which ACP is a staff member.

Obesity is a chronic disease that disproportionately impacts underserved communities, particularly those living below the poverty line and in rural areas where systemic barriers to care create complex health disparities. We recognize the urgent need to break these barriers to achieve obesity equity. We are proud to support ACP fellows whose innovative programs will help drive meaningful change in their communities and beyond. “

Leonard C. Glass, MD, Face, Senior Vice President Global Medical Affairs at Lilly Cardiometabolic Health

"More than 40% of adults in the United States live with obesity. While we have learned more about the downstream effects of obesity and effective treatments for it, there are still disparities in who receives evidence-based obesity care," said Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAHA, chief medical officer of the American Heart Association, the chief medical officer for prevention. “Improving clinicians’ ability to work with patients to address weight concerns and increase access to obesity is fundamental to improving the spectrum of chronic health conditions that are part of cardiovascular kidney metabolic health.”

Following the implementation of the projects, ACP 2026 will host a post-project summit for grantees to share lessons, results, insights and sustainability potential.

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