Advancing Comprehensive Obesity Care: Pharmacology, Personalization, and Lifestyle Integration

Robert Kushner, MD, MS

Professor of Medicine and Medical Education
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL, USA

Dr Robert Kushner is a Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a former Director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, which he led for 16 years. Dr Kushner is past President of The Obesity Society (TOS), past President of the American Society for Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition (ASPEN), and a founder and first Chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) that certifies physicians in the care of patients with obesity. He is the author (or editor) of over 300 original and review articles, books, and book chapters on obesity, lifestyle medicine, medical education, and nutrition. His newest book for clinicians, Patient-Centered Weight Management: The Six-Factor Professional Program and Toolkit, was just published in August.

Colleen Dawkins, FNP-C, RDN, CSOWM

Nurse Practitioner
Big Sky Medical Wellness, Owner
Oxford, MS, USA

Colleen is a Nurse Practitioner in private practice at Big Sky Medical Wellness. She is board-certified in family medicine, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, a Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management, and holds a Certification of Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine from the Obesity Medicine Association. 

Currently, Colleen serves as treasurer for the Washington Obesity Society, vice chair of the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s Obesity Certificate of Training program advisory board, member of the Obesity Medicine Association’s membership committee, associate editor and reviewer for the Obesity Pillars journal, and is a doctoral student at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Renee J Rogers, PhD, FACSM

Senior Scientist
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, KS, USA

Dr Renee Rogers is a senior scientist and translational researcher at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She's an expert in developing biobehavioral healthy lifestyle interventions for obesity treatment, with a special focus on physical activity and strategies to promote long-term success. She has worked in obesity and physical activity research and programming for 20+ years, holding many professional roles, including instructor, practitioner, program director, researcher, designer, and consultant and strategist for large corporations. She blends her background in theater and production with her formal academic training in Exercise Physiology, Body Composition and Quality, Bio-Behavior Interaction, and Comprehensive Care to develop and implement innovative initiatives that encourage well-being, healthy lifestyle engagement, and person-centered approaches. Her current work focuses on body composition, tissue quality and function, and comprehensive lifestyle factors related to contemporary obesity treatments and pharmacotherapy.

Dominique Williams, MD, MPH, FOMA, Dipl ABOM

Medical Director, Adult Nutrition 
Abbott Nutrition 
Columbus, OH, USA

Dr Williams is the Adult Nutrition Medical Director at Abbott, a global healthcare company. Her responsibilities include supporting the U.S. and global adult nutrition commercial operations, collaborating with the clinical project team on Abbott-sponsored clinical studies, and driving the development, submission, and execution of investigator-initiated studies, including research publication. She also leads the medical strategy and content review, including moderation for national and international advisory meetings and symposia with multi-disciplinary teams. 

Dominique is double board-certified in Obesity Medicine and Pediatrics. She is a dedicated educator and clinician with more than 20 years of experience in person-centered care, holistic mentoring, and curriculum development. In addition to her clinical work, she has been a mentor to medical students and resident physicians and serves as Adjunct Faculty at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dominique has publications on the topics of mentoring, equity-focused initiatives in medical education, nutrition therapy, and the care of people with obesity. She has also worked on several local and national initiatives to address health disparities. 

Dominique obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University, MD from Wright State University School of Medicine, and MPH in Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.