Beyond GLP-1s: Comprehensive Obesity Care to Promote Healthy and Active Aging

Kristi R. Mitchell, MPH

Co-founder & Principal
Atlas Clarity LLC and Health Equity Outcomes, Inc
San Francisco, CA, USA

Kristi is a health services researcher who leads efforts to enable next-generation health care delivery through innovation, value, and consumer engagement across multiple industries, including pharmaceutical/device companies, digital health, government agencies, and community-based organizations.  After 11 years, she stepped down as Practice Director, Center for Healthcare Transformation at Avalere Health, a DC-based advisory services firm to launch, Health Equity Outcomes, a nonprofit to empower underserved communities to engage in the research enterprise to reduce racial disparities and advance health equity.  Through these efforts, she is dedicated to elevating the role of community-based participatory research as a mechanism to derive real-world data that is community-centric.  At the same time, she also serves as Founder and Principal at ATLAS CLARITY, LLC, an advisory services firm dedicated to improving the health and well-being of populations through patient engagement, strategic partnerships, and innovative data collection.

Kristi is also recognized as a nationally recognized expert in the design and implementation of patient-powered data collection efforts.  She currently sits on the MDEpiNet Executive Operations Committee and serves as chair of the National Kidney Foundation KidneyCARE Study Data Use and Publication Committee.  Kristi is a member of Women’s Business Leaders in Healthcare, as well as a Founding Member of CHIEF-DC, a private network to support and connect women executives.

A graduate of Brown University (’92) with a AB in human biology and public policy, she earned her Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology and Public Health Policy and Administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health (’94).

Robert Kushner, MD

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

Robert Kushner, MD, MS, is Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and former Director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine in Chicago, IL. After finishing a residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University, he went on to complete a postgraduate fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and earned a master’s degree in clinical nutrition and nutritional biology from the University of Chicago, IL. Dr Kushner is past President of The Obesity Society, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, and a founder and first Chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM).

Dr Kushner has authored over 300 original articles, reviews, books and book chapters covering nutrition, obesity, and medical education, and is an internationally recognised expert on the care of patients with overweight or obesity. He is author/editor of multiple books; current books include Nutrition and Bariatric Surgery (CRC Press, 2015), Lifestyle Medicine: A Manual for Clinical Practice (Springer, 2016), Creating a Lifestyle Medicine Center (Springer, 2020), Lifestyle Medicine - Closing Research, Practice, Knowledge Gaps (Springer, 2025) and Six Factors to Fit – Weight Loss that Works for You! (Eat Right Press, 2020). His newest book is Patient-Centered Weight Management: The Six Factor Professional Program and Toolkit (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2025).

Mary Lou Perry, MS, RD, CDCES

Clinical Specialist 
UVA Health 
Heart & Vascular Center 
Charlottesville, VA, USA

Mary Lou Perry, MS, RDN, CDCES, is a registered dietitian and a certified diabetes care and education specialist. She holds degrees from Radford and Virginia Tech. She has over 30 years of experience in the diabetes space, mostly at the University of Virginia in the department of Internal Medicine as a program coordinator for an ADA-recognized program in the Endocrine department. In the last 20 years, she has been part of an innovative interprofessional collaborative diabetes/cardiometabolic practice where her skills are fully integrated into the practice setting. She is a preceptor and speaker for the University of Virginia’s dietetic internship program and has served as an advisor for several Intern Capstone projects. She has served in numerous capacities with the CBDCE (Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education) as an exam reviewer and item writer. She has helped write items for EatRight prep, a preparation course for those re-entering practice or those qualifying for the registry exam. Mary Lou is active in the Diabetes Dietetic Practice Group and the Weight Management Practice groups of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In 2022, she was appointed to the American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. Known for her humor and innovative presentation style, she is a regular speaker at various state/affiliate diabetes and nutrition meetings.

Renee J Rogers, PhD, FACSM

Senior Scientist
Bio-Behavior Obesity & Activity Researcher
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, KS, USA

Dr Renee Rogers is an expert in developing bio-behavioral healthy lifestyle interventions for obesity treatment with special focus on physical activity and relevant strategies to promote long-term success. She has worked in weight management and physical activity research and programming for 20+ years playing many professional roles that include working as an instructor, practitioner, program director, researcher, designer, and consultant and strategist to large corporations. She blends her background in theater and production with her formal academic training in Exercise Physiology, Behavior Change, and Weight Management to develop and implement innovative health promotion, physical activity, and weight management initiatives that encourage well-being and healthy lifestyle engagement. Her current work is focused on the body composition, behavioral, and lifestyle factors related to contemporary obesity treatments and pharmacotherapy. Dr. Rogers also serves in leadership and committee roles for the American College of Sports Medicine and The Obesity Society.