Obesity Institute - Clinical Intervention

Severely overweight and obese children are at risk for co-morbidities that can have very serious short- and long-term health consequences.  The multi-specialty Improved Diet, Exercise, and Activity for Life (IDEAL) Clinic seeks to help obese and overweight children who are suffering from obesity-related illnesses.  We feel that it is paramount that the Obesity Institute provide access to care for all patients across the childhood obesity spectrum, therefore we have recently developed the Adolescent Weight-Loss Surgery Program for those teens who fail intensive medical and behavioral treatment programs. 
 
The comprehensive Adolescent Weight-Loss Surgery Program is the first in the region and is a national leader in researching the effects of weight loss surgery on morbidly obese adolescents.  Only children who have failed all other methods of weight loss and meet very specific criteria are considered for surgery. 

Today at Children’s National 
Our clinical programs include:

• The IDEAL Clinic develops multidisciplinary management plans for obese children and their families. These patients have access to child psychologists, dieticians, and exercise therapists as well as endocrinologists and cardiologists.
• The Adolescent Weight-Loss Surgery Program for morbidly obese adolescents results in significant weight loss and the correction of obesity-related medical conditions; it also improves self-image and socialization. Our multi-disciplinary team includes child psychologists and psychiatrists, physical therapists, nutritionists, anesthesiologists, otorhinolaryngologists, and staff nurses.

 Back to top


Meet the team

• Surgery:
  • Evan Nadler MD
  • Faisal Qureshi MD
  • Shaun Safford MD
• Anesthesiology:
  • Janelle Vaughns MD
• Obesity Clinic:
  • Nazrat Mirza MD
  • Susma Vaidya MD
• Nutrition:
  • Kendra Bolden RD
  • Laura Cramp RD
  • Erin Davis RD
• Physical Therapy:
  • Erin Wentzell PT, DPT
• Child Psychiatry:
  • Miguel Macaoay MD
• Child Psychology:
  • Eleanor Mackay PhD
• Endocrinology:
  • Audrey Austin MD
• Hepatology:
  • Parvathi Mohan MD
• ENT:
  • Rahul Shah MD

 
Related links

• Download Children's Obesity Clinic's (IDEAL) brochure
• Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Research
• More about childhood obesity and treatments
• Order your free 'Take Control of Childhood Obesity - Lighten Up' toolkit
• Bariatric Surgery Program
• Obesity Clinic
• Article: Childhood Obesity and the Primary Care Provider (Medical Currents, Summer 2007)
• CNN highlights Children’s Obesity Institute: Children’s National’s bariatric surgery program, featuring Evan Nadler, MD, and one of his patients appeared on CNN (March 2010)
• Children's National's weight loss surgeon, Evan Nadler, is featured in the New York Times. (February 2010)
• Article: Pediatrician and obesity researcher Nazrat Mirza and her successful patients are featured in the Washington Post (May 2008)

For more information, contact Evan Nadler, MD at 202-476-2151 or ObesityInstitute@childrensnational.org.

Back to top