Progam Guidlines

The Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council recommends that fellowship programs meet the below guidelines to maximize odds of program success and align with the training regimen of other Obesity Medicine Fellowship programs. The recommendations listed below must be met in order to qualify for membership in the Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council. To join the Council, send your application to: stacy@omfellowship.org

Adult Obesity Medicine.

Click the button below to view Subspecialty Fellowship Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Adult Obesity Medicine.

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Pediatric Obesity Medicine.

Click the button below to view Subspecialty Fellowship Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Pediatric Obesity Medicine.

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Program Requirements at a Glance:

The clinical experiences of the fellowship must include:

    • Medical obesity therapy:
      • Four sessions per week minimum caring for patients with obesity and obesity-related complications
      • Two of the fours sessions providing longitudinal care of patients with obesity
    • Lifestyle-based obesity therapy:
      • At least 20 hours with nutrition professional
      • At least 20 hours with mental health professional
      • At least 8 hours with physical activity professional
    • Surgical obesity therapy
      • At least 40 hours with bariatric surgery program. Up to 80 hours with a metabolic-bariatric surgical program is recommended to achieve optimal competency.
  • At least 96 hours of elective clinical experiences in disciplines related to obesity medicine
  • At least 4 hours/week dedicated to scholarly activity, including didactic curriculum on the science and clinical aspects of obesity. Obesity Medicine Core Curriculum
  • The program must have an obesity medicine specialty clinic available for dedicated clinical experiences in obesity medicine.
  • The program trains MDs and DOs who have completed an ACGME residency program, ideally in internal medicine, family medicine, med-peds, or pediatrics. Other training programs may be considered.
  • The duration of the fellowship is a minimum of 12 months.
  • The fellowship is a full-time paid position
  • Faculty Requirements:
    • The Program Director is an American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) Diplomate and has at least three years of experience as a clinician and/or teacher in obesity medicine
    • There must be at least two core faculty members, including the program director, who each have at least three years of experience in obesity medicine. All physicians who are core faculty should ideally be ABOM Diplomates.
    • The Program Director and key faculty have academic or equivalent educational leadership appointments
    • There must be a metabolic-bariatric surgeon available
  • The program has a financial sustainability plan for at least 5 years, including financial commitment from the sponsoring department in the event of a shortfall in revenue.
  • The institution where the fellowship program resides has ACGME-accredited fellowship programs
  • The Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program has institutional approval from its GME oversight committee
  • There must be a Clinical Competency Committee and Program Evaluation Committee.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Program Requirements

Educational Program Length: What about Leaves of Absence?

Programs must be 1 year in length; however, circumstances arise where fellows may have extended leaves of absence.  Fellows must be provided 6 weeks leave without penalty. For any amount of time beyond six weeks, the recommendation is to follow your institution’s existing policies and guidelines.

Program Director FTE / Protected Time: What if my institution does not provide it?

This recommendation is intended to benefit the program & program directors/faculty.  Programs will not be excluded from OMFC participation if their institution does not currently provide protected time for the program director.

Faculty Requirements

  • Programs must have at least two core faculty members, including the program director, that each have a minimum of three years of experience in obesity medicine. Individuals with less than three years of experience in obesity may serve as additional core faculty and be involved in the precepting of fellows. Therefore, a recent fellow graduate who joins as core faculty is allowed even if they have fewer than three years of experience.
  • Programs must have faculty available to support comprehensive obesity management, including lifestyle intervention, behavioral care, pharmacotherapy, medical management of surgical patients, and metabolic-bariatric surgery.  Additional faculty areas such as pediatric obesity medicine (for adult programs), endobariatrics, and group visits are recommended (“should”) but not required.

Other Required Personnel

Programs must ensure fellows have access to nutrition, mental health, and physical activity professionals. These individuals do not need to be embedded within your obesity medicine program or institution. Off-site rotations are appropriate and encouraged where needed, and can be coordinated through a Program Letter of Agreement.

Recommended (Not Required) Experiences

Endobariatrics, pediatric obesity medicine (for adult programs), and group visits are recommended components, but not mandatory.