The Past, Present, and Future State of Obesity Medicine

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 | 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET

Jamy Ard, MD

Vice Dean for Clinical Research

Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention and the Department of Medicine.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Jamy.Ard@Advocatehealth.org

Website

Dr. Ard received formal training in clinical research as a fellow at the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at the Durham VA Medical Center and, since 1995, has conducted clinical and community-based research on behavioral dietary and lifestyle interventions, with a focus on African American populations and health disparities. He has contributed to multiple NIH-funded multi-center trials, including DASH, DASH-sodium, PREMIER, and the Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM) Trial, and has served as an investigator on large epidemiological studies such as REGARDS, where he examined dietary patterns, insulin sensitivity, cultural relevance of interventions, and acculturation-related dietary behaviors. As a principal investigator, Dr. Ard has led obesity and behavior modification research funded by NIH, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and industry sponsors, identifying strategies to improve outcomes among African Americans, older adults, and individuals with diabetes. His current work focuses on refining clinical obesity treatment, evaluating adjunct therapies, and generating evidence on the use of phentermine, while his leadership roles—including co-director of the Wake Forest Weight Management Center and service on national expert panels such as the ACC/TOS/AHA panel and the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee—further inform and strengthen his research.

Summary

The Past, Present, and Future State of Obesity Medicine will examine the evolution of obesity care from a public health and clinical research perspective, beginning with the epidemiology of obesity and the biologic, environmental, and societal forces that have fueled the epidemic. The presentation will review how obesity therapeutics have advanced, with particular attention to the emergence of highly effective newer medications, while also highlighting the ongoing value of older therapies such as phentermine for improving access, enabling individualized care, and supporting combination treatment strategies. The talk will also address persistent unmet needs, including the challenges faced by patients with severe obesity, especially those with BMI greater than 50 kg/m², whose outcomes underscore important gaps in current treatment approaches and opportunities for future investigation. Finally, it will outline a research roadmap focused on systems of care, implementation, access, and next-generation therapeutic strategies needed to meet growing demand and improve long-term outcomes.

Learning Objectives: 

• Describe the epidemiology and key drivers of the obesity epidemic, and explain how evolving biologic, environmental, and systems-level factors have shaped the past and present state of obesity medicine.
• Evaluate the current therapeutic landscape in obesity medicine, including the opportunities and limitations of newer obesity medications and the continued importance of older agents for access, treatment tailoring, and combination therapy.
• Identify major unmet needs and future research priorities in obesity care, including care delivery challenges, populations with severe and complex obesity such as those with BMI greater than 50 kg/m², and opportunities to build more comprehensive, accessible and scalable systems of treatment.