American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Annual Meeting was held June 5-9 in Dallas. It ​​is considered the top national conference for professionals, including surgeons, fellows, residents, medical students, researchers, and allied health in the field of Bariatric Surgery. This conference is a unique opportunity to learn about the latest research in Obesity Medicine and Bariatric Surgery.

Our Bariatric Surgery and Medical Weight Loss Programs represented Hartford HealthCare at this national meeting with a total of 10 presentations, two of which received a distinction. The research projects focused on a variety of topics including clinical outcomes, basic science, Covid-19, and health equity. Our research program provides mentorship to fellows, residents, medical students, college students, high school students, and members of our clinical team such as advanced practioners, nurses, and data analysts.

Below is the list of the research projects presented at ASMBS, including authors:

  1. IVC filter use in bariatric surgery in patients with history of VTE: an analysis of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement database 2015-2019. Podium Presentation. Jason Wade MD, Alexander Friedman MD, Richard L Seip PhD, Ilene Staff PhD, Tara McLaughlin PhD, Dale Bond PhD, Darren Tishler MD, Pavlos Papasavas MD.
  2. Gut microbiome observations before and after bariatric surgery. Poster of Distinction. Papasavas P, Tran DB, Seip R, Kureshi A, Lek, Y, Bond D, Pearlson G, Tishler D, Weinstock G.
  3. Five-Year Outcomes of Revisional Bariatric Surgery: Gastric Band to Sleeve Gastrectomy or to Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. Poster of Distinction. Joseph Carbonaro BS, Ilene Staff PhD, Richard L. Seip PhD, Tara McLaughlin PhD, Connie Santana BS, Darren Tishler MD, Pavlos Papasavas MD.
  4. Adherence to Follow Up After Weight Loss Surgery: An Analysis of the MBSAQIP Database. Poster Presentation. Alexander Freidman MD, Richard L. Seip PhD, Ilene Staff PhD, Connie Santana BS, Tara L. McLaughlin, PhD, Jason Wade MD, Dale Bond PhD, Darren Tishler MD, Pavlos Papasavas MD.
  5. Effect of COVID 19 Lockdown on Weight Change in Post-Surgical Bariatric Patients. Poster Presentation. Katarina Bade, BS, Richard Seip, PhD, Tara L. McLaughlin, PhD, Darren Tishler, MD, Ilene Staff, PhD, Connie Santana BS, Aziz Benbrahim, MD, Meagan Moskowitz, RN, Pavlos Papasavas, MD.
  6. Association between prior bariatric surgery and severity of COVID-19. Poster Presentation. Amina Kureshi, DO, Ilene Staff, PhD, Richard Seip, PhD, Jeff Mather, MS, Tara L. McLaughlin, PhD, Connie Santana BS, Devika Umashanker, MD, Darren Tishler, MD, Pavlos Papasavas, MD.
  7. Analyzing Outpatient Follow Up from Sleeve Gastrectomy vs. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. Poster Presentation. Alexander Friedman, MD, Richard Seip, PhD, Ilene Staff, PhD, Connie Santana BS, Tara L. McLaughlin, PhD, Jason Wade, MD, Devika Umashanker, MD, Dale Bond, PhD, Darren Tishler, MD, Pavlos Papasavas, MD.
  8. Functional Dyspepsia Before and After Sleeve Gastrectomy. Poster Presentation. Dawn Garcia, Ilene Staff, Richard L. Seip, Connie Santana, Trent Garcia, Emma Tishler, Alex Long, Jenny Rice, Cetin Sari, Tara McLaughlin, Darren Tishler, Pavlos Papasavas.
  9. Emerging Trends in Robotic and Laparoscopic Metabolic Weight Loss Surgery: An Analysis of the MBSAQIP Database. Poster Presentation. Alexander Friedman MD, Richard L. Seip PhD, Ilene Staff PhD, Connie Santana BS, Tara McLaughlin PhD, Jason Wade MD, Dale Bond PhD, Darren Tishler MD, Pavlos Papasavas MD.
  10. Reducing Barriers to Informed Decision-Making for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery among Spanish-Speaking Latinx Patients: Initial Implementation of a Spanish-Focused Education Program at a Predominantly English-Speaking MBSAQIP Bariatric Center. Poster Presentation. Connie Santana, BS, Tara McLaughlin, Ph.D., Richard Seip, Ph.D., Dale Bond, PhD, Alexander, Friedman, MD, Jane Sweeney, RN, Pavlos Papasavas, MD, Darren Tishler MD.

In addition to the ASMBS Conference, the Surgical Weight Loss Program represented HHC at the American College of Surgeons Quality and Patient Safety Conference held in July 15-18, in Chicago, IL. This conference provides a professional forum to discuss and apply the most recent knowledge pertaining to national, international, and local quality and safety initiatives and best practices that leaders can take home to implement in their institutions.

At this conference, our Surgical Weight Loss Program, and Surgical Registry Program Manager, Connie Santana, were recognized by the American College of Surgeons. The submission was awarded “Best Bariatric Abstract.”

Abstract: Lessons Learned from the Initial Implementation of a Spanish-focused Education Program at a Predominantly English-speaking MBSAQIP Bariatric Center. Santana C, Sweeney J, Papasavas P, Tishler D.