Med School/Year Graduated: Loyola University Chicago, 1997
Years in Practice: 25
Who or what inspired you to enter the field of obesity medicine?
As a primary care doctor, I wanted real, sustainable solutions without just adding prescriptions. Treating weight allows patients to use fewer medications and improve their health after years of frustration. Watching people regain hope and health has been incredibly rewarding and career-changing.
What medical and therapeutic tools do you have at your disposal, short of surgery?
Quite a few [because] sustainable weight loss is comprehensive. We use medications when appropriate, structured medical diets often with meal replacements, and ongoing education. Patients learn stress management, menu navigation, adequate protein intake and habits they can sustain long-term.
What are your thoughts on semaglutides for long-term weight loss?
GLP-1 medications are the most powerful appetite-control tools we have ever had and are often long-term therapies. They should not be used alone. Without adequate sleep, protein intake and strength training, patients risk muscle loss and limited long-term success.
Everybody seems to be prescribing GLP-1s now. Do you feel that infringes on your territory?
Not really. With most adults needing to lose weight, more physicians should learn these tools. But for patients who have struggled repeatedly, working with a certified obesity specialist or practice offers the best chance for lasting success.
Do body positivity or HAES philosophies have a place in your practice?
We should be body positive and compassionate. Weight is a medical disease people carry on the outside. Choosing not to treat it is personal, but obesity is not benign, and modern therapies now offer real, effective options.
You’re from Chicago. Favorite food from the Windy City?
Deep-dish and stuffed pizza are basically tied. Occasionally, a classic Chicago hot dog still hits the spot.
What shows are you streaming these days?
Currently watching Landman. Just finished Slow Horses. I am finally planning to watch Breaking Bad, which I somehow never got around to.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I’d be…
An entrepreneur. Building systems, solving problems and growing something meaningful. It is the same creative energy that fuels how I care for patients and helped inspire the growth of our practice across the Valley.
