Clinical Issues Committee

Wesley Vosburg, MD FACS DABOM FASMBS
Chair

Pavlos Papasavas, MD FASMBS
Co-Chair

Joe Northup, MD FACS DABS-FPMBS FASMBS
Board of Directors Liaison

ASMBS Staff Liaison

Leslie Vinson

Members

Cheguevara Afaneh, MD FACS FASMBS
Vance Albaugh, MD PhD FACS FASMBS
Mohamed Ali, MD FACS FASMBS
Maria Altieri, MD MS
Ali Aminian, MD FACS FASMBS
Toms Augustin, MD MPH FACS
Dan Azagury, MD
Ambar Banerjee, MD FASMBS
T. Javier Birriel, MD FACS FASMBS
Jonathan Carter, MD FASMBS, Immediate Past Chair
Salvatore Docimo, DO MS
Dan Eisenberg, MD MS, Senior Past Chair
Sofiane El Djouzi, MD MS MBA DABOM FRCS FACS
John Fam, MD FASMBS
Alvaro Galvez Lima, MD FASMBS

Saber Ghiassi, MD MPH FACS FASMBS
Brandon Grover, DO FACS FASMBS
Marcelo Hinojosa, MD FACS FASMBS
Juliet Holder Haynes, MD MBA MS ABOM
Zhamak Khorgami, MD
Guilherme Mazzini, MD PhD FASMBS
Fady Moustarah, MD MPH
Abdelrahman Nimeri, MD FACS
Sabrena Noria, MD PhD FASMBS
Rodolfo Oviedo, MD FACS FICS DABS-FPDMBS
Bruce Schirmer, MD
Faiz Shariff, MD FACS FASMBS
Thomas Shin, MD PhD
Timothy Shope, MD

IH Section Clinical Issues Committee Liaisons

Lillian Craggs-Dino, DHA RDN LDN CLT, Chair
Laura Aylward, PhD, Co-Chair

Charge

In alignment with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) mission to elevate global health and quality of life by significantly reducing the impact of obesity and its related illnesses, the Clinical Issues Committee is tasked with the creation of evidence-based guidelines, systematic reviews, and position statements aimed at improving the quality of care for patients with obesity and obesity-related diseases. The committee is entrusted as the foremost authority on metabolic and bariatric surgery and serves as the primary publication engine of the society.

Description

The Clinical Issues Committee is committed to enhancing the quality of patient care in metabolic and bariatric surgery by developing evidence-based guidelines and position statements. These resources are designed to support ASMBS member practices and ensure optimal patient outcomes. Our work involves conducting systematic reviews of existing guidelines and statements, researching current data, and updating recommendations as new evidence emerges. Moreover, the committee is responsible for issuing timely statements or recommendations in response to new developments in the field of bariatric surgery.

Objectives & Goals

  • Identify and fill existing gaps in literature and address emerging clinical issues.
  • Provide education through creation and dissemination of evidence-based reviews, clinical practice guidelines, and position statements.
  • Prioritize issues based on their clinical significance and establish a timeline for addressing them by allocating resources based on relative importance.

2024/2025 Current Projects

  • Measures of Obesity Literature Review, Pending SOARD Publication November 2024
  • Review of Endobariatric Procedures, Pending Board of Directors Review October 2024
  • 2024 Call for Statement – Topics selected, Writing Groups formed:
    • Review of Chronic Abdominal Pain after RYGB
    • Review of Gut Biome and Weight Management both Pre- and Post-MBS
    • Reoperative Surgery Position Statement 2014 Update: Reoperative Treatments for Long-term Chronic Complications of MBS Literature Review and Reoperative Treatments for refractory weight and comorbidity related issues post MBS Literature Review

    2023/2024 Completed Projects

    • ASMBS Review of Marginal Ulcers after Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, October 2024
    • ASMBS Literature Review on the Effect of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Limb Lengths on Outcomes, June 2023
    • ASMBS Literature Review on Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Internal Hernias after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, June 2023
    • ASMBS Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty and its Role in the Treatment of Obesity: A Systematic Review, September 2023
    • ASMBS Statement on Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery for Beneficiaries of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with a Review of the Literature, September 2023
    • ASMBS Position Statement on One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass, November 2023

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