Mastery Course

Dr. Golden is the CEO, Chief Clinical Officer and Family Nurse Practitioner at NP From Home, LLC, in Munds Park, Arizona and NP Obesity Treatment Clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Golden earned her doctoral degree with an emphasis on health policy and evidence-based practice at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. She served as the Chair for the TOS Clinical Practice Section. Dr. Golden has presented at conferences regionally, nationally, and internationally. She is the author of several book chapters and books, including Treating Obesity in Primary Care. Her research has been published in periodicals including the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Education Today, Obesity, Population Health Management, and Postgraduate Medicine. Dr. Golden is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the 2024 AANP Sharp Cutting Edge Award, 2023 America’s Top NP Award, and 2021 Steelman-Seim Educator Award for Excellence in Academics from the Obesity Medicine Association.

Dr. Monica Agarwal is an Endocrinologist and Obesity Medicine specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She is Professor of Medicine at UAB and the Director of the UAB Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program. She is the Parenteral Nutrition Specialist and MOVE Physician Champion at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. She is Chair of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Disease State Network for Obesity and Nutrition and Vice-Chair of the AACE Education Oversight Committee. She is the Co-Chair of The Obesity Society (TOS) Education Committee. She has served on several national committees at the AACE, TOS, American Society of Nutrition (ASN), and the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN).

Karli Burridge is a Physician Associate and Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association with over 13 years of experience working in obesity management, in both the surgical and medical management of obesity. She is the founder and CEO of Gaining Health, which provides resources and education for clinicians who want to incorporate obesity care into their clinical practice. She is also the Director of Clinical Education, and obesity specialist at Healthy4Life in Naperville, IL.

Lee M. Kaplan, MD, PhD, FTOS, is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Obesity Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Director of the Dartmouth Weight and Wellness Center, and Director of the Boston Course in Obesity Medicine. He was previously the founding director of the MGH Weight Center and director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Kaplan has served in numerous advisory and leadership roles, including as the chair of the U.S. Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council, a recent member of the NIDDK Advisory Council of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the 2019-2020 president of The Obesity Society. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Harvard University and his PhD degree in molecular biology and MD degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, all with distinction. He completed residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in gastroenterology and liver diseases at MGH and a post-doctoral fellowship in genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Kaplan’s research has focused on the role of the gastrointestinal tract in the regulation of appetite, energy balance, and metabolic function, the mechanisms of action of bariatric and metabolic surgery, and the genetic determinants and predictors of response to obesity treatments. He is the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific and medical publications.

Karli Burridge is a Physician Associate and Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association with over 13 years of experience working in obesity management, in both the surgical and medical management of obesity. She is the founder and CEO of Gaining Health, which provides resources and education for clinicians who want to incorporate obesity care into their clinical practice. She is also the Director of Clinical Education, and obesity specialist at Healthy4Life in Naperville, IL.

Dr. Jeremy McConnell is board-certified in Family, Sleep, and Obesity Medicine. He has practiced Obesity Medicine for 24 years and is a Master Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association. He is in private practice in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida.

Dr. Thomas George is a family nurse practitioner delivering evidence-based, personalized care for people with obesity. His doctoral work focused on translating evidence-based obesity care into primary care clinics. He is a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association, adjunct professor of pathophysiology at Northwest Nazarene University in Boise, and former assistant professor at Frontier Nursing University.

Dr. Golden is the Vice President of The Obesity Society and the CEO and Chief Clinical Officer of NP From Home, LLC, in Munds Park, Arizona, and NP Obesity Treatment Clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Golden earned her doctoral degree with an emphasis on health policy and evidence-based practice at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. She serves on the Education Committee for TOS and is past-chair of the Clinical Practice Section. Dr. Golden has presented at conferences regionally, nationally, and internationally. She is the author of several book chapters and books, including Blueprint for Treating Obesity in Primary Care. Her research has been published in periodicals including the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Education Today, Obesity, Population Health Management, and Postgraduate Medicine. Dr. Golden is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the 2024 AANP Sharp Cutting Edge Award, 2023 America’s Top NP Award, and 2021 Steelman-Seim Educator Award for Excellence in Academics from the Obesity Medicine Association.

Dr. Jessica Bartfield received her medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. She completed an internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, followed by a fellowship in clinical nutrition and obesity at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She is board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine. She holds an Associate Professor position at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and practices obesity medicine at an interdisciplinary weight management program at Atrium Health/ Wake Forest Medical Center. In addition to clinical practice, she directs the obesity medicine fellowship and participates in obesity pharmacotherapy clinical research.

Dr. Monica Agarwal is an Endocrinologist and Obesity Medicine specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She is Professor of Medicine at UAB and the Director of the UAB Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program. She is the Parenteral Nutrition Specialist and MOVE Physician Champion at the Birmingham VA Medical Center. She is Chair of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Disease State Network for Obesity and Nutrition and Vice-Chair of the AACE Education Oversight Committee. She is the Co-Chair of The Obesity Society (TOS) Education Committee. She has served on several national committees at the AACE, TOS, American Society of Nutrition (ASN), and the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN).

Dr. Angela Ritten has been a Family Nurse Practitioner since 1996. She received her DNP from the University of Central Florida in 2013 and the Duke/Johnson & Johnson Nursing Leadership Fellowship in 2020. During her tenure as faculty with the University of Central Florida, she designed and tested weight management interventions for adoption in primary care practices. Currently, she is the chief clinical officer at Inshore Health LLC, a primary care practice for persons with Obesity. Publications related to obesity include: Fit Living in Progress – Fighting Lifelong Obesity Patterns (FLIP-FLOP) and Unmet Needs in Obesity Management: From Guidelines to Clinic.

Lee M. Kaplan, MD, PhD, FTOS, is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Obesity Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Director of the Dartmouth Weight and Wellness Center, and Director of the Boston Course in Obesity Medicine. He was previously the founding director of the MGH Weight Center and director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Kaplan has served in numerous advisory and leadership roles, including as the chair of the U.S. Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council, a recent member of the NIDDK Advisory Council of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the 2019-2020 president of The Obesity Society. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Harvard University and his PhD degree in molecular biology and MD degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, all with distinction. He completed residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in gastroenterology and liver diseases at MGH and a post-doctoral fellowship in genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Kaplan’s research has focused on the role of the gastrointestinal tract in the regulation of appetite, energy balance, and metabolic function, the mechanisms of action of bariatric and metabolic surgery, and the genetic determinants and predictors of response to obesity treatments. He is the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific and medical publications.

Beverly Tchang, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. She is triple board-certified in internal medicine, endocrinology, and obesity medicine. She graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical College and completed her residency and fellowships at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell and Columbia University Medical Center. She is the former Program Director of Cornell’s obesity medicine fellowship and is the President of the non-profit, Tri-State Obesity Society. Connect with her on X @BevTchangMD or at www.beverlytchangmd.com.