Penn Advancing Bariatric Surgery with Clinical Research

Jacque Spitzer, MSEd, research project manager at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders and member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team, explains the various ways patients can stay connected with the program after surgery.

There are many ways to stay connected with the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program after your surgery. In addition to regular follow-up appointments and an annual visit, many people choose to join Penn’s post-operative support groups or participate in clinical research programs.

As one of the leading research programs in the country, Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is deeply committed to advancing medicine by finding new, improved ways help people with morbid obesity. At any given time, the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program conducts multiple research studies aimed at better understanding the underlying cause of severe obesity, developing new surgical techniques and finding optimal strategies for improving post-operative outcomes and success.

The first step in participating in clinical research involves learning about the study, asking any question you may have and providing informed consent if you choose to participate. Informed consent means getting all the information about the study and then making an educated decision about whether you want to participate. The decision is all yours and it does not affect the quality of care you receive from the program.

The next step in the process is a screening interview or visit to make sure you fit all of the requirements to participate in the study. Research studies vary greatly in the number of visits and types of activities that they involve. Some involve filling out a one-time survey while others involve repeated visits over months or even years. You learn about all of these parameters before deciding whether to participate.

Participating in clinical research provides the unique opportunity to contribute to the growing understanding of obesity and obesity-related diseases as well as obtaining access to the latest treatments. Click here for a list of all obesity and weight loss surgery research studies currently under way at Penn Medicine.

In addition, support groups provide an opportunity to meet other people who are on a similar weight loss journey, share experiences and offer support to one another. Staying in close contact with the team also allows them to quickly address any problems you may be having so you can stay on track with your post-operative lifestyle changes and achieve your weight loss goals.

- Jacque Spitzer, MSEd