Symposium on Obesity and Transplantation: Comparing Medical Nutrition Therapy, Pharmacotherapy, and Bariatric Surgery

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PROJECT SUMMARY Obesity continues to be a significant barrier to solid organ transplantation. Patients with obesity awaiting kidney, liver, and heart transplantation are often delayed or denied transplants until weight loss is achieved. We propose a research development conference to review and discuss the evidence-base and current practices surrounding the use of medical nutritional therapy, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery to support patients' weight loss prior to solid organ transplantation. The proposed Symposium on Obesity and Solid Organ Transplantation: The Role of Medical Nutrition Therapy, Pharmacotherapy, and Bariatric Surgery, will convene a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals (i.e., social workers, nutritionists, dieticians) in the fields of solid organ transplantation and obesity as well as patients with obesity awaiting transplantation to develop an agenda for future comparative effectiveness research at the intersection of these fields and develop strategies for reducing delays in the receipt of life-saving and life-changing transplants and wait list mortality for patients with obesity. The proposed research development conference builds on our successful AHRQ-funded Symposium on Obesity and Kidney Transplantation held in May of 2021 (R13HS028377). This inaugural hybrid event garnered 486 registrants and 317 attendees; the meeting also generated 56 research questions and overwhelmingly positive reviews. The proposed conference expands on this inaugural event and aims to: 1) elicit patient perspectives on and experiences with regarding the challenges and successes of weight loss and management in preparation for kidney, liver and heart transplantation; 2) provide a forum for sharing research findings and clinical experience related to the use of medical nutritional therapy, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery to address obesity prior to transplantation; 3) generate a research agenda, including specific research questions, to investigate issues related to obesity and transplantation. We propose to organize, advertise, implement and evaluate the symposium, and disseminate the resulting content in collaboration with our existing Steering Committee. In addition, three patients who have been evaluated and waitlisted for kidney, liver, lung, or heart transplantation and who concurrently suffer from obesity that is delaying transplantation will be recruited as patient partners to serve as members of the Steering Committee. Three additional patient partnerss will serve as symposium panelists and will share personal experience with weight loss as a transplant candidate to an audience of clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals. Our anticipated outcomes include a manuscript from the symposium content and discussions, and an agenda with specified research questions for future comparative effectiveness research on the use of medical nutritional therapy, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery to treat obesity prior to solid organ transplantation.