Weight Management Center: About Us
At the UPMC Weight Management Center, we work with you to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your individual needs, both for weight loss and for the health risks associated with excess weight. Our goal is to help you develop the tools for long term success.
We provide a comprehensive approach to weight loss in order to help you avoid the endless cycle of “yo-yo” weight loss and regain. Your lifestyle is always the foundation of every plan. This foundation includes healthier eating and increased physical activity. We also focus on the behavioral changes you will need to make in order to lose weight and keep it off. We can evaluate whether FDA-approved weight loss medications might help support your lifestyle changes, and we can also help you determine if a surgical option could be the next best step.
Our philosophy is based on the idea that when it comes to weight loss, one size does not fit all. Each plan is as individual as you are. Whether you have several hundred pounds to lose or just a few, we are here to help you develop and carry out a realistic plan to lose weight and keep it off.
Madelyn H. Fernstrom, PhD, CNS, is the founder and director of the Weight Management Center. With graduate training at MIT and the Harvard Medical School, she is a renowned expert in the comprehensive treatment of obesity and weight management. The author of more than 75 research papers, Dr. Fernstrom has spent the past 25 years studying and treating obesity and eating disorders in both laboratory and clinical settings. She is a national media resource both in print and on television. She has been quoted in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, as well as in magazines including Good Housekeeping, Self, Glamour, Family Circle, and Reader's Digest. She has been featured on National Public Radio, Fox News, the BBC, and on television shows including "20/20," "Dr. Phil," and "Good Morning America."