Video: 1.5 min Read time: 2 min
As part of their training, physicians in the US obtain board certification from certain organizations. Some become board-certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Others by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. Becoming board-certified in any field signifies specialized knowledge and training. The field of Obesity Medicine is the same. Physicians board certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine are considered to have specialized knowledge in the practice of Obesity Medicine and have achieved competency in obesity care. This is different from people that claim to be experts in treating weight because they have done it themselves or have just read about it extensively on the internet. In addition to meeting training qualifications and attending a great deal of continuing education lectures, to achieve board certification in Obesity Medicine, physicians must sit for a rigorous board exam that is administered once a year. They also have to demonstrate continued competency in the field every year. Right now, there are just over 5000 physicians in the US and Canada combined that are board-certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Although that seems like a lot, that’s only about 0.7% of physicians that have advanced training in Obesity Medicine. Especially because right now in the US, over 42% of adults have obesity. We have some work to do to close that gap!