Pediatric Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program

Obesity is the most prevalent chronic disease affecting our youth. Effective management of childhood obesity, particularly severe obesity, requires specialized, multidisciplinary therapies including behavioral, pharmacological and surgical options. However, there are few medical providers who are competent in delivering such care because medical schools and residencies do not provide significant formal education in this topic. The Pediatric Obesity Medicine fellowship addresses this gap by providing comprehensive training in state-of-the-art treatment of childhood obesity for pediatricians seeking to work in this newly recognized specialty.

Pediatricians completing this fellowship will be able to sit for the American Board of Obesity Medicine certification examination. For interested fellows, when funding is availablea second year of training in obesity research may be an option during which time a Master’s of Clinical Research degree from the School of Public Health can be earned.

Expand all

Prospective Fellows

We appreciate your interest in the University of Minnesota's Pediatric Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program and look forward to reviewing your application. Please feel free to contact the Program Director Claudia Fox at lusc0001@umn.edu, if you have any questions not answered here on the webpage.

Please Note:

  • Applicants must be Board eligible/Board certified (BE/BC) in Pediatrics
  • We only accept applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders)
  • Interested applicants should submit a universal application, current curriculum vitae, personal statement, USMLE or COMLEX score reports and three letters of recommendation (one of which is from the current Program Director). Letters of recommendation should be addressed to the Program Director and emailed directly to the mstepka@umn.edu.

The University of Minnesota demonstrates a commitment to leveraging the transformative power of equity and diversity to advance excellence in teaching, learning and community engagement. Applications from individuals who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups are particularly welcome.

Clinical Experience

The Pediatric Obesity Medicine fellowship is a one year clinical program with the option for a second year to pursue research and scholarly activity, as funding is available. Year 2 offers a Master’s in Clinical Research, total of 38 credits. The clinical year includes a combination of guided observation and shadowing, direct patient care under the supervision of an attending physician, and didactics. The fellow is directly supervised for the first 8 weeks of training with shared visits and observation of patient interactions and counseling. Once the fellow demonstrates competence in managing treatment protocols and various strategies, they begin to see patients independently with oversight provided by the assigned attending in the Pediatric Weight Management Clinic. In this setting, the fellow briefly discusses the case with the attending to review the assessment and plan. The level of responsibility gradually increases again after 8 weeks and proficiency will be demonstrated with many of the common case presentations.

Scholarly Activity

With the first year of training focusing on clinical care to prepare and ensure eligibility for American Board of Obesity Medicine certification exam (need 500 hours of obesity training) the goal of the optional second year is to prepare the clinical researcher to independently execute a clinical research project. Research faculty are experts in the field of pediatric obesity medicine. The fellowship director and Center co-director, Dr. Claudia Fox, is a nationally recognized leader in the clinical management of severe pediatric obesity and Dr. Aaron Kelly, Center co-director, is an internationally recognized researcher in the treatment of severe pediatric obesity.

Stipend & Benefits

This page provides access to information on stipends and benefits for medical residents & fellows.

Additionally, each medical fellow receives:

  • Funding of the ABP General Pediatrics Certifying Exam
  • At least $1,500 for professional development
  • At least $300 annually in education funds
  • MN medical license
  • AAP membership with subspecialty section membership
Hear From Our Department Head
Life in Minneosta

Current Fellows
cherullo_lisa.jpg

Lisa Cherullo
Fellowship Dates: 2023-2024

jessica_reilly.jpg

Jessica Reilly
reill354@umn.edu
Fellowship Dates: 2022-2023

Faculty

Claudia Fox, MD, MPH
Program Director
lusc0001@umn.edu
Full Bio
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Aaron Kelly, PhD
Associate Program Director
kelly105@umn.edu
Full Bio
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Eric Bomberg, MD, MAS
 

Carolyn Bramante, MD, MPH
Adult and Pediatric Obesity Specialist
bramante@umn.edu
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Amy Gross, PhD, LP, BCBA
Pediatric Obesity Medicine Psychologist
acgross@umn.edu
Full Bio
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Daniel Leslie, MD
Bariatric Surgeon
Lesli002@umn.edu
Full Bio
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Megan Oberle Bensignor, MD, MSHP
Pediatric Endocrinologist
moberle@umn.edu
Full Bio
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Shalamar Sibley, MD, MPH
Adult Endocrinologist
sible004@umn.edu
Full Bio
Experts@Minnesota Profile

Muna Sunni, MBBCh, MS
 

Gail Turnberg, RN, CPNP
Nurse Practitioner
gturnber10@umphysicians.umn.edu

Alumni

Priya Patel, MD
Fellowship Dates: 2021-2022
Current Position: Children's Hospital of Los Angeles

Sarah Raatz, MD
Fellowship Dates: 2019-2021
Current Position: Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota

Contact Us

Fellowship Program Director

Placeholder

Fellowship Coordinator

Michelle Stepka
mstepka@umn.edu
(612) 624-4912

For more information on our other medical fellowship programs, click here.