Weight Management Expert Faculty

Chika V. Anekwe, MD, MPH is an obesity medicine physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology from Princeton Universty, a medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and a master of public health degree from Columbia University. Dr. Anekwe completed her internship in Pediatrics at NYU and her residency in General Preventive Medicine, the American Board of Obesity Medicine and the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists. Dr. Anekwe is founder and president of the New England Obesity Society, and organization that sponsors educational events and provides resources for clinicians in the New England area interested in treating obesity and associated metabolic disease. Her professional interests are in the areas of clinical nutrition, obesity medicine, non-surgical weight management, health policy and community health outreach, with a special interest in underserved communities. 

Dr. Mandeep Brar is a board certified Endocrinologist with extensive experience in the management of complex endocrine disorders. After finishing her residency in Los Angeles, California she pursued her fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at the University of Colorado, Denver under the mentorship of renowned faculty such as Dr. Chester E. Ridgeway and Dr. Robert Eckel.  After spending time on bench research in Colorado, Dr. Brar shifted her focus to develop clinical protocols for the management of diabetes and served as medical director at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health diabetes center in the greater Seattle area.  Dr. Brar moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 2014 to take over Tenet Healths' Abrazo Diabetes Care Centers. During the past five years, Dr. Brar has focused on population health interventions for management of diabetes and training the next generation of providers. 

Dawn Graham, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Instruction the Department of Social Medicine at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She earned a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Purdue University in 2010 and Master of Arts in Applied Behavioral Science from Valparaiso University in 1999. Clinical and education experience includes work the University of Chicago Hospitals, Michigan City Area Schools, Purdue University, Porter Starke Community Mental Health and Logansport State Psychiatric Hospital. In addition, she has experience running a multi-million dollar federal grant to promote maternal/child health in Southeastern Ohio with partnerships in coordination with the Ohio Department of Health. She  previously acted as the chair of the Ohio Psychological Association Public Sector Issues committee. She is a certified community health worker through the Ohio Board of Nursing and is a CHW Master Trainer in the Appalachian Region. In addition, she has participated in national webinars and speaking engagements for SAMHSA’s- Rural Behavioral Health, The March of Dimes, and The American Institutes for Research. Areas of interest include creativity and mental health, global mental health, rural health and policy change. Current projects include qualitative research on integrated healthcare in rural settings across the United States. Her research interests also include the impact of compassion fatigue for healthcare professionals working with underserved patients and currently teaches Trauma Informed Care and Mindfulness to health professionals. Within the community, Dr. Graham has worked with Habitat for Humanity, OU Woman’s Mentoring Program, Vinton County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Athens Girls Rock Camp. She served as a board member for Athens Mental Health, and is currently on the board of the Athens Artist Memorial Project and the leadership team for the Paw Paw Festival. Dawn spends her free time camping, fishing, playing music, and chasing her Basset Hounds.

Marat Gitman, OSMD, DO, is a board-certified Internist with additional board certification in Obesity Medicine since 2016 and certification (Doane University) in Lifestyle Medicine since 2021. As an internist, Dr Gitman is specializing in management of variety of medical disorders with a concentration in lifestyle disorders. Dr Gitman strongly believes that lifestyle modification is an effective supplement to medications in management of complex medical problems. After graduation from residency (Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, New York), Dr. Gitman has been practicing in Connecticut at the Community Health Center since 2013 and has been the medical director of Enfield office since 2014. 

QI Coaches

Patti Feeney, MSM, ACC, brings over 25 years of professional expertise as a Leadership Coach and Leadership Development Consultant, specializing in human resources, organizational development, change management, and process improvement. Throughout her career, Patti has served as a trusted consultant, adult educator, and leadership coach, empowering organizations and individuals across diverse sectors to embrace and drive transformative change. With a focus on process improvement, facilitation, team development, and communication strategies, Patti equips teams with the tools to navigate complexities, foster innovation, and sustainably transform their organizations. Patti holds a Master of Science degree in Business Management from Albertus Magnus College and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from Central Connecticut State University. She is an active member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and holds the designation of Associate Certified Coach (ACC). Additionally, Patti is a certified Microsystems Coach through The Dartmouth Institute.

Lisa Leary, MS, is an educator and strategist with a passion for creating meaningful change and helping organizations achieve greater success and productivity. Through working with leadership teams and staff, she has led collaborative efforts to build strong, reliable, and efficient infrastructures so organizations can achieve their best. She has successfully worked with multiple organizations using Lean Six Sigma and Microsystems methodology to reduce waste, increase revenue, and empower staff to both do the work and improve the work. Lisa equips teams to diagnose and treat their systems using innovative, cost-effective solutions. She has published and presented on a variety of topics, including using microsystems for practice transformation, measurement fundamentals for quality improvement, and defining and understanding quality in nursing home settings. Lisa holds a Masters Degree in Evaluative Clinical Science from Dartmouth College and is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt. She brings over 15 years of experience in process improvement and practice transformation through her work in healthcare, humane organizations and other non-profit agencies

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.