Even amid the rapid rise in popularity of obesity drugs, still only 1% of physicians have formal obesity medicine training. It's a disconnect that a new scholarship established by the Obesity Medicine Association and the Obesity Action Coalition aims to shift.
Funded by a medically-assisted weight loss program known as Found, two scholarships of $5,000 each will be given to individuals who want to become certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine to cover exam fees. A one-year membership to the OMA will also be offered along with it.
"There is a growing disconnect between the number of people living with obesity and the number of providers trained to manage it," Angela Fitch, MD, president of the OMA Board stated in a Feb. 16 news release.
Applications for the scholarships take approximately seven minutes to complete, according to the website, and will be accepted by the organizations until March 15. Recipients will be named March 29.
"I'm proud to be one of the creators of the American Board of Obesity Medicine exam, and this scholarship fund is one step closer to closing the care gap that is growing in obesity medicine," said Rekha Kumar, MD, chief medical officer of Found, the scholarship's funding organization, and the former medical director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.