Obesity Medicine Fellowship

The Obesity Medicine Fellowship at Inspira is based at Inspira Medical Center Vineland. It is recognized as an accredited comprehensive bariatric surgery center by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Fellows who complete Inspira’s Obesity Medicine Fellowship are prepared for advanced patient care, academic or other specialized positions, along with board certification in obesity medicine.

What Makes Inspira’s Obesity Medicine Fellowship Unique

The Obesity Medicine Fellowship is one of many obesity medicine fellowships in the country. It is a 12-month non-ACGME but GME-supported fellowship. The fellowship director, Dr. Nicole Zucconi, is also the family medicine program director and has been practicing as a recognized ABOM diplomate for many years. The curriculum includes medical and surgical weight management, with an emphasis on community-based care.

What sets our program apart is its integrated approach, where fellows gain experience managing complex, multifaceted health concerns. With training in interdisciplinary, patient-centered approaches—including collaboration with dietitians, psychologists and other health care professionals—fellows are equipped to provide holistic care that extends beyond weight loss to improve overall health outcomes. This comprehensive skill set ensures graduates are well-prepared to serve their communities, especially those facing higher rates of chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Curriculum

The Obesity Medicine Fellowship is a one-year program that provides comprehensive training for recognizing and diagnosing obesity as well as how to treat it and its associated comorbid conditions. We strive to promote health education through nutritional counseling, treat obesity and continue expanding knowledge through teaching and research.

Fellows have the opportunity to engage in pertinent research, work with pre- and post-operative bariatric patients and educate both pediatric and adult populations on pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities to optimize patient health. Fellows work with a multidisciplinary team of dedicated bariatricians and dietitians to gain hands-on experience in managing surgical and medical weight loss cases.

Fellows also work closely with our pediatric population to enhance patient-centered care for children and adolescents and collaborate with our clinical pharmacy team and Insipra’s PGY2 Ambulatory Pharmacy Residency to develop cost-effective medication strategies and improve treatment outcomes.

Our fellowship offers the community more tools and resources to improve health outcomes and reduce obesity-related complications while adding an extra layer of support to the bariatric surgery team at Inspira. The overarching goal of our curriculum is to decrease obesity rates and complications by educating more physicians to treat this condition safely and effectively.

Rotations in Clinical Practice

Required rotations in clinical practice include: 

• Obesity Clinic
• Medical
• Surgical
• Pediatrics
• Sleep Medicine
• Cardiology
• Nutrition
• Research