Medical Weight Control Center

The Medical Weight Control Center at Columbia University is one of the most highly respected weight management programs in the region. We take a physician-centered approach to weight loss. Our practitioners are board certified endocrinologists specializing in weight loss medicine. Our patients experience weight loss, improved mobility and improvement in diseases associated with overweight.

Areas of Focus

Our work is geared toward reducing the presence or risk of weight-related diseases such as insulin resistance, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and obstructive sleep apnea. We will work with you and your primary care physician to treat these weight-related conditions.

In recognition of the fact that many factors impact losing weight and keeping that weight off, we take an integrated approach to weight management by:

• Assisting patients in attaining a healthy diet
• Providing guidance in increasing physical activity
• Supplying stress management and problem-solving therapy to help the patient cope with emotions that have led to weight gain in the past
• When appropriate, prescribing medications to help promote further weight loss

We incorporate cutting-edge information, such as the latest on available therapeutics, in our sessions to provide our patients with the best tools to achieve optimum health. As part of a world-renowned academic center, we have access to and conduct research protocols on weight loss.

At the Medical Weight Control Center, we realize that patients face enormous challenges. Family and friends may not understand the difficulties of losing weight, and societal views of overweight make having a weight problem extremely stressful. Some of our patients struggle with genetic predisposition to weight gain.

Losing weight and transforming habits can be challenging, requiring motivation and readiness to make lifestyle adjustments. This process, which requires commitment, may feel overwhelming at first. Our goal is to empower individuals to succeed at the unique challenges of losing and controlling their weight.

Your Visit to the Medical Weight Control Center

During your initial visit, we will assess your health issues and establish an individualized plan for healthy eating and increased physical activity and monitoring any medications you may be taking. Our doctors also evaluate how your hormones or current medications may be hindering weight loss or contributing to weight gain. Return visits will be scheduled according to your treatment needs. In some cases, we may need to work together with you and another specialist, such as a dietician or a cognitive-behavioral therapist. For patients who decide to pursue weight loss surgery, we work closely with practitioners in the Center for Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

Medical Weight Control Center Faculty

Judith Korner, MD, PhD
Director, Medical Weight Control Center

Dr. Korner, who founded the Medical Weight Control Center at Columbia University Medical Center, is a renowned expert in the science and treatment of weight management. Dr. Korner completed her MD and fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism and her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University. Dr. Korner is board certified in endocrinology. She is the author of multiple research papers, review articles, and textbook chapters, and heads several research studies investigating the hormonal aspects of weight control as well as hormonal changes that occur with weight loss surgery.

Michelle Lee, MD
Dr. Lee joined the Medical Weight Control Center as a staff physician after completing her medical training at Yale University and her training in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Columbia University. She is also a board certified endocrinologist whose research interests focus on the hormonal regulation of body weight.

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