The Adult Obesity Centre at the University of Health Sciences, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, led by Dr Feray Akbaş, is a COM in Türkiye. The centre operates with a multidisciplinary team including a rotating resident, a dietitian, psychologist, nurse, and administrative support, offering comprehensive obesity care in line with national and international guidelines.
Dr Akbaş, welcome! Please could you tell us about your team and the obesity services you provide?
I serve as the lead physician in our centre. Alongside a rotating resident, our permanent team includes a dietitian, psychologist, nurse, and a secretary who supports coordination and patient flow. We provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment in accordance with national and international obesity guidelines, covering medical nutrition therapy, psychological assessment and counselling, behaviour-modification training, physiotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and group education sessions. When needed, we obtain consultations from any relevant specialist department within our hospital. We place strong emphasis on a non-stigmatising, person-first approach. Many people living with obesity have already experienced blame from family, friends, society, or even healthcare professionals. We ensure that patients feel respected, supported, and comfortable during their care. Their feedback consistently highlights that they feel heard, valued, and motivated when attending our centre. Our team works closely together – functioning like a family – while maintaining the highest scientific and clinical standards.
What recent achievements, research contributions, and educational activities has your COM been involved in?
Over the past year, our COM has been highly active in publishing, presenting, and collaborating. Together with colleagues from our hospital, other institutions, and Turkish COMs, we published several papers in peer-reviewed journals, including studies on sexual dysfunction in men with obesity, the reproductive hormone profile in women with obesity and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, dynapenic abdominal obesity, obesity pharmacotherapy in older adults, and expert recommendations on hybrid telemedicine models for obesity care.
A major achievement has been the publication of the Türkiye Consensus Report on the Multidisciplinary Obesity Treatment in Adults in Obesity Facts, developed jointly with Turkish COMs and other groups, including: the Turkish Association for the Study of Obesity (TASO); the Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Türkiye (SEMT); the Turkish Obesity Surgery Society (TOSS); the Turkish Foundation for Bariatric Surgery; the Association of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery; and the Association of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Dietitians). This guideline is up-to-date, practical, and easy to implement in daily practice, offering clear guidance for all COM team members.
We presented our work at the National Obesity Congress, the Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Symposium, and participated in ECO 2025. We also launched a Patient School, open to anyone interested, and therapeutic patient-training sessions for those under our care – initiatives that have significantly improved the patient experience.
Our centre regularly contributes to education at multiple levels. All residents rotating through our COM receive structured training delivered by the leading physician, who also conducts teaching seminars for internal medicine residents. Our psychologist attends regular expert-level training sessions, and we actively participate in all educational activities organised by the Turkish Obesity Society.
Which research projects or collaborative initiatives are you currently working on?
We are part of the TURKOBEZITE Study, titled “Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Patients Admitted to Obesity Clinics in Türkiye” led by Prof. Dilek Yazıcı (Director of Koç University COM). This large, national project brings together multiple Turkish COMs to analyse patient profiles, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes across the country. We are also collaborating with Turkish COMs on several new research initiatives, strengthening national networking and evidence generation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully used telemedicine to maintain continuity of care and remain prepared to use hybrid models again if necessary.
What challenges are you facing, and what are your priorities for the coming years?
Financial constraints remain a major challenge, especially in accessing new technologies, equipment, and reimbursed obesity medications. Improved resources would significantly enhance the care we provide. Our goals for the next few years include strengthening team cohesion, securing continued support from hospital leadership, expanding research opportunities, improving patient access to reimbursed treatments, and enabling our team to attend more international congresses. We also collaborated with the City Health Directorate to deliver training for primary care physicians and plan to expand our outreach activities.
This edition highlights the Adult Obesity Centre at Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, led by Dr Feray Akbaş. The COM provides comprehensive, evidence-based obesity care through a cohesive multidisciplinary team, offering clinical evaluation, nutrition therapy, psychological support, physiotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and structured patient-education programmes. Over the past year, the team has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications, national and international congress presentations, and the Türkiye Consensus Report on Multidisciplinary Obesity Treatment. Their Patient School and therapeutic training sessions have strengthened patient motivation and engagement, while national collaborations such as TURKOBEZITE are advancing obesity research in Türkiye. Thank you to Dr Akbaş and the Istanbul COM team for their outstanding commitment to improving obesity care!
English 
French