ObesityHelp Conference Educational Keynote Dr. Scott Cunneen
May 6, 2014We’re pleased to announce Scott Cunneen, MD, FACS, as the Educational Keynote speaker for the 2014 ObesityHelp Conference!
Educational Keynote - What To Do When The Honeymoon Is Over
For those planning to have weight loss surgery, as well as for those who have already done so, extensive patient education is required – or at least it should be. There’s the excitement of having made this life-changing decision, and the thrill of the weight coming off after surgery – for some, fast and furious, for others slower and more steadily. We call that the “honeymoon period,” when you can almost stand in front of a mirror and watch the changes take place. You’re excited, committed and compliant. And then a year goes by, and another, and before you know it, you’re three or four or five years post-op…with a whole new set of issues, or maybe some of the old ones resurfacing. Dr. Cunneen would like his audience to think about what “success” really means for weight loss surgery patients, how to achieve it and, most importantly, how to make it last.
About Dr. Cunneen
Dr. Scott Cunneen is the Director of Bariatric Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and author of WEIGHTY ISSUES: Getting the Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery. While Dr. Cunneen can help you get back into your skinny jeans, that’s not really what he’s all about. In fact, if they took a vote to change “weight loss surgery” to “metabolic surgery,” he’d lead the parade. Sure, his patients show up because they want to lose weight, a lot of weight, but not just because they think they have a shot at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. They come in because of their deteriorating health. They’re diabetic, or hypertensive, at risk for heart attack or stroke, their kidneys are failing, their hips and knees are shot from carrying so much extra weight. They have gall bladder problems, back problems, sleep apnea. Or any combination of the above. Regardless of age, they do not feel as well as they can or should.
These are the weighty issues shared by most bariatric patients. Post-operatively, however, the majority of patients enjoy renewed health, energy and vitality; many have actually increased their life expectancy in addition to the huge change in quality of life. Now this doctor is on a campaign to keep it that way.
Scott A. Cunneen, MD, FACS, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in physiology from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in human nutrition from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He earned his medical degree from Georgetown University, where he was awarded membership in the medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha. A Fellow of the American Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgeons, Dr. Cunneen is often called upon to teach laparoscopic procedures throughout the United States and abroad.
