The United States Armed Forces face an unprecedented challenge as obesity prevalence among service members continues to rise. As combat and incidental injuries become less prevalent year-over-year, rates of obesity-related conditions, including diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypertension, and fatty liver disease, increasingly meet or exceed civilian trends. Unlike in the civilian sector, however, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense are hesitant to recognize and treat obesity as a disease. Four leading experts from across the national security and obesity care fields have come together to share the perspectives, best practices, and critical insights that our armed services can use to fight obesity in 2024.
Lydia C. Alexander, MD, FOMA, President, Obesity Medicine Association
Dr. Lydia C. Alexander practices obesity medicine as part of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Weight Management group in San Francisco, CA. She is a fellow and Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine where she serves as Secretary/Treasurer on the OMA Board of Trustees. She is presently obtaining certification as a Culinary Medicine Specialist from the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine from Tulane Medical School. Dr. Alexander received her B.A. from Tufts University in International Relations and Spanish with a minor in Political Science and her M.D. from UC Davis School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and received her residency training at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco where she also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Alexander was the recipient of the 2018 OMA Clinician of the Year Award.
Tracy Zvenyach, PhD, MS, RN, Director of Policy Strategy and Alliances, Obesity Action Coalition
Dr. Tracy Zvenyach is Director of Policy Strategy and Alliances at the Obesity Action Coalition. In this role, she provides leadership in the development and implementation of policy priorities and strategy for OAC and represents OAC in alliances and coalition efforts to advance obesity care. She also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches healthcare policy and advocacy to graduate students. In her previous roles, Dr. Zvenyach led obesity public policy and advocacy efforts in industry and worked in the U.S. Senate for years, on topics ranging from healthcare, women’s policy, workforce, disaster response, and judiciary policy. Dr. Zvenyach’s research focuses on health economics and policy research to address barriers to obesity care, as well as diet quality of pregnant women receiving the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental food program. Dr. Zvenyach received a BS in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and her MS in nursing and PhD in health policy from the University of Maryland-Baltimore.
Richele L. Corrado, DO, MPH, FACP, Dipl. ABOM, Founder and Director, Comprehensive Weight Management Program, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
A former US Navy physician, Dr. Richele Corrado is a General Internist, Obesity Medicine Specialist, and former Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Walter Reed. Dr. Corrado is the founder and director of Walter Reed’s Internal Medicine Comprehensive Weight Management Program. She has given numerous presentations regionally, nationally, and internationally about obesity as well as leadership and medical education topics. She is an advocate for obesity recognition and treatment access within the Department of Defense and helped write pending policies for US Army, Navy, and Marine Corps servicemembers to access anti-obesity medications. She is member of the TOS Policy and Advocacy committee. She recently published a paper in Obesity about utilization rates of anti-obesity medications within the Military Health System. She has won several awards for teaching and mentoring within graduate medication education at Walter Reed, has been recognized within Walter Reed as a ‘Best of the Best’ provider and was named the 2023 Civilian Provider of the Year. As a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences she lectures annually about obesity pathophysiology to first year medical students. Her clinical practice is focused on training future military leaders and improving obesity care particularly for active-duty service members and veterans.
Stuart Piltch, President, Risk Strategies Consulting
Stuart Piltch, a distinguished professional with a multifaceted career, brings a wealth of experience to the intersection of healthcare, insurance, and national security. Graduating with high honors in History and American Studies, Stuart embarked on dual careers. His journey encompasses impactful roles within the intelligence community, where he traversed global conflict zones, testified before Congressional committees, and collaborated closely with top-tier security leaders. Simultaneously, Stuart forged a significant footprint in the healthcare and insurance landscape, holding pivotal positions in renowned companies, founding successful ventures like Cambridge Advisory Group and co-founding Certilytics. His commitment extends beyond professional realms, seen through his philanthropic endeavors and board positions aimed at fostering education, support programs, and wellness initiatives for in-need groups.
