🎙️This episode is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada.

When conversations about obesity focus only on food, movement, or medications, something essential gets missed. Mental health is not an add-on in obesity care. It’s foundational.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we’re joined by Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, psychiatrist, researcher, Scientific Director of Obesity Canada, and co-author of the mental health chapter of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines.

We discuss how mental health intersects with obesity across the lifespan, and why addressing depression, anxiety, trauma, disordered eating, sleep, and weight bias is essential to providing compassionate, evidence-based care. Dr. Sockalingam shares practical insights clinicians can apply in everyday practice to strengthen patient relationships, reduce stigma, and support long-term health.

In this episode:

Why mental health matters in obesity care: How psychological health is both a driver and complication of obesity, and why it must be integrated into assessment and treatment.

Recognizing and reducing weight bias in care: Where stigma shows up in clinical conversations and systems, and how language and validation can reshape patient experience.

Practical strategies for real-world practice: Simple, time-efficient ways to screen for mental health concerns, address disordered eating, and support patients beyond lifestyle-only advice.

What treatment can and can’t do on its own: How medications may influence appetite and eating behaviours, and when additional psychological support is essential.

Additional Resources 

Research: The Cost of Inaction in Treating Obesity: https://utm.guru/ujsc2 

Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/ujsc4 

Learn more about the intersection of sleep & obesity in episode 13 with Dr. Michael Mak: https://utm.guru/ujsc5 

Free courses: 

Intro to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Behavioural Change in Obesity Care: https://utm.guru/ujsc6 

Intro to Behavioural Change Counselling for Obesity: https://utm.guru/ujsc7 

Exploring the Role of Mental Health & Psychological Interventions in Obesity Management: https://utm.guru/ujsc9

📣 Register for the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026 in Montréal. Join researchers, healthcare professionals, policy leaders, and people with lived experience for five days of learning, collaboration, and community—centered on this year’s theme: obesity across the lifespan, connecting research to real-world care.

Registration is open now and tickets are already selling fast.

Register today: https://utm.guru/ujsc1

🎧 Season one finale
This episode marks the final episode of season one of Scale Up Your Practice. Thank you for listening and being part of this first season of the podcast. We’ll be back after a short break with season two in 2026, bringing more conversations to support compassionate, evidence-based obesity care.

Enjoying the podcast?

Support Scale Up Your Practice by:

• Sharing this episode with a colleague or team member

• Subscribing on your favourite podcast platform

• Leaving a review to help more listeners find the show

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover?
Email us at [email protected]

🎙️This episode is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada.

Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects an estimated 38% of adults in North America — yet many patients have never heard the term before receiving a diagnosis. Confusion, stigma, outdated language, and misconceptions often contribute to delayed recognition and missed opportunities for early intervention.

We’re joined by Dr. Giada Sebastiani, hepatologist and Professor of Medicine at McGill University, to explore the biological mechanisms behind MASLD, what early signs look like in clinical practice, and how to talk about liver disease in a way that reduces shame and strengthens the patient–provider alliance.

Dr. Sebastiani also shares practical guidance for screening, counselling, and helping patients understand the path forward.

In this episode: 

The metabolic link between obesity and MASLD: How insulin resistance, adipose tissue dysfunction, and cardiometabolic risk factors drive steatosis, fibrosis, and progression to advanced liver disease.

Patient communication that reduces stigma: Strategies for explaining MASLD, abnormal liver tests, and imaging findings in clear, non-blaming language that supports trust, understanding, and patient engagement.

Screening and early detection essentials: Practical guidance on who to screen, how to interpret mild enzyme elevations, and when to use tools like FIB-4, transient elastography, and non-invasive biomarkers.

Management that supports long-term liver and metabolic health: How lifestyle interventions, obesity pharmacotherapy, and multidisciplinary care can improve liver outcomes—and how to tailor these approaches to individual patient needs.

Additional resources:

Free course: Introduction to Behaviour Change Counselling for Obesity: https://utm.guru/ujpJ9 

📣 Register for the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026 in Montréal. Join researchers, healthcare professionals, policy leaders, and people with lived experience for five days of learning, collaboration, and community.

Registration is open now and tickets are already selling fast.

Register today: https://utm.guru/ujpKa 

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover?

Email us at [email protected]

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Support us by:

• Sharing this episode with a colleague or friend

• Subscribing on your favourite podcast platform

• Leaving a review to help more listeners find the show

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common—and most misunderstood—conditions in women’s health. It affects an estimated 6–13% of women globally, yet up to 70% remain undiagnosed.

PCOS isn’t just a reproductive issue. At its core is metabolic dysfunction: insulin resistance, adipose tissue inflammation, and hormonal disruption—all of which intersect closely with obesity. These biological drivers influence ovulation, fertility, mental health, metabolic health, and long-term risks like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and MASLD. 

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we’re joined by Dr. Emilia Huvinen, Finnish gynecologist, researcher, and associate professor at the University of Helsinki, whose work focuses on the intersection of obesity and women’s health. Dr. Huvinen breaks down the biological roots of PCOS, the links with obesity, how stigma and bias shape care, and what evidence-based, compassionate management can look like.

In this episode: 

• PCOS biology made clear: How insulin resistance, adipose tissue dysfunction, and hormonal shifts drive core symptoms — and why PCOS is fundamentally a metabolic condition.

• Explaining PCOS without blame: Approaches to help patients understand this condition without feelings of shame or blame.

• Evidence-based treatment options: From lifestyle support and metformin to hormonal therapy and obesity medications—and how to tailor care to the individual.

• Stigma, bias, and missed diagnoses: How weight bias delays recognition, affects fertility conversations, and shapes patient experiences—and how language can shift that.

• Subscribing on your favourite podcast platform

• Leaving a review to help more listeners find the show

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Multidisciplinary care can transform obesity management for patients — but what does it actually look like in practice?

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Dr. Rishi Handa, internal medicine specialist, and pharmacist Khalid Bhatti, co-founders of Durham Care Clinic + Pharmacy in Oshawa, Ontario, a collaborative care model bringing physicians, pharmacists, and allied health professionals together to support patients living with obesity and related chronic diseases.

From shared decision-making to the use of the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines, this conversation explores how teamwork can improve outcomes, reduce bias, and make obesity care more connected, compassionate, and effective.

In this episode:

• Building better systems of care: How Durham Care Clinic brought physicians, pharmacists, and dietitians, and other allied health professionals together to close care gaps and improve care coordination for patients living with obesity.

• From silos to teamwork: What multidisciplinary, patient-centred care looks like in practice—and how shared responsibility changes outcomes and experiences.

• Putting the guidelines to work: How the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines can anchor care planning, communication, and collaboration across teams.

• Connecting chronic conditions: How a unified team approach supports patients managing obesity alongside diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

• Bias, trust, and collaboration: How working as a team helps identify and address weight bias in the system—improving empathy, communication, and care quality.

• Practical takeaways for clinicians: What any practice—large or small—can do to start integrating multidisciplinary principles and make obesity care more connected and compassionate.

  
  

Additional resources:

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/ujkVE 

• Durham Care Clinic + Pharmacy: https://utm.guru/ujkVF 

• Free courses from Obesity Canada: https://utm.guru/ujkVG 

Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026, in Montréal, Québec.It’s five days of learning, collaboration, and community—all centered on the theme:

“Obesity Across the Lifespan: Connecting Research to Real-World Care.”

✨ Early bird registration is open until November 30, 2025. Learn more and register here → https://utm.guru/ujkVH

📩 Have a question or topic you’d like us to cover?

Email us at [email protected]

🎧 Enjoying the podcast?

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or your care team

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners discover the show

Thanks for listening — and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

Delays, denials, and BMI cut-offs have long shaped access to joint replacement surgeryfor people living with obesity. 

Orthopaedic surgeon and steering committee member Dr. Harman Chaudhry joins us to unpack the new Canadian Orthopaedic Association recommendations for knee and hip replacements for people living with obesity. We cover what’s changed, why communication matters, and how clinicians and patients can navigate toward equitable, evidence-based surgical decisions.

In this episode

• Reframing access to surgery: Why national recommendations were needed, how BMI cut-offs created inequities, and what’s changing with a more individualized, case-by-case approach

• Bias, communication, and patient trust: How stigma shows up in surgical care—and why language, empathy, and open dialogue can change both outcomes and experiences

• Balancing risk & benefit: What the evidence really says about outcomes for people living with obesity after hip and knee replacement, and how to guide risk-benefit conversations with patients

• • Practical advocacy in action: Steps clinicians and patients can take to improve access—optimizing health, asking for second opinions, and ensuring no one leaves an appointment without a plan
  • Looking ahead: How system design, central intake models, and collaborative advocacy can build a more equitable path to joint replacement across Canada

  
  

  Additional resources

  • Canadian Orthopedic Association: Recommendations on Elective Total Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery in People Living with Obesity https://utm.guru/ujhto 

  • Announcement from Obesity Canada on the COA’s recommendations: https://utm.guru/ujhtp 

• • Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/ujhtq 
  • Explore our free, online education courses for healthcare professionals: https://utm.guru/ujhtr

  
  

  Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

  
  

  Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026 in Montréal, Québec. Join researchers, healthcare professionals, and advocate voices to connect the latest science with real-world care.

  Submit your abstract by October 31, and secure your spot at the conference. Early bird registration is open now through November 30, 2025.

  Learn more and register: https://utm.guru/ujhts

  
  

  📩 Questions or topic requests?

  Email us: [email protected]

  
  

  🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Support the show:

  • Share this episode with a colleague or student

  • Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

  • Leave a review to help others find the show
    

  Thanks for listening—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Access to obesity treatment in Canada can feel like a maze—for both patients and healthcare professionals.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Dr. Ian Patton, Obesity Canada’s Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement, to talk about the barriers people face in accessing obesity care—and how clinicians and patients can work together to change that.

From the everyday challenges of navigating authorizations and waitlists to the bigger system-level barriers, Ian shares practical strategies clinicians can use to support patients within the realities of our current healthcare system—while working toward a more equitable one.

In this episode:

• Why access to evidence-based obesity care remains inconsistent across Canada

• How delays, denials, and system barriers affect patient motivation and health

• Practical steps clinicians can take to reduce friction and improve efficiency

• The power of communication, empathy, and trust in patient advocacy

• How peer support and communities like OC Connect empower patients

• What needs to change at a system level to make equitable care possible
  

Additional resources:

• OC Connect patient community:https://utm.guru/ujesc 

• Private insurance appeal letter: https://utm.guru/ujesd 

• Workplace & employer resources: https://utm.guru/ujese 

• Tell your government representative to recognize obesity as a chronic disease: https://utm.guru/ujesf 

• The Patient-Physician Partnership in Advocacy: https://utm.guru/ujesg 

Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026, in Montréal, Québec. It’s where Canada’s obesity community—researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and lived experience advocates—comes together to share the latest science and advance care.

✨ Early bird registration is open through November 30, 2025.Register today: https://utm.guru/ujesh

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

🎧 Love what you’re learning? Here’s how you can support the podcast:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

Behaviour change in obesity and chronic disease care is complex, relational, and happens far beyond the clinic visit—so our conversations with patients need to reflect that reality.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with health psychologists Dr. Michael Vallis and Dr. Tiffany Shepherd to rethink how we teach behavioural change counselling skills. We explore the shift from transactional to relational care, the “Grand Apology” as a trust-building tool, and practical ways clinicians can co-create behavioural change with patients while navigating time and system constraints.

In this episode:

• Why behavior change is a core pillar in the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines

• Moving from control to collaboration: the relational model in practice

• Creating safe, efficient conversations that invite patient creativity and agency

• Team impact: how these skills strengthen inter-professional care and clinician confidence

• Building competencies over time: awareness → competence → confidence

  
  

Additional resources:

• Learn more about the Advanced Obesity Counselling Certification program: https://utm.guru/ujbvU 

• Register for the November AOCC Cohort: https://utm.guru/ujbvV 

• Read the research on behavioural change counselling: https://utm.guru/ujbvW 

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines; Effective Psychological and Behavioural Change Interventions in Obesity Management: https://utm.guru/ujbvX 

Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026, in Montréal, Québec. It’s where Canada’s obesity community comes together — researchers, and healthcare professionals— to exchange ideas, share the latest science, and put evidence into practice.

Register today: https://utm.guru/ujbvY 

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you!

Email us at [email protected]

🎧 Love what you’re learning? Here’s how you can support the podcast:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Pediatric obesity care is complex, deeply personal, and involves more than just the child—it involves the whole family.

In this episode of Scale Up Your Practice, we sit down with Dr. Stasia Hadjiyannakis, pediatric endocrinologist, clinician, researcher, and advocate, to explore what compassionate, evidence-based support for children, youth, and their families can look like. From reframing outdated assumptions to tackling bias, Dr. Hadjiyannakis shares her journey, insights, and vision for better pediatric care.

In this episode:

• What inspired Dr. Hadjiyannakis to focus on pediatric obesity care

• The science of body weight regulation in children and youth

• Why stigma and bias are so damaging in pediatric care—and what to do differently

• The importance of listening, curiosity, and whole-family support

• How systemic gaps in education and care access continue to impact kids and families

• A hopeful look at what better care could mean for the next generation

  
  

Additional resources:

• Canadian Pediatric Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/ui7Ph 

• Edmonton Obesity Staging System for Pediatrics: https://utm.guru/ui7Pi  

• Free course: Intro to Pediatric Obesity: https://utm.guru/ui7Pj  

• Explore all of Obesity Canada’s education offerings: https://utm.guru/ui7Pk 

Don’t miss the Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity Canada’s flagship scientific congress returns March 25–29, 2026, in Montréal, Québec. It’s where Canada’s obesity community comes together — researchers, and healthcare professionals— to exchange ideas, share the latest science, and put evidence into practice.

Get the event details: https://utm.guru/ui7Pl   

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you!Email us at [email protected]

🎧 Love what you’re learning? Here’s how you can support the podcast:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

🎙️ This episode is sponsored. Obesity Canada received an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly Canada to produce this episode. 🎙️

Nutrition in obesity management is complex, deeply personal, and shaped by biology, culture, mental health, access, and lived experience.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Flavio Vieira, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta, to explore what personalized, evidence-informed nutrition can really look like in practice. From tackling misconceptions to addressing malnutrition and advocating for multidisciplinary care, Dr. Vieira helps us rethink how nutrition fits into obesity care that’s compassionate, practical, and person-centred.

In this episode:

• Why a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition doesn’t work

• How biology, metabolism, and lived experience shape dietary responses

• The importance of integrating nutrition with other treatments (exercise, behavioural care, surgery, pharmacology)

• Malnutrition and sarcopenic obesity: what they mean for people living with obesity

• The role of advocacy in bridging research and real-world practice

• Gaps in screening tools and why new approaches are needed

• A vision for more accessible, multidisciplinary models of care

Additional resources: 

• Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/ui2XW 

• Canadian Pediatric Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline: https://utm.guru/ui2XX 

• Free course: A Deep Dive into Medical Nutrition Therapy and Physical Activity: https://utm.guru/ui2XY 

  
  

• Explore Dr. Vieira’s research: 

• Sarcopenic obesity diagnosis by different criteria mid-to long-term post-bariatric surgery: https://utm.guru/ui2XZ 

• Poor muscle quality: a hidden and detrimental health condition in obesity: https://utm.guru/ui2X0 

• Hidden malnutrition in obesity and knee osteoarthritis: Assessment, overlap with sarcopenic obesity and health outcomes: https://utm.guru/ui2X1 

📩 Have a question or a topic you’d like us to cover? 

Email us at [email protected]

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share this episode with a colleague or student

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review to help more listeners find the show

Thanks for tuning in—and stay with us as we continue to scale up your practice.

Dr. Sue Pedersen returns to walk us through the just-released update to Obesity Canada’s Clinical Practice Guideline for Pharmacotherapy.

In this episode, we explore the latest evidence, recommendations, and clinical tools to help healthcare professionals use obesity medications safely, effectively, and in partnership with patients.

From a shift away from BMI to new medications and an updated decision tool, this conversation breaks down what’s new—and why it matters—for clinicians and people living with obesity alike.

In this episode:

• What’s new in the 2025 pharmacotherapy guideline chapter update

• Why BMI is no longer the primary criterion for treatment

• The role of pharmacotherapy in long-term, health-focused obesity care

• New medications added: tirzepatide and setmelanotide

• Expanded recommendations for common obesity-related conditions

• How to personalize treatment and use the updated decision algorithm

• Why compounded GLP-1 medications are not recommended

• • Research gaps: where we still need answers (e.g., PCOS, CKD, fertility, combination therapy)
  • What the future of obesity medicine could look like—and how to get there

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Here’s how you can support us:

✅ Share the episode with a colleague

✅ Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform

✅ Leave a review—it helps more people find us

📩 Send us your questions or topic requests: [email protected]

Thanks for listening—and stay tuned as we continue to scale up your practice.