The American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) is pleased to announce that three board members have taken on new leadership positions. Beginning in January 2018, Dr. John Cleek assumed the role of chairman of the board of directors. He is joined on the leadership slate by Dr. Judith Korner (vice chair) and Dr. Trey Wickham (secretary/treasurer). Learn more about Drs. Cleek, Korner and Wickham below.

Dr. John Cleek (Chairman of the ABOM Board of Directors)

 John B. Cleek, MD is the medical director of the Vanderbilt Center for Medical Weight Loss in Nashville, TN. As medical director he worked to establish a new multidisciplinary clinic with bariatric surgeons, dietitians, exercise physiologists, psychologists, and ancillary medical personnel. In addition, he established a teaching program in obesity medicine for Internal Medicine and Family Medicine residents. He has also been involved in clinical research within the weight loss clinic. Dr. Cleek received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Duke University and his medical degree from Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Cleek is board certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine.

Dr. Judith Korner (VIce Chair of the ABOM Board of Directors)

Judith Korner, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Medicine and Division of Endocrinology at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.  Dr. Korner received her medical degree at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University where she also obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics.  She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine, served as Chief Medical Resident, and completed her fellowship in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Korner is founder and Director of the Weight Control Center at Columbia.  Dr. Korner’s research is focused on the pathophysiology and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. She has published original research as well as book chapters and review articles on weight regulation and obesity therapy. She is a member of the New York Obesity and Nutrition Research Center and the Diabetes Research Center at Columbia.

Dr. Trey Wickham (Secretary/Treasurer of the ABOM Board of Directors)

Dr. Edmond Wickham III (‘Trey’), Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), is a physician-scientist with clinical and research expertise in the pathophysiology and treatment of obesity and weight-related comorbidities across the lifespan. Dr. Wickham graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia, and subsequently completed medical school at VCU where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Afterwards, Dr. Wickham completed a combined residency program in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, followed by additional fellowship training in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and a Master’s of Public Health. Dr. Wickham holds dual appointments in the Divisions of Adult and Pediatric Endocrinology and oversees a multidisciplinary translational obesity research program at VCU. Dr. Wickham also serves as the Director of Research and Medical Director for the Healthy Lifestyles Center (HLC) at Children’s Hospital of Richmond, a comprehensive pediatric obesity research and treatment program that provides integrated, compassionate, age-appropriate care for children, adolescents and young adults with overweight and obesity.