Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition
Offering a Comprehensive Approach to Weight Management
Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition
The Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition is a comprehensive tertiary care obesity center which offers programs for both the prevention and treatment for children and adolescents with obesity. The Center is recognized, nationally and internationally, as a leader for improving health outcomes for children living with obesity.
About the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition
The Center’s mission is to empower children and families to build a foundation for healthy lifestyles through clinical care, education, research, community engagement, and advocacy. The Center’s vision is for an obesity-free world for all children.
We offer family-based weight management programs through medicine and surgery. The Center provides a versatile team approach when caring for your child. Our team is made up of pediatric physicians, nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, physical therapists, psychologists, nurses, and a social worker. They all specialize in weight management and give the highest level of care to ensure your child and family’s success. First, you’ll have a consultation to determine the best treatment options for your child and family. We are here to support you and your child every step of the way, and to help you form healthy behavior changes for life.
The family-based medical weight management programs are designed for children 2 years of age and older. Children and families will work with our team members to create healthier lifestyle behaviors.
Weight loss surgery is an option for adolescents with severe obesity who haven’t been able to stay at a healthy weight through lifestyle behavior changes. We offer two types of weight loss surgery for these patients:
- Gastric bypass surgery – used to make the stomach smaller and reduce daily food intake.
- Gastric sleeve surgery – used to remove a large part of the stomach and close the rest of it to make a tube-like sleeve.
The Center works to prevent childhood obesity and improve care for children with obesity by training health care providers through Project ECHO. We’re also committed to improving the health and well-being of our community. We do this by partnering with many community organizations and serving as the chair for the Healthy Kids Coalition of Central Ohio.
Our Team
The Center provides a versatile team approach when caring for your child. Our team is made up of pediatric physicians, nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, physical therapists, psychologists, nurses, and a social worker. They all specialize in weight management and give the highest level of care to ensure your child and family’s success.
Gina R. Thompson
Gina R. Thompson, DO, is Interim Director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Marc P. Michalsky
Marc P. Michalsky, MD, is Professor of Clinical Surgery and Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and serves as Surgical Director for the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Our Locations
At the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, we offer a comprehensive approach to weight management for children 2 years and older. We offer programs for both the prevention and treatment of overweight children in several locations.
Meet Our Patients
At Nationwide Children's Hospital, we realize that emotional support is every bit as important as medical treatment. That’s why we want you to meet some of our patients who, like you, are dealing with the daily challenges of managing their weight.
Resources
Resources for Families
We have compiled helpful resources for parents and children including a medical glossary and articles about nutrition.
Resources for Professionals
The Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition has developed several tools intended to provide primary care physicians with practical guidance on the approach to the obese child.
Online Information Sessions
These free sessions provide an overview of the bariatric surgery process at your pace. In our series of short videos, Marc Michalsky, MD, discusses the three types of weight loss surgery available for teens to combat obesity and the benefits, risks, advantages and disadvantages of each. Take advantage of our new online information sessions to start learning about bariatric surgery today!
Conditions We Treat
- Acanthosis Nigricans
- Anxiety
- Asthma and Reactive Airway Disease (RAD) (Wheezing)
- Bipolar Disorder
- BMI Greater Than 95%
- Diabetes: Type II
- Headaches
- High Cholesterol
- Inactivity
- Obesity-related Joint Pain
- Overweight
- Pediatric Obesity
- Sleep Apnea
