Washington Center for Weight Management and Research offers a fully-integrated, team-treatment approach to weight management, combining medical, psychological, activity, behavioral and nutritional support and education. Our experienced staff of health professionals is uniquely suited to working with weight-related issues. While there is a strong biological predisposition to the development of obesity, environmental and psychological factors play significant roles and these factors are addressed as part of your treatment. The effectiveness of a structured program for weight loss and maintenance is clear from the medical literature and our clinical experience. The supportive structure of the program includes weekly appointments with one of the team members ensuring contact with each of the team on a rotational basis. Groups for both education and discussion lend further support and reinforcement of the tools necessary not only for weight loss but also for maintenance. Washington Center also conducts clinical research to help further the understanding of obesity as a disease and how to best treat it. Currently the research section is conducting pharmaceutical research trials examining the effects of various study drugs for weight loss and improved metabolic conditions. As obesity experts, we gain additional experience with medications before they come to market and maintain an ongoing connection with scientists in the field. Domenica Rubino MD, the Center Director, is triple board-certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism; Obesity Medicine; and Internal Medicine. She has extensive experience in the care of the overweight patient as well as clinical research for the development of pharmaco-therapeutic agents in the management of obesity. She is very interested in both the physiological and psychological factors that are intricately involved in the management of obesity. Her approach for weight management combines a sound scientific understanding of obesity as a disease with a keen understanding of the psychological and physiologic issues involved in weight loss and weight maintenance. Clinically, Dr. Rubino believes that chronic conditions such as obesity are ideally treated with team-based approach.