Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology

Research

The obesity and metabolic diseases research agenda is augmented by WVU’s status as an NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The department of Medicine has a research infrastructure led by Dr. Feinberg, Vice-Chair for Research. The department has an Associate Vice Chair for Research, Research Analyst, and research coordinators.

Dr. Haggerty is an NIH-funded investigator and has experience in mixed method study design, grant-writing, and practice-based research. She is on the Editorial Board for the Obesity Pillars Journal. Medical Weight Management is a site for a Phase 3 clinic trial of setmelanotide which is sponsored by Rhythm Pharmaceuticals.

Fellows are also encouraged to participate in the Fellows Research Academy (FRA).

Medical Weight Management is a site for an ongoing clinical trial with Rhythm Pharmaceuticals: A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study: 5 Independent Substudies of Setmelanotide in Patients with POMC, PCSK1, LEPR, SRC1, SH2B1, and PCSK1 N221D Gene Defects in the Melanocortin-4 Receptor Pathway.

Ongoing areas of research:

  • Obesity medical education for rural primary care
  • The use of m-health in the clinical setting for patient activation in treating metabolic diseases
  • Efficacy and feasibility of a produce prescription program
  • Quality improvement in treating obesity and metabolic diseases
  • Telehealth in obesity treatment
  • Evaluation of group obesity therapy using implementation framework
  • Weight bias in medical education and other settings
  • Weight management for cancer prevention
  • Rare genetic causes of obesity
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and bariatric surgery
  • Medical weight management after bariatric endoscopy procedures

Publications:

  • Davisson L, Hernandez-Pachon MA, Haggerty TS. Primary care treatment of obesity in West Virginia: A needs assessment. Obesity Medicine.Volume 34. 9/2022. Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obmed.2022.100445
  • Twitter and Communicating Stigma about Medications to Treat Obesity Haggerty TS, Sedney CL, Cowher A, Holland D, Davisson L, Dekesetedy P. 11/2022. Https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2144303
  • Haggerty TS, Milligan S, Davisson L, Cavrak M, Imlay R, Sedney. Significant Symptom Resolution of Spinal Lipomatosis with Weight Loss. Authorea. Sept. 17, 2022. DOI:10.22541/au.1666339264.41550164/v1.
  • Davisson L, Haggerty TS, Tabone L, Imlay R, Eggleston E. Building a medical-surgical obesity center in an academic health system: Lessons learned. Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care. Epub 8/9/2022.  https://doi.org/10.1089/bari.2022.0028
  • O’Kane CP, Avalon JC, Lacoste JL, Fang W, Bianco CM, Davisson L, Piechowski KL. Apixaban and rivaroxaban use for atrial fibrillation in patients with obesity and BMI ≥50 kg/m2. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy. 11/25/2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/phar.26551
  • Bays HE, McCarthy W, Burridge K, Tondt J, Karjoo S, Christensen S, Ng J, Golden A, Davisson L, Richardson L. Obesity Algorithm eBook, presented by the Obesity Medicine Association. 2021. www.obesityalgorithm.org.
  • Davisson L, Hernandez-Pachon MA, Haggerty TS. Rural Obesity Medical Education for Primary Care in West Virginia: A Needs Assessment. WVMJ. Special issue 3/2021.
  • Sofka, S, Lerfald N, Reece J, Davisson L, Howsare J, Thompson J. Universal Well-being Assessment Associated with Increased Resident Utilization of Mental Health Resources and Decrease in Professionalism Breaches. J Grad Med Educ. (Feb 2021) 13 (1): 83-88. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-2
  • Davisson L. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Metabolic Syndrome, & Obesity in Pregnancy, book chapter in Endocrine Diseases in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. Dec 31, 2021, CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003027577-40.
  • Bays HE, McCarthy W, Christensen S, Tondt J, Karjoo S, Davisson L, Ng J, Golden A, Burridge K, Conroy R, Wells S, Umashanker D, Afreen S, DeJesus R, Salter D, Shah N. Obesity Algorithm eBook, presented by the Obesity Medicine Association. 2020. www.obesityalgorithm.org.
  • Davisson L, Sofka S. “Cleanse” detoxification diet program in Appalachia: Participant characteristics and perceived health effects. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine. 2019 Sep 17. https://doi.org/10.1515/jcim-2018-0174. PMID: 31536033.
  • Barr ML, Tabone L, Cox S, Brode C, Szoka N, Olfert IM, Davisson L, Olfert MD. Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in Appalachia Influenced by Surgery Type, Diabetes, and Depression. Obesity Surgery. 2019 Jan 6. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s11695-018-03650-1. PMID: 30613934. 
  • Grogg KA, Giacobbi Jr PR, Blair EK, Haggerty TS, Lilly CL, Winters CS, Kelley GA. Physical Activity Assessment and Promotion in Clinical Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2022 Feb 27:08901171211051840.
  • Haggerty t, Brabson L, Grogg KA, Herschell AD, Giacobbi P, Sedney C, Dino G. Usability Testing of an Electronic Health Application for Patient Activation on Weight Management. mHealth, 7/2021.
  • Nieto L, Narvaez S, Davisson L, Haggerty T, Boatman D. An Update Regarding Attitudes of Rural West Virginia Primary Care Providers when Related to Patient with Obesity. WV Rural Health Conference, Nov. 2023. Poster presentation
  • Nieto L, Narvaez S, Davisson L, Haggerty T, Boatman D. An Update Regarding Attitudes of Rural West Virginia Primary Care Providers when Related to Patient with Obesity. ACP WV Chapter meeting, Nov. 2023. Poster presentation
  • Patients with MAFLD taking Glucagon Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists do not Have Higher Incidence for Hepatobiliary Cancer but Have Lower Overall Mortality: A Multi-center Analysis. Luis M. Nieto, MD; Pedro Palacios Argueta, MD; Sharon I. Narvaez, MD; Laura Davisson, MD; Shailendra Singh, MD; Shyam Thakkar, MD
  • GLUCAGON LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEPTOR AGONIST USE IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER INCIDENCE OF HEPATOBILIARY OR PANCREATIC CANCER IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A MULTI-CENTER COHORT STUDY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES  Luis M. Nieto, MD; Sharon I. Narvaez, MD; Pedro Palacios Argueta, MD; John P. Martinez, MPH; Kenneth J. Vega, MD; Laura Davisson, MDLuis M. Nieto, MD; Sharon I. Narvaez, MD; Pedro Palacios Argueta, MD; John P. Martinez, MPH; Laura Davisson, MD; Kenneth J. Vega, MD
  • GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS DO NOT INCREASE THE RISK FOR ACUTE PANCREATITIS AND ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH OBESITY WHO DEVELOP IT: A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES  Luis M. Nieto, MD; Pedro Palacios Argueta, MD; Sharon I. Narvaez, MD; Laura Davisson, MD; Shailendra Singh, MD; Shyam Thakkar, MD

Presentations:

  • 2023 West Virginia Sleep Society Annual Conference | Organization: WV Sleep Society: Surgical and Medical Weight Loss for Sleep Apnea / Haggerty
  • West Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Conference & Expo (ACE) 2023 | Organization: West Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Nutritional Counseling in a West Virginia Obesity Medicine Clinic | Haggerty, Shaw, DeChristopher, Haines
  • University of Nevada Reno Medicine Grand Rounds (Virtual), Transforming Obesity Management, Sept. 2021
  • Anthony DiBartolomeo Internal Medicine Conference, Morgantown, WV, Obesity Medicine: Facts vs. Fiction, Sept. 2018
  • ACP WV Chapter Meeting, Roanoke, WV, Obesity Clinical Pearls, 2017
  • Hal Wanger Family Medicine Conference, Morgantown, WV, Diets and Weight Loss Options, 2015
  • Advance Practice Professional (APP) WVU Medicine Grand Rounds, Obesity Medicine, April 2022
  • WVU Medicine Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Obesity Medicine, April 2022
  • WVU WISH February Conference Series recognizing AHA’s Go Red for Women Initiative, Health effects of implicit weight bias & sleep quality: WVU Medical Weight Management’s role beyond weight loss, 2021
  • WVU Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, Obesity Medicine: Building the Program During the COVID-19 Era, 2020
  • WVU Culinary Medicine Summer Externship, WVU Eastern Campus, Obesity Medicine, 2019 and 2020

Abstracts:

  • Surapaneni PK, Haggerty T, Davisson L. Recent Trends and Mortality Outcomes Among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients with and without Severe Obesity. ACG. Oct 2022. Poster presentation
  • Surapaneni PK, Elkins R, Davisson L. Bardet Biedl Syndrome: A rare genetic association with obesity. WV ACP. Nov 2022. Oral presentation
  • Arvon J, Davisson L, Haggerty T. Inpatient management of obesity. WV ACP. Poster presentation (virtual Nov 2021) then selected for oral presentation (presented in person Jan 2022)
  • Dekeseredy P, Haggerty T, Davisson L, Sedney CL. An Exploration of Twitter Discourse on Obesity Medicine. Thinking Qualitatively Conference (Virtual) July 2021. Poster presentation
  • Cross A, Arvon J, Davisson L, Haggerty TS. Quality Improvement in Obesity Treatment: Visit Frequency as a Key Metric. WV ACP Nov 2020. (Virtual) Poster presentation
  • Cross A, Arvon J, Davisson L, Haggerty TS. Describing the characteristics of patients who sought treatment in a multidisciplinary weight management clinic in West Virginia. Health meets Food: The Culinary Medicine Conference 2020. Poster presentation
  • Hernandez-Pachon MA, Davisson L, Haggerty TS. Rural Obesity Medical Education for Primary Care in West Virginia: A Needs Assessment. Appalachian Translational Research Network’s Health Summit (Virtual). Sept 2020. Oral presentation
  • Hernandez-Pachon MA, Davisson L, Haggerty TS. Rural Obesity Medical Education for Primary Care in West Virginia: A Needs Assessment. WV Nov ACP 2020. Poster presentation—1st place, advanced to national ACP
  • Hernandez-Pachon MA, Davisson L, Haggerty TS. Rural Obesity Medical Education for Primary Care in West Virginia: A Needs Assessment. WV Rural Health Conference 2020. Poster presentation
  • Davisson L, Yednock J, Harris B, Szoka N, Mcdonald M, Thompson J. Weight Bias Intervention in a Medicine Clerkship. AAIM Academic Internal Medicine Week, CDIM. April 2019. Poster presentation
  • Kidd K, Davisson L, Murray P. Why do doctors object? Conscientious objection in reproductive medicine. NASPAG. April 2019. Poster presentation
  • Kidd K, Jones KA, Davisson L, Murray P. Conscientious Objection by Primary Care Trainee & Faculty Physicians in an Appalachian Health Care System. SAHM. Mar 2019. Poster presentation