Community Outreach

The clinic’s multidisciplinary team is involved in various community outreach projects. MWM received an Innovations Grant for MWM’s WVU Medicine Produce Prescription Program. In this program, MWM distributes produce to clinic patients with education on growing and cooking plants. Medical Weight Management runs a Facebook support group. Dr. Haggerty is the Medical Director for WVU’s Walk With a Future Doc (WWAD) which is a series of community walks. Numerous team members have given talks, interviews, or written articles that have educated the public on the following topics:

• Bariatric Surgery Myths
• Falling in love with a healthier you
• Effects of chronic disease on weight
• 5 Tips to enjoy a healthy Halloween that won’t frighten away your weight goals
• Oh my gourd, it’s October!
• Healthy Harrison Podcast, Obesity (Healthy Harrison Podcast)AHA Dietary Guidelines

Did you know that WVU Medical Weight Management is frequently cited in the media?

Dr. Davisson Print Interviews:

• Washington Post, Patients navigate an ‘absolutely insane’ maze to afford weight-loss drugs, column by Daniel Gilbert, 5/25/2025

• Stateline, States consider high costs, possible savings of covering weight-loss drugs for their workers, column by Shalina Chatlani, 1/22/2025

• Associated Press, West Virginia Patients are left in limbo over changing insurance coverage of obesity medications, column by Leah Willingham, 1/2/2025

• Medscape, Should Patients witih Thyroid Issues Take GLP-1? It Depends, column by Alicia Gallegos, 12/19/2024

• The Atlantic, The Ozempic Flip-Flop, column by Sarah Zhang, 12/2024

• WV Metronews, West Virginia Leaders Embrace Effects of Weight Loss Drugs While Also Considering Cost, column by Brad McElhinny, 12/1/2024

• Time, Patients are Suing Over Alleged Side Effects of Weight Loss Drugs, column by Jamie Ducherne, 11/4/2024

• The Atlantic, Why People Are Breaking Open Their Mounjaro Pens, column by Sarah Zhang, 8/15/2024

• Wired, The Race for the Next Ozempic, column by Emily Mullin, 7/24/2024

• Forbes, Weight Loss Pills Intensify Obesity Drug Race--But Here's Why Experts Say Injections Aren't Going Anywhere, column by Robert Hart, 7/18/202

• WV Metronews, PEIA says cost for weight loss drugs is crushing, but people also want and need access, column by Brad McElhinny, 6/27/2024

• Interview, Loseit.com, Is Short-term Ozempic Use Ever Okay?, column by Paige Brettingen, 6/26/2024 https://www.loseit.com/articles/is-short-term-ozempic-use-ever-okay/
• Interview Loseit.com, Interview How Fast Does Weight Loss Happen on GLP-1 Drugs?, column by Paige Brettingen, 6/15/2024 https://www.loseit.com/articles/how-fast-does-weight-loss-happen-on-a-glp-1-drug/
• Interview, Loseit.com, Interview 7 questions to ask your doctor before taking a weight loss drug, column by Paige Brettingen, 6/14/2024 https://www.loseit.com/articles/questions-to-ask-your-doctor-before-taking-a-weight-loss-drug/
• Interview, Medscape, Interview Helping patients navigate high costs of GLP-1 medications, column by Steph Weber, 6/3/2024 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/helping-patients-navigate-high-costs-glp-1-medications-2024a1000ac4?form=fpf
• Interview Are you sure you want an Ozempic pill?, column by Yasmin Tayag, 12/2023 https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/12/obesity-drugs-ozempic-pills-injections/676359/
• Interview, Time. Should We End Obesity?, column by Jamie Ducharme, 11/8/2023 https://time.com/6330809/ozempic-wegovy-mounjaro-healthy/
• Interview, Associated Press, Author Supply problems and insurance issues make popular weight-loss drugs hard to get, column by Tom Murphy, 9/16/2023 https://apnews.com/article/wegovy-ozempic-mounjaro-shortage-insurance-64014bc2887a518b33c597b2bf936e37\
• Author, Pittsburgh Post Gazette Expert Insights column, Author Interview Author Unpacking the discourse around Ozempic and related medications for weight loss, 8/26/2023 https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/08/26/ozempic-weight-loss-medications/stories/202308270016

Dr. Davisson Television Interviews:

• NewsNation, On Balance, by Leland Vittert, 12/23/2024
• CBS Evening News, West-virginia-subsidy-program-ends, Sarah Svoboda, 11/25/2024
• Today Show, What happens when popular weight loss drugs don’t work?, 4/2/2024

Dr. Davisson Radio Interviews:

• WV Metronews Statewide Talkline with Hoppy Kerchival, PEIA Obesity Pilot Program, 11/29/2024
• West Virginia Public Broadcasting, by Emily Rice, West Virginia Morning, 9/2024
• WV Metronews Statewide Talkline with Dave Wilson, Obesity Medications, 9/2024
• Loseit.com, 7 questions to ask your doctor before taking a weight loss drug, column by Paige Brettingen, 6/14/2024
• Medscape, Helping patients navigate high costs of GLP-1 medications, column by Steph Weber, 6/3/2024

Dr. Davisson Podcasts:

• Podcast interview, Obesity: A Disease, Advocacy, recorded 9/2023
• Podcast interview, The Medicine Mentors podcast, 11/2020
• Podcast interview, Obesity: A Disease, Review: DPP and Metformin, 6/2021

Medical Weight Management Registered Dietitian Judy Siebart:

• Interview, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 15, 2023. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/07/15/pickles-health-benefits/stories/20230716001

• Author, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 24, 2020 https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/07/23/diet-soda-aspartame-alternatives/stories/202307190081?fbclid=IwAR36lrPvbWYykpGOI59Ht8Pgyka5aqWSzeiMALt_EVQH7lfd1EmYgO1utKA 

• Author, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 29, 2-23 https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/09/29/food-insecurity-is-all-around-us-join-the-food-fight/stories/202309030001

Dr. Haggerty:

• Interview, STAT, 1/10/2024. https://www.statnews.com/2024/01/10/weight-loss-products-adolescents/
• Interview, NY Times, 10/31/2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/31/magazine/teen-bariatric-surgery.html?smid=url-share