UAMS Celebrates New Weight Loss Clinic Location

By Holland Doran

Weight Loss Clinic new location ribbon cutting

Stavros Manolaga, M.D., Ph.D., (third from left), Kyla Pirani (center), Roxane Townsend, M.D. (fourth from right), Betsy Day (third from right), and UAMS Weight Loss Clinic patients cut a tape measure to celebrate the clinic’s new location.

The UAMS Weight Loss Clinic today celebrated its move to a new clinic space with an open house that featured free blood pressure and BMI screenings, weight loss program food samples and door prizes.

Guests at the event toured the new clinic located on the ground floor of the Central Building, Room G600, and heard from Roxane Townsend, M.D., vice chancellor for clinical programs and CEO of UAMS Medical Center, and Stavros Manolagas, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Department of Endocrinology in the UAMS College of Medicine and director of the Weight Loss Clinic.

“Doctors and researchers often talk about how to prevent serious diseases that can cause death, and this is what the Weight Loss Clinic is doing, preventing diseases,” Manolagas said.

Open house guests also heard from current and former patients about their experiences with the program such as Kyla Pirani, who has lost 105 pounds over the last two years.

“I love this program,” Pirani said. “The counselors are so great and it is so nice to have support and enthusiasm.”

In the new clinic location, patients can now attend health classes, visit their physician and receive lab work all in one convenient location.

UAMS Weight Loss Clinic Kyla Pirani

Weight Loss Clinic patient Kyla Pirani stands next to a picture of herself before she lost more than 100 pounds with the program.

“The space offers an all-inclusive, one-stop shop exclusively for our patients,” said Betsy Day, program manager. “The new location provides easier patient access and service because we do not have to send them all over the campus for classes.”

Along with a better location, the clinic has an updated look with new furniture, wider chair and exam tables, and facilities that will better accommodate patients.

“We hope to expand the scope of our services and extend our hours of operation as well,” Day said.

Those interested in joining the 16-week weight loss program will attend a free orientation where they will receive details on the program. Patients do not need a physician referral to begin the program.

Participants must receive a screening evaluation that includes a review of their medical history, a physical check of their vital signs, a review of the program, and a discussion of their individual health and fitness needs.

The program offers patients classes on behavior modification and nutrition taught by registered dietitians and is medically supervised by Monica Agarwal, M.D., a fellowship-trained endocrinologist and the state’s first and only physician board certified to treat obesity.

After completing the program, the clinic offers a weight maintenance program where patients can receive one-on-one counseling for meal planning.

For more information, call the clinic at (501) 296-1074.