What does it actually take to fund the future of obesity treatment? On this episode of The BariNation Podcast, host April Williams sits down with Dr. Carlos Galvani, a bariatric surgeon of over two decades and President of the TREO Foundation (Treatment, Research, and Education to end Obesity), formerly known as the ASMBS Foundation.

Click HERE to join our free, virtual TREO Walk team!

Dr. Galvani breaks down the three pillars of TREO's work: advocating for insurance access and utilization, funding original research (including the studies that first linked GLP-1 effects to gastric bypass surgery), and educating both patients and providers on obesity as a chronic, treatable disease. April and Dr. Galvani talk candidly about why so few people with obesity actually receive treatment, why obesity should be approached like cancer or diabetes with multiple, personalized treatment pathways, and why obesity walks struggle to draw the same crowds as breast cancer or ALS walks, even though obesity affects roughly 70% of American adults.

This conversation also covers TREO's flagship fundraiser, The Walk, including the free, no-pressure Virtual Walk happening September 26th under this year's theme, "No One Left Behind."

In this episode:

  • What TREO stands for and how the organization evolved from the ASMBS Foundation
  • How GLP-1 medications changed the conversation around obesity as a disease
  • Why only 20 to 25% of people with obesity are receiving any treatment at all
  • The research TREO has funded connecting bariatric surgery, GLP-1 medications, and cancer protection
  • Why a standardized obesity treatment pathway (similar to breast cancer care) is coming
  • How stigma keeps people from showing up to obesity awareness walks
  • How to join the TREO Foundation's free Virtual Walk on September 26th

Obesity is a chronic disease that deserves the same research investment, treatment pathways, and community support as any other chronic condition. This episode is for anyone considering treatment, currently in treatment, or supporting someone who is.

Links:

TREO Foundation: www.treofoundation.org

Join BariNation's Virtual Walk team: https://fundraise.treofoundation.org/teams/7573

Find an in-person walk near you: https://fundraise.treofoundation.org/walk2026

Email us: hello@barination.org

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to The BariNation Podcast for more conversations on obesity treatment, bariatric surgery, and GLP-1 care, and follow BariNation for community support, education, and events.

http://barination.org

The BariNation Foundation is a federally recognized 501(c)(3). All donations are tax-deductible, and no services were exchanged in the production of this episode.

#ObesityTreatment #BariatricSurgery #TREOFoundation

Participation is the prescription. See you in The Nation, soon.

#BariNation #TREOFoundation #ObesityTreatment #BariatricSurgery #GLP1 #ObesityIsADisease #WeightRegain #NoOneLeftBehind