Jen is certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She is also a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. With over 25 years of experience as a practicing physician, Jen has specialized in weight management since 2007 when she moved to Los Angeles after spending four years on the medical faculty at the University of California, San Diego. In L.A., she designed weight loss programs for actors preparing for movie roles and served as a doctor on seasons 4 and 5 of the reality TV show, “The Biggest Loser.”
In 2008, Jen returned to our nation’s capital to resume her academic career. She is now on the medical faculty of both the George Washington University and the Uniformed Services University and serves as a practicing physician at the DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Since returning to DC, Jen has earned a master’s degree in clinical research and collaborated with Dr. Kevin Hall at the National Institutes of Health to co-author several groundbreaking scientific papers on metabolism changes after weight loss and the impact of diet versus exercise on weight loss maintenance in former Biggest Loser contestants.
Jen has expertise in the medical aspects of weight management as well as personal experience with weight-related challenges. She was diagnosed with obesity early in life and developed a sugar addiction during childhood, reaching 300 pounds by college. During medical school, she lost 155 pounds but regained most of it within five years. At 270 pounds and newly prediabetic, she took part as a contestant on season 3 of “The Biggest Loser” in 2006 to begin a new weight loss journey. Since then, she has maintained her weight loss within a 20-pound range (except for some temporary extra weight regain during pregnancy and lactation!).
Jen has seen the disabling course of morbid obesity in her dad, who passed away in 2020 with significant weight-related disability. She is also motivated to maintain her weight loss because of her high risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease, which took her mom’s life in 2024. Jen is determined to keep her brain as healthy as possible and has exhaustively researched the state of the art in Alzheimer’s prevention, adopting many lifestyle changes specifically designed to help safeguard not just her weight, but also her mind.
Jen’s mission is to help others understand the biological and psychological factors contributing to overweight and empower people to manage their own health as she strives to do. She combines scientific evidence with practical personal insights to help people outsmart their stomachs and preserve their minds.
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I’m a sugar addict who has lost over 100 pounds with lifestyle changes, and I’m passionate about preserving my healthy body and mind. You can change your life, too!
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