Avlin Imaeda, MD, PhD, is a gastroenterologist in the Metabolic Health & Weight Loss Program. Dr. Imaeda offers medication management, lifestyle intervention, and endoscopic procedures for weight loss, including endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), endoscopic revision of gastric bypass for weight regain, and transoral outlet reduction (TORe) in addition to routine endoscopic procedures.
Before her career as a physician, Dr. Imaeda was a researcher focused on immunology. “I loved research, but it was a lot of highs and lows. Sometimes, things went great, and other times things simply didn’t work. As a physician, I get instant gratification working with patients,” she says. “And gastroenterology was a natural fit because of my background in immunology, which affects the gut, and because I like doing procedures.”
After 15 years working at the VA Connecticut in West Haven doing general GI care, Dr. Imaeda joined the Metabolic Health & Weight Loss team to follow her interest in preventive medicine.
“Working in GI, I found that many patients have symptoms and issues related to poor eating habits and weight gain. Obesity rates continue to be high in the US and increasing throughout the entire world, and this causes or worsens almost all health problems,” she says. “Patients can improve their overall health by increasing activity and eating healthier diets, but most are still not successful at losing weight.”
Working in the weight-loss field right now is rewarding, she adds. “We have wonderful medications in addition to surgical and endoscopic options that are extraordinarily effective,” Dr. Imaeda says. “It’s great to offer patients options that help them improve their health and lose weight.”
Dr. Imaeda works closely with bariatric surgeons to refer appropriate patients for surgery; she also works with those who have had bariatric surgery, managing further weight loss or weight regain as well as other GI problems, including gastroesophageal reflux, diarrhea, and constipation. She provides consultation on patients referred from colleagues from primary care, digestive diseases, endocrinology, cardiology, orthopedics, sleep medicine, and oncology.
“I enjoy sitting down with patients and hearing their stories; it’s wonderful to see their weight loss success,” she says. “We have learned a lot about weight gain and how difficult it is for people to lose weight. I make a point to explain that to my patients, many of whom come in feeling guilt that they have somehow failed. I offer them empathy.”
Additionally, Dr. Imaeda says she explains the physiologic mechanisms that our bodies use to counteract weight loss, and how our food environment, with obesogenic processed foods, stimulate our brain’s reward systems and make people want to eat more, while providing less satiety.
