This special live episode of Scale Up Your Practice was recorded at the 2026 Canadian Obesity Summit in Montreal this past March. Dr. Roshan Abraham is joined by guest host Dr. Taniya Nagpal and special guest Dr. Rishi Handa for a case-based conversation about what obesity care can look like when healthcare professionals move beyond standardized answers and build care around the person in front of them. Through three common clinical cases, the episode explores how culture, patient goals, medication side effects, language used in referrals, weight bias, and clinical humility can shape the care experience. The conversation also asks a deeper question: what happens when standard practice stops being helpful and starts becoming a barrier? In this episode - Why evidence-based obesity assessment must look beyond standard BMI cut-offs, especially when caring for diverse populations - How weight bias and anticipatory stigma can shape clinical encounters before the appointment even begins - What healthcare professionals can include in referrals to make obesity care more specific, respectful, and collaborative - Why patient goals, function, culture, heritage, and lived experience need to be part of the care plan - How interprofessional care can support people starting obesity pharmacotherapy, including side effect management and nutrition support - Why culturally safe care means asking better questions instead of relying on one-size-fits-all advice Additional resources Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines: https://utm.guru/up0gz Free course: Obesity Assessment Essentials: https://utm.guru/up0gA Free course: Words Matter: The Consequences of Weight Bias & Stigmatizing Language: https://utm.guru/up0gB Weight bias and stigma research from Dr. Nagpal - Widespread misconceptions about pregnancy for women living with obesity https://utm.guru/up0gG - Women’s Suggestions for How to Reduce Weight Stigma in Prenatal Clinical Settings: https://utm.guru/up0gH Calibre: Practical Clinical Strategies for Obesity Management If this episode leaves you thinking about how to strengthen your own approach to obesity care, Obesity Canada’s Calibre course is designed to help. Calibre is an accredited course for healthcare professionals who want practical, evidence-based tools they can apply in real clinical settings. The course combines self-paced learning with live, interactive sessions, helping learners build confidence in obesity assessment, treatment, communication, and patient-centred care. The next cohort runs September 3 through October 7. Learn more & register: https://utm.guru/up0gC Learning objectives Apply evidence-based obesity assessment principles to common patient presentations in clinical practice (Medical Expert).Develop an individualized, guideline-informed obesity management plan using case-based scenarios, incorporating behavioural, surgical, pharmacological, and referral-based interventions as appropriate (Medical Expert, Leader).Identify and address common clinical barriers in order to support patient-centred, collaborative obesity care (Communicator, Collaborator, Professional).Disclosures This episode script was developed using NotebookLM to synthesize complex source materials into a structured educational format. The tool was used to analyze the Canadian Obesity Education Competencies (COECs), the Obesity Canada Strategic Plan, and guest-specific research. Specific prompts were utilized to extract relevant learning objectives, map them to CanMEDS roles, and generate competency-based interview questions. While NotebookLM assisted in drafting the narrative arc and educational framework, all content has been reviewed, fact-checked, and refined by the podcast hosts and Obesity Canada's clinical experts. This ensures the script aligns with current Clinical Practice Guidelines and authentically represents the lived experience perspective.
