Among the highlights: a look at the efficacy of bariatric surgery and GLP-1 medications, comparing the use of direct oral anticoagulants to traditional injections to prevent blood clots after bariatric surgery, and the use of catheter- and capsule-based ambulatory pH monitoring for esophageal disease.
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Experts from the at are presenting research and clinical findings at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s (ASMBS’s) 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting, held June 15 to 19 in Washington, DC.
“NYU Langone Health has long been at the forefront of advancing surgical treatment for obesity—from pioneering clinical innovations to leading national conversations about best practices, access, and long-term outcomes,” said Christine Ren-Fielding, MD, chief of the and surgical director of the Weight Management Program at NYU Langone. “We’re proud to be shaping the future of this field.”
Analysis: Bariatric Surgery Associated with Greater Weight Loss Results Than Injectable GLP-1 Medications
A new analysis from NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Bellevue Division of Bariatric and General Surgery shows that metabolic and bariatric surgery for obesity leads to five times more weight loss than medications referred to as GLP-1 receptor agonists over a two-year period.
The study, “Comparative Effectiveness of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide vs. Bariatric Surgery,” led by , assistant professor in the Department of Surgery; Manish S. Parikh, MD, professor in the Department of Surgery; and Avery Brown, MD, a at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, was featured in a Top Papers session on June 17. The analysis included electronic health record data from 51,085 patients at NYU Langone and , finding that those who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass, two bariatric surgery techniques, lost an average of 26.5 percent of their weight, compared to just 5.7 percent for patients who received a GLP-1 agonist prescription. Of the GLP-1 agonists, tirzepatide was associated with the best weight loss, averaging 8.9 percent after two years.
“These findings indicate that bariatric surgery remains the most effective long-term treatment for patients with severe obesity,” said Dr. Chhabra. “While GLP-1 medications are powerful tools, we are finding that most real-world patients are not getting the same results seen in clinical trials. GLP-1 agonists are still an important tool for treating obesity, but this data helps patients understand how much weight loss they can achieve with them.”
The study was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and from the KL2 Scholars Program at NYU Langone’s .
Additional Highlights from NYU Langone at ASMBS 2025
Also in the Top Papers session, Elizabeth Li, an MD/PhD student in the , presented on a study, also performed under the leadership of Dr. Chhabra and Dr. Parikh, examining the use of direct oral anticoagulants compared to traditional injections to prevent blood clots after bariatric surgery.
Megan Jenkins, MD, associate professor of surgery, will speak at a June 18 symposium on strategies for mastering autonomy in surgical practice and will also present in the Robotics Session on June 19, offering solutions to intraoperative challenges in her talk “Crisis in the Console.”
Dr. Ren-Fielding will give an invited lecture—“Is There a Glass Ceiling for Women in Bariatric Surgery?”—on June 18.
Tanuja Damani, MD, chief of the and surgical director of the Center for Esophageal Health, presented on June 16 about the clinical use of catheter- and capsule-based ambulatory pH monitoring for esophageal disease.
About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 115 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for three years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently placed nine of its clinical specialties among the top five in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across 7 inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Â鶹ĘÓƵapp Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.
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