Dr. Christina Chopra, MD, a PGY-4 resident in Stony Brook's Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Program, has been awarded a Presidential Mini Grant in the amount of $2,100 for her project entitiled, "Optimizing the Weight Loss Patient Treatment Pathway: A Pilot Study." Dr. Tara Huston, MD, FACS, of the Department of Surgery's Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is Dr. Chopra's mentor/collaborator on this project.
Dr. Chopra's project is focused on improving quality of life on the burgeoning population of patients who have had massive weight loss from "bariatric surgery, lifestyle modification or pharmacotherapy" with resulting excess skin, which may "impair physical function" and "diminish psychological well-being." The study will "collect comprehensive, standardized data across the weight loss continuum-before, during and after significant weight change—to inform evidence-based, interdisciplinary care for the treatment of this growing patient population. Through collaboration between the [Division of Plastic and Reconstructive] Surgery and Obesity Medicine, the study utilizes rigorous data collection methods to better understand patient trajectories and optimize the massive weight loss treatment pathway. Her hope is that "By leveraging an interdisciplinary framework and involving trainees in research and care delivery, this initiative will not only improve quality of life for a growing patient population, but also help establish Stony Brook as a leader in holistic, post-weight loss care."
"[Our study] is designed to evaluate the intricacies of the massive weight loss patient journey and how early and targeted plastic surgical intervention can improve health outcomes for patients," said Dr. Chopra.
"With the use of existing and new standardized tools in pair with morphometric analytics, we hope to modernize and personalize the treatment pathway for this growing population," said Dr. Chopra. "[Our study] is designed to evaluate the intricacies of the massive weight loss patient journey and how early and targeted plastic surgical intervention can improve health outcomes for patients."
In a comment about the Presidential Mini-Grant and her mentee's accomplishment, Dr. Huston said, "I’m very proud of Christina for receiving this well-deserved award. Her dedication to advancing the field of massive weight loss body contouring is inspiring. I’m excited to see the impact this work with have on improving patient care at Stony Brook Medicine and beyond."
"I’m excited to see the impact this work with have on improving patient care at Stony Brook Medicine and beyond," said Dr. Huston.
Dr. Chopra came to Stony Brook's Renaissance School of Medicine after earning her MD from California University of Science & Medicine School of Medicine (Colton, CA) in 2022. She brings with her a background in biological anthropology from her time at NYU and expertise in craniofacial morphology of early hominins from Stony Brook University. Her passion to learn about and understand the human form and function led her to begin her pursuit of a career in plastic surgery. Her plastic surgery studies have further focused on ensuring her patients can achieve aesthetic and functional harmony.
"A special thank you to Dr. Huston for being a sounding board and collaborator on this very ambitious project," said Dr. Chopra. "Additionally, I'd like to thank Drs. Ghazal Sinha, Astha Muttreja and Mariam Kirvalidze out of Stony Brook University Hospital Preventative Medicine for their collaboration on this work, as well as for the efforts of our fantastic medical student and resident co-investigators! It takes a village to conduct prospective research, and we have an incredible team! This is just the beginning of a lot of work ahead, and we are excited to see where this research takes us!