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Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology); Director, Yale Obesity Research Center (Y-Weight); Co-Director, Yale Center for Weight Management

Contact Information

Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD

Research Summary

Dr. Jastreboff’s obesity research program seeks to better understand: 1) the neurobiology of obesity, 2) neural mechanisms underlying anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, 3) and clinical outcomes of anti-obesity pharmacotherapy.

During her doctoral thesis work, Dr. Jastreboff became interested in understanding how metabolic perturbations, such as insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, leptin resistance, etc, affect neural mechanisms, which subsequently impact eating behavior and weight gain. To this end, she utilizes functional MRI to examine neural responses in obese adults and adolescents (insulin resistant and insulin sensitive) to various food cues (viewing images of high-calorie and low-calorie foods, ingestion of glucose or fructose drinks, etc). She then expanded her work to include investigation of how treatment with anti-obesity medications may impact both neural responses as well as eating behavior. Dr. Jastreboff’s overarching goal is to conduct research that is clinically applicable for the treatment of obesity and has a clear public health impact to mitigate the obesity pandemic.

Specialized Terms: Obesity; Obesity Medicine; Anti-obesity pharmacotherapy; Insulin resistance; Type 2 diabetes; Neural control of eating behaviors; Weight-loss maintenance; Dietary glycemic index, Diabetes technology tools, Transitions of care from pediatric to adult care

Extensive Research Description

obesity and cancer; anti-obesity pharmacotherapy; cancer prevention and risk reduction

Coauthors

Research Interests

Obesity; Weight Loss

Public Health Interests

Obesity

Selected Publications

Clinical Trials

ConditionsStudy Title
Diseases of the Digestive System - Stomach; Obesity & Weight ControlTreatments to Treat Loss-of-Control Eating and Improve Weight Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery
Mental Health & Behavioral Research; Obesity & Weight ControlGLP-1 analogue effects on food cues, stress, motivation for highly palatable foods, and weight
Diabetes Mellitus - Type 1; Diseases of the Endocrine System; Diseases of the Nervous SystemImpact of Hypoglycemia on Brain Ketone and Neurotransmitter Metabolism in Type 1 DM
Children's Health; Diabetes Mellitus - Type 2; Diseases of the Cardiovascular System; Diseases of the Endocrine System; Genetics - Pediatric; Obesity & Weight ControlPrevalence of Carbohydrate Intolerance in Lean and Obese Children
Genetics - Adult; Mental Health & Behavioral ResearchEMANATE: A Study of Setmelanotide in Patients With Specific Gene Variants in the MC4R Pathway