The UCLA Fit for Health Program adopted a new approach to treating childhood obesity: considering the physical, emotional and social aspects of the disease.

Dr. Wendelin Slusser, a UCLA Health physician who specializes in clinical care, medical training and obesity research, founded the clinic about 15 years ago.

Dr. Vibha Singhal, who took over the clinic in 2024, said she broadened the scope of the program by incorporating new therapies, obesity medications and bariatric surgeries related to weight loss. The clinic is both a treatment and teaching center, Singhal added, with undergraduates, medical students, residents and fellows contributing to the program.

Singhal said her research is also central to the program’s work.

“I have my own lab where we have studies primarily around obesity and obesity treatments,” Singhal said. “Addressing food insecurity, how we can build that into our program, evaluating for potential eating disorders, evaluating the newer medications and the risks of infertility effects on the next generation.”

The program has a small food bank grant that clinicians use to address food insecurity in families, Singhal added.

Many patients struggle with binge eating and other eating disorders, Singhal said. The clinic’s multidisciplinary team includes psychologists, nutritionists and social workers who work together to treat cases, she added.

“We are sort of a one-stop shop,” said Natacha Emerson, the program’s psychologist. “Unlike going to a doctor’s visit, where they just refer you to a psychologist or a dietitian, all three of those providers are actively working together to focus on shared goals to make sure that we are helping patients the way that they want to be helped.”

The clinic’s patient volume has doubled since October 2024, Singhal said. It has added two new physicians to meet the demand, and is expanding availability for its nutritionists and psychologists, she added.

But the recent growth is not without its challenges, Singhal said, adding that the team is managing a much larger caseload without proportional increases in staffing and resources.

“We doubled the volume, but we didn’t double all our resources,” Singhal said. “It adds a lot of work on the team. … It’s getting hard to keep up.”

Insurance coverage for obesity medications remains another major challenge, as insurance does not cover many treatments, Singhal said. She added that she anticipates significant cuts to medication in January at the state and federal levels.

Emerson said the families the clinic traditionally serves may be underinsured or undocumented, making access to care difficult. However, Singhal added that the clinic’s “no-show” rate has dropped in recent years as families return for care.

“In the last year, we have had a lot of our patients who want to be healthier and have healthier bodies, but some of our families also have parents that are undocumented, and that has made seeking health care scary in this certain climate,” Emerson said. “Thankfully, we’re able to keep patients via video visit, which is sometimes a good way to make people feel more secure, especially when there are transportation and other barriers to getting to the clinic.”

Emerson said the clinic’s integrated model allows them to support patients’ physical and emotional health simultaneously. She added that part of her role is to identify and evaluate any mental illnesses that could be influencing patients’ weight.

Singhal also said one of her long-term goals is creating a structured program for patients with developmental disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome and genetic disorders.

The program’s social worker, Bobby Verdugo, who runs the clinic’s mindfulness program, said many families are navigating complex social issues. The clinic’s multidisciplinary model allows the clinicians to customize their approach to each family’s specific needs, he added.

“We tailor the (mindfulness) curriculum to the family,” he said. “Some families may want to work a lot on portions, some want to work more on what they’re eating too fast and others on physical activity. We really adjust it to the family and I think that’s pretty unique – the ability to provide this intervention, to customize it to the family and then to continue to work with families in this kind of holistic, multidisciplinary way.”

Emerson said the emotional realities many children face remain central to their care. Ensuring that children feel supported and understood, she added, is often the foundation for meaningful progress.

She added that young patients often struggle with negative body image and are pressured into becoming skinnier rather than healthier. Helping families shift those expectations remains an ongoing challenge, she said.

“We often have patients who just want to be skinnier and they don’t really see that what we want for them is happiness and health,” Emerson said. “I’m really proud that psychology is a big part of that, because we’re not just focusing on the number on the scale and what people are putting inside of their bodies, but also their emotional, spiritual and developmental wellness.”