About me
Dr. Sarwer is the senior associate dean for research and strategic partnerships and the director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at the College of Public Health. He is also a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. His research is focused on the etiology and treatment of obesity. Much of his work has focused on the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of extreme obesity and its treatment with metabolic and bariatric surgery. Dr. Sarwer also has a wealth of experience in the treatment of obesity with lifestyle modification interventions and pharmacotherapy. His more recent work in this area has focused on the adaptation, delivery, and utilization of evidence-based obesity treatments in persons with other comorbid conditions, including women with infertility, those with serious mental illness, and cancer survivors. He also is actively engaged in studies of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, neighborhood level variables, and obesity. This work provides him with a strong foundation to contribute to treatment guidelines and obesity policies both nationally and internationally.
Dr. Sarwer also maintains an active program of research on the psychological aspects of physical appearance. He recently completed several projects funded by the Department of Defense investigating the psychosocial experiences of American military veterans who have suffered devastating injuries that could leave them as candidates for vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) procedures, otherwise known as face and hand transplants. He is a Consulting Editor to the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery where he authors a quarterly discussion piece focused on psychosocial insights in the field of plastic surgery. This work, as well as his work in obesity, allows him to work colleagues across the College of Public Health and Temple University on the delivery of trauma informed care in health care systems, neighborhoods, and college campuses.
Dr. Sarwer is the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Obesity Science and Practice and serves on the Editorial Board of Common Health, the College of Public Health's student journal. He also serves as an associate editor for Obesity Surgery and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals.
Dr. Sarwer has published over 350 empirical papers, reviews, and book chapters based on his work. He has served as editor of three books: Psychological Aspects of Reconstructive and Cosmetic Plastic Surgery (2006); Presurgical Psychological Screening (2014); and The ASMBS Textbook of Bariatric Surgery (2014). Dr. Sarwer's research has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2002. His scholarly productivity leaves him ranked in the top 2% of scientists worldwide.
