PLENARY SESSION: Virtual Psychosocial Care to Support Bariatric Surgery: Lessons Learned from COVID-19
Virtual Psychosocial Care
Sanjeev Sockalingam, MD, MHPE, FRCP(C)
Psychosocial Director, UHN Bariatric Surgery Program
Clinician Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and the Director of the Bariatric Surgery Psychosocial Program at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. He is a Clinician Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is also the Co-Chair of ECHO Ontario Mental Health, which is a provincial hub-and-spoke knowledge network funded by the Ministry of Health in Ontario.
Dr. Sockalingam has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and is the co-editor of the book “Psychiatric Care in Severe Obesity” and a second book by Cambridge University Press called “Psychological Care in Severe Obesity: A Practical Approach”. He has several large research grants from CIHR and other peer-reviewed agencies. His research focuses on examining predictors of psychosocial outcomes related to obesity care and evaluating psychological treatments for obesity, including virtual treatment modalities. He is the co-principal investigator on several multi-site CIHR funded clinical trials to evaluate the long-term outcomes of virtually delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) after bariatric surgery. Dr. Sockalingam is also a co-author on the 2020 Canadian Obesity Guidelines, specifically the mental health section.
Presentation Overview:
The following presentation will summarize the advances in virtual psychosocial care that have occurred in the backdrop of the COVID-19 context, including the rapid proliferation of virtual mental health care. Studies and resources in virtual mental health care including technological advances and policy changes supporting the growth of virtual psychosocial care in bariatric surgery support will be reviewed. Data from trials exploring patient experience and efficacy of virtual psychosocial interventions for patients who underwent bariatric surgery will be shared. The presentation will conclude with recommendations for bariatric centres of excellence including stepped care models for supporting patients before and after bariatric surgery care.