Health Talks: Personalized Weight and Wellness Expert

Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, MD, DABOM, is a dualboard certified integrative obesity specialist, bestselling author, philanthropist, and dynamic speaker. But Dr. Sylvia is more than a doctor; she's a loving woman of God, wife, and mom of 2 rambunctious kids who loves helping other women thrive and embrace their wellness in the mindset of busyness. Eight years ago, Dr. Sylvia had achieved her dream job and family. But she was weighed down with 40 extra pounds due to perfectionism, people-pleasing, and emotional eating. Diets didn't work anymore. She had to shed the emotional weight of success and prioritize herself. Today Dr.Sylvia lives lighter in body, mind, and spirit. In 2020 she created Embrace You Weight & Wellness to empower other successful women carrying extra weight with the body, mind, and spirit tools you need to prioritize yourself and live lighter. On her journey, Dr. Sylvia became a wellness mindset strategist, certified group fitness instructor, marathon runner, and a quick meals creative cook. She specializes in creating consistent happy, healthy weight and wellness consistency amid chaos. When Dr. Sylvia isn't helping women prioritize themselves and optimize their wellness, she enjoys leveraging her expertise in culturally sensitive obesity care to work towards eliminating health disparities. Dr. Sylvia is a sought-after health consultant, program designer, and freelance writer. In addition, she and her husband, Rodney, enjoy giving back to their communities. In addition to being active in the PTA and local Chamber of Commerce, in 2017, Rodney and Dr. Sylvia founded the Institute of Basic Technology, Liberia's only non-profit STEM lab for high school students. The Bollie family resides in the DC Metro area and frequently escapes the DC hustle on the beautiful walking trails.

In many ways, my entire life has prepared me for working in obesity. Sadly, I witnessed complications of obesity debilitate my grandma, Sylvia. Although I couldn't understand it then, I see how weight and racial bias affected her care. Eight years ago, after the birth of my son, I became a part of the "Black women have the highest rate of obesity" statistic. Sitting on the other side of obesity assessment and treatment, I painfully experienced obesity assessment and care inadequacies.What I learned about the history of body mass index (BMI), body composition, and the diverse causes of obesity forever changed how I practice medicine. In 2015 became an active member of the Obesity Medicine Association and in 2016 took the American Board of Obesity

Medicine. But my interest in BMI's limitations dates back to 2012 during my residency internship at the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion when I worked on the ODPHP Primary Care Obesity Tool. In 2022 I was elected to the Obesity Medicine Association's Board of Trustees. As the only Black person on the Board, I use my position to advocate for the Black community & those most impacted by the obesity Epidemic. In 2020, while working on the COVID-19 frontlines in Prince Georges County. I launched Embrace YouWeight & Wellness. This digital health company empowers individuals with personalized metabolic tools and mindset breakthroughs for sustainable weight loss and wellness. In 2021 I released the bestseller "Embrace You: Your Guide to Transforming Weight Loss Misconceptions Into Lifelong Wellness." "Embrace You: Your Guide"is Healthline.com's "BestWeight Loss Book of 2022." "Embrace You: Your Guide" includes an in-depth look at individualized "healthy weight" vs. using the standard BMI. In addition to clinical care, I leverage my skills as a writer, public speaker, and trained educator to empower my peers and the public with evidence-based obesity education on social media and multiple media outlets. Furthermore, I consult with organizations such as Black Health and Black Physician Healthcare Network to create culturally relevant obesity tools. As a recipient of the NCCF-Black Physicians and Healthcare NetworkWellness Initiative Grant, I designed and will implement the ENHANCE Black HealthyWeight &Wellness program in Montgomery County, Maryland. I am committed to advancing Black health and grateful to contribute to this transformational time in addressing the disparities in personalized obesity.

Come listen our keynote speaker give us some tips about her specialty! Free meal.

Host or Publisher Good Hope Union UMC: Outreach Ministry