Cleveland Clinic Names Bartolome Burguera, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of its Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute

Cleveland Clinic announced the appointment of Bartolome Burguera, M.D., Ph.D., as chair of its Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute.

In this role, Dr. Burguera will oversee more than 130 employees, including 40 staff physicians, located on the main campus and throughout the Cleveland Clinic enterprise. The institute is dedicated to medical and surgical conditions of the endocrine system, including diabetes, thyroid, metabolism, pituitary, adrenal, and obesity. It integrates the departments of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, as well as Endocrine Surgery. Cleveland Clinic’s diabetes and endocrinology services are ranked No. 4 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Dr. Burguera joined Cleveland Clinic as a staff physician and director of obesity programs in September 2013. He is also professor of medicine in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and has a joint appointment in the department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine. His clinical and academic interests are focused on the field of obesity, particularly the role of bariatric medicine and non-surgical weight-loss interventions to treat obesity and diabetes. He has also studied the prevention of childhood obesity. Within EMI, he developed an evidence-based integrated weight management program with shared medical appointments.

“I am honored to assume this role and excited about what the future holds for the Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute,” said Dr. Burguera. “We are focused on changing the old paradigm of how we treat chronic diseases (such as, type 2 diabetes), which are often caused or accentuated by long-term obesity. We will continue to optimize the treatment of chronic conditions – for instance, we have already seen the benefits that patients receive from a multidisciplinary approach, shared medical appointments, and virtual consults. In addition, disease prevention plays a key role in helping people gain better control over their health and avoid multiple chronic conditions.”

Dr. Burguera was at the forefront of research around medical treatment for obesity and the role of leptin in the regulation of appetite in the early 1990s. He collaborated in major international obesity prevention and therapy initiatives and helped develop obesity programs at various institutions, working as a fellow at Mayo Clinic, and as a staff consultant at Boston University, University of Pittsburgh and Son Dureta University Hospital in Spain.

He has served as a principal investigator, co-investigator or consultant on several federal- and industry-funded projects, focusing on obesity therapy and neuroregulation of appetite, both in the U.S. and in Spain.

He has published more than 100 articles and book chapters in the field of obesity and was the recipient of the 2018 “Novoa Santos Award,” one the most prestigious medical recognitions in Spain.

Dr. Burguera earned his medical degree from Universidad de Santiago de Compostela-Facultad de Medicina in Santiago, Spain, in 1987. He went on to earn a doctorate in 1989. In 1996, he completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, Conn., and in 1999, he completed a fellowship in endocrinology at Mayo Clinic.