Christy Turer, M.D.
Associate Professor

Dr. Turer received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and completed combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency training, a Fellowship in Health Services Research in Primary Care, and a Masters in Clinical Research at Duke University Medical Center. She joined the faculty at UT Southwestern in 2010.

Her research focuses on primary-care weight management in children and adults. Her goal is to identify specific ways that primary-care providers can improve the weight status and health of patients with overweight and obesity. She currently is supported by a five-year (2014-18) career-development award through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to examine pediatrician clinical practices and communication strategies associated with weight-status improvement among overweight children. Her publications address complications of and treatments for pediatric and adult overweight and obesity.

Dr. Turer serves as a past Chair (2013-14) of the Obesity Society’s Clinical Management of Obesity Section and is a standing member (2016-19) of the Food and Drug Administration’s Pediatric Advisory Committee, and a consultant (2014-17) to the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

Medical School

Johns Hopkins University (2004)

Residency

Duke University Medical Center (2008), Internal Medicine & Pediatrics

Fellowship

Duke/Durham VA Medical Center (2010), Research

Graduate School

Duke/NIH Clinical Research Training Program (2010)

• Effective primary-care weight-management interventions
• Electronic health record-enabled interventions to increase guideline-based weight-management and comorbidity care
• Immediate and long-term health risks due to pediatric obesity
• Medications that impact weight as a side effect
• Pediatric clinical practices and communication strategies that improve the health and weight-status of children with overweight and obesity
• Strategies to improve pediatrician recognition and management of weight-related comorbidities

Featured Publications

Algorithm to detect pediatric provider attention to high BMI and associated medical risk.

Turer CB, Skinner CS, Barlow SE J Am Med Inform Assoc 2019 Jan 26 1 55-60

Obesity, Hypertension, and Dyslipidemia in Childhood Are Key Modifiable Antecedents of Adult Cardiovascular Disease: A Call to Action.

Turer CB, Brady TM, de Ferranti SD Circulation 2018 Mar 137 12 1256-1259

Childhood and Adolescent Adversity and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Suglia SF, Koenen KC, Boynton-Jarrett R, Chan PS, Clark CJ, Danese A, Faith MS, Goldstein BI, Hayman LL, Isasi CR, Pratt CA, Slopen N, Sumner JA, Turer A, Turer CB, Zachariah JP Circulation 2017 Dec

Lipid Screening and Treatment Practices Conflict With Conflicting Recommendations: Where Do We Go From Here?

Barlow SE, Turer CB J. Pediatr. 2017 Mar

Discrepancies in Communication Versus Documentation of Weight-Management Benchmarks: Analysis of Recorded Visits With Latino Children and Associated Health-Record Documentation.

Turer CB, Barlow SE, Montaño S, Flores G Glob Pediatr Health 2017 4 2333794X16685190

Primary-Care Weight-Management Strategies: Parental Priorities and Preferences.

Turer CB, Upperman C, Merchant Z, Montaño S, Flores G Acad Pediatr 2015 Sep

Tools for Successful Weight Management in Primary Care.

Turer CB Am. J. Med. Sci. 2015 Jul

Pediatricians' Communication About Weight With Overweight Latino Children and Their Parents.

Turer CB, Montaño S, Lin H, Hoang K, Flores G Pediatrics 2014 Oct

Parental perspectives regarding primary-care weight-management strategies for school-age children.

Turer CB, Mehta M, Durante R, Wazni F, Flores G Matern Child Nutr 2014 Apr

Race and Sex Differences in Small-Molecule Metabolites and Metabolic Hormones in Overweight and Obese Adults.

Patel MJ, Batch BC, Svetkey LP, Bain JR, Turer CB, Haynes C, Muehlbauer MJ, Stevens RD, Newgard CB, Shah SH OMICS 2013 Oct

 Featured Books

Obesity and Inflammation. In Keller K, ed. Encyclopedia of Obesity.

Boling CL. (2008). Sage Publications.

• Texas Super Doctor
  Texas Monthly Magazine (2017)
• Society of Pediatric Research
  (2014)
• Special Government Employee
  Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (2014-2018)
• Dannon Nutrition Leadership Institute
  (2011)
• American Society for Nutrition
  (2010)

• American Board of Obesity Medicine (2015)
• American Board of Internal Medicine (2010)
• American Board of Pediatrics (2008)
• American College of Physicians
• Texas Pediatric Society
• The Obesity Society