Positions
Obesity Medicine Fellowship Program Director
Director, Medical Weight Management
Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director Internal Medicine Residency
- Organization:
- West Virginia University School of Medicine
- Department:
- Medicine
- Classification:
- Faculty
Education
- MD, WVU School of Medicine
Publications
Davisson L, Moore K, Tabone L, Haggerty T. Building a medical-surgical obesity center: Updates and quality outcomes after five years. Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care, 1/2025. PMID: 19396065.
Haggerty T, Dekeseredy P, Bailey J, Cowher A, Baus A, Davisson L. Navigating Coverage: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Perceived Impact of an Insurance Company Policy to Discontinue Coverage of Anti-Obesity Medication. Obesity Pillars, 7/2024.
Anees A, Saeed Z, Kemper S, Haggerty T, Davisson L. Knowledge and Practices of Primary Care Residents in Managing Adult Patients with Obesity. J Gen Intern Med, 4/2024.
Sofka S, Reece J, Sizemore J, Lerfald N, Davisson L. Using Disadvantaged Status in the Residency Ranking Process May Result in Higher Ranked and More Matched Underrepresented in Medicine Applicants. JGME, 2024.16(3): 343-344.
Haggerty T, Milligan S, Davisson L, Cavrak M, Imlay R, Sedney C. Significant Symptom Resolution of Spinal Lipomatosis with Weight Loss. Clin Case Rep. 2023;11:e7126. 9/8/2023.
Davisson L, Haggerty TS, Tabone L, Imlay R, Eggleston E. Building a medical-surgical obesity center in an academic health system: Lessons learned*. Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care. Epub 6/15/2023. Vol 18, number 2. Received Rosalind Franklin Society Award in Science.
Haggerty TS, Sedney CL, Cowher A, Holland D, Davisson L, Dekeseredy P. Twitter and Communicating Stigma about Medications to Treat Obesity. Health Communication. Epub 11/13/2022. PMID: 36373192.
Davisson L, Hernandez-Pachon MA, Haggerty TS. Primary care treatment of obesity in West Virginia: A needs assessment. Obesity Medicine. Volume 34. 9/2022.
O’Kane CP, Avalon JC, Lacoste JL, Fang W, Bianco CM, Davisson L, Piechowski KL. Apixaban and rivaroxaban use for atrial fibrillation in patients with obesity and BMI ≥50 kg/m2. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy. 11/25/2021. PMID: 34820876. *2022-2023 Top 10 Cited Article
Bays HE, McCarthy W, Burridge K, Tondt J, Karjoo S, Christensen S, Ng J, Golden A, Davisson L, Richardson L. Obesity Algorithm eBook, presented by the Obesity Medicine Association. 2021. www.obesityalgorithm.org.
Davisson L, Hernandez-Pachon MA, Haggerty TS. Rural Obesity Medical Education for Primary Care in West Virginia: A Needs Assessment. WVMJ. Special issue 3/2021.
Sofka, S, Lerfald N, Reece J, Davisson L, Howsare J, Thompson J. Universal Well-being Assessment Associated with Increased Resident Utilization of Mental Health Resources and Decrease in Professionalism Breaches. J Grad Med Educ. Feb 2021, 13 (1): 83-88. PMID: 33680305.
Davisson L. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Metabolic Syndrome, & Obesity in Pregnancy, book chapter in Endocrine Diseases in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. Dec 31, 2021, CRC Press.
Bays HE, McCarthy W, Christensen S, Tondt J, Karjoo S, Davisson L, Ng J, Golden A, Burridge K, Conroy R, Wells S, Umashanker D, Afreen S, DeJesus R, Salter D, Shah N. Obesity Algorithm eBook, presented by the Obesity Medicine Association. 2020. www.obesityalgorithm.org.
Davisson L, Sofka S. “Cleanse” detoxification diet program in Appalachia: Participant characteristics and perceived health effects. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine. 2019 Sep 17. PMID: 31536033.
Barr ML, Tabone L, Cox S, Brode C, Szoka N, Olfert IM, Davisson L, Olfert MD. Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in Appalachia Influenced by Surgery Type, Diabetes, and Depression. Obesity Surgery. 2019 Jan 6. PMID: 30613934.
Sofka S, Grey C, Lerfald N, Davisson L, Howsare J. Implementing Universal Well-Being Assessment to Mitigate Barriers to Resident Utilization of Mental Health Resources. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, Feb 2018, 10(1):63-66. PMID: 21975622.
Davisson, L. USPSTF Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines. Special Article, West Virginia Medical Journal. Nov/Dec 2016, 112:31-33. PMID: 29368825.
Davisson L, Bakkar M. Cholesterol Treatment Guidelines. MedEdPORTAL Publications; 2015.
Davisson L. Rational care or rationing care? Updates and controversies in women’s prevention. Republished with author’s update in special CME issue: The Art, Science, and Ethics of Prevention, West Virginia Medical Journal. May/June 2012, 108(3):70-76. PMID: 22792659.
Davisson L. Rational care or rationing care? Updates and controversies in women’s prevention. West Virginia Medical Journal. Jan/Feb 2011, 107(1):26-32. PMID: 21322470.
Davisson L, Nuss M, Cottrell S. Women’s health curriculum for internal medicine residents: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Journal of Graduate Medical Education. September 2010, 2(3):398-403. PMID: 21976089.
Davisson L, Warden M, Manivannan S, Kolar MM, Kincaid C, Bashir S, Layne R. Osteoporosis screening: factors associated with bone mineral density testing of older women. Journal of Women’s Health. July 2009, 18(7):989-994. PMID: 20377374.
Davisson L, Nuss M, Bruno C, Long M, Warden M, Manivannan S, et al. Women’s health tutorial. MedEdPORTAL; 2009.
Davisson L, Clark K, Powers R, Hobbs G. The rectovaginal examination: physician attitudes and practice patterns. Southern Medical Journal. 99(3):Mar 2006:212-215. PMID: 16553094.
Awards
- WV ACP Distinguished Internist Award 2025
- Laureate Award, ACP WV Chapter 2024
- Rosalind Franklin Society Award in Science 2023
- Go First Team Award, Medical Weight Management team, WVU HSC Chancellor’s Awards 2023
- Elected, ACP Governor-elect designee, WV Chapter 2017
- WVU Department of Medicine Outstanding Faculty Award 2017
- Press Ganey Medical Practice Top Provider (top 3% patient satisfaction) 2015
- WVU Department of Medicine Best Attending Physician Award 2013
- JGME reviews were among top 10% of all reviewers for the year 2013
- Press Ganey Medical Practice Top Provider (top 3% patient satisfaction) 2012
- Election to ACP Fellowship 2009
- WVU Department of Medicine Patient Care Quality Award, Pneumonia 2007
- ACP Medical Jeopardy WVU resident team, state winner, progressed to nationals 2002
- WVU Department of Medicine Best Teaching Intern Award 2000
Additional Info
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
- WV State Medical Association, Board of Trustees 2023-2026, elected to 3-year board term
- Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council, Fellowship Program Director 2020-present
- American Board of Obesity Medicine
- Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Committee 2018-2023
- Item Writing Committee 2020-2021, 2 one-year terms
- The Obesity Society 2014-present
- Obesity Medicine Association 2016-present
- Advocacy Committee 2020-2025, consecutive one-year terms
- Bariatric Medical-Surgical Committee 2021-present, one-year term
- Association for Program Directors in Internal Medicine 2010-present
- American College of Physicians 1999-present
MEDIA FEATURES
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
About Laura Davisson
Laura Davisson, MD, MPH, FACP, is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. She earned her medical degree and MPH from West Virginia University (WVU). Dr. Davisson completed an Internal Medicine residency at WVU and served as Chief Resident. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
After years of practicing Internal Medicine with an outpatient focus on women’s health and prevention, Dr. Davisson recognized the contribution of obesity to many chronic conditions she treated. This motivated her to get additional training to specialize in obesity treatment. She founded and now directs WVU Medicine’s Medical Weight Management program, which works in collaboration with Bariatric Surgery in the WVU Medicine Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Center.
Dr. Davisson is active in medical education. As Associate Program Director, she directs internal medicine resident quality improvement activities and the residency research track. She is the WVU School of Medicine Nutrition Curriculum Thread Director. To reach Dr. Davisson’s goal of creating a regional workforce to treat obesity, the Medical Weight Management clinic serves as a training site for students, residents, and fellows. Dr. Davisson is the Founder and Program Director for WVU’s Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Fellowship which is the first program in WV to train fellows in obesity medicine skills.
Dr. Davisson has been active in the American College of Physicians (ACP) and was granted ACP fellowship in 2009. She was elected as ACP’s WV Chapter Governor, serving a four-year term on the ACP Board of Governors until April 2023. Dr. Davisson serves on committees for the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) and American Board of Obesity Medicine. She has been a contributing author for OMA’s Obesity Algorithm. Dr. Davisson enjoys participating in outreach activities, such as speaking and writing on various health topics and advocating for the prevention and treatment of obesity and related illnesses.
Grants and Research
Resident Outreach & Research Engagement (RORE) survey, Reproduction and wellness in medical residents, Selected by WV Practice Based Research Network 2024, oral presentation at Dept Research Day.
Resident Outreach & Research Engagement (RORE) survey, Assessing the barriers rural physicians face to provide nutrition counseling to patients with diabetes, Selected by WV Practice Based Research Network 2024, oral presentation at Dept Research Day.
Innovation Departmental Award, $10,000. Produce prescription program with a twist: Give a man a vegetable and you feed him for a day, teach a man to grow and cook the vegetable and you feed him for life. Accepted, 2024.
Collective Outreach & Research Engagement (CORE) survey, Perspectives of Appalachian primary care providers on evidence-based obesity treatment options, Selected by WV Practice Based Research Network’s CORE 2023. Abstracts presented.
Innovation Departmental Award, $10,000, WVU Medicine Produce Prescription Program: Expansion to Medical Weight Management, 3/2022.
Clinical Trial, A 2-Stage (Open-Label Run-in followed by Randomized Withdrawal), Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Study of Setmelanotide in Patients with Specific Gene Defects in the Melanocortin-4 Receptor Pathway (DAYBREAK), Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, site selected 2021, study closed prior to enrollment.
Clinical Trial, A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study: 5 Independent Substudies of Setmelanotide in Patients with POMC, PCSK1, LEPR, SRC1, SH2B1, and PCSK1 N221D Gene Defects in the Melanocortin-4 Receptor Pathway (EMANATE), Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, site selected 2021, PI 2023-10/2024.
Practice Champion, Appalachian Lung Cancer Screening Quality Improvement Program, Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity, 1/2020-2022.
Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council Award, $100,000, WVU obesity medicine fellowship funding, 2020.
HOPE Program School of Medicine Award, $5000, Rural Obesity Medical Education for Primary Care in WV, 2020. Created three-part series of web courses. Funding covered CME fee for 65 participants.
Innovation Departmental Award, $18,000, Strengthening the Medical Weight Management and Exercise Physiology partnership: Effects on health and physical activity outcomes, 3/2020 (funding held--COVID)
Collective Outreach & Research Engagement (CORE) survey, Needs assessment to inform a statewide obesity medical education program, Selected by WV Practice Based Research Network 2020. Abstracts presented and work published.
Innovation Departmental Award, Enhancing Internal Medicine Resident Scholarship through a dedicated Research and Quality Improvement Curriculum, 2017
Site Co-Investigator, WVU, iCompare randomized trial of resident duty-hour regimens. IRB approved, 2015-2016. Work published in NEJM by main site investigators.
Site Co-Investigator, Effect of feedback in virtual patient cases on student cognitive engagement. Multi-site RCT of feedback in medicine clerkship online cases. IRB approved, 2010-2011. Publication rights per main site PIs.
Principal Investigator, $1680, intramural support. Evaluation of a women’s health education program for internal medicine residents that utilizes a web-based tutorial. Practicum for MPH degree, 2007-8. IRB waived. Related manuscript published 2010.
Patient Care Information
Medical Specialties
- Internal Medicine
- Obesity Medicine
Board Certifications
- Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine
Special Training
-
Residency, Internal Medicine
WVU Department of Medicine, 2002