Dr. Katherine H. Saunders is a physician entrepreneur and a leading expert in Obesity Medicine. She is on the cutting edge of effective and compassionate medical obesity treatment. Dr. Saunders practices at Intellihealth’s clinical services affiliate, Flyte Medical, and she teaches at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Saunders is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She lectures internationally, hosts the Weight Matters podcast, and publishes extensively on Obesity Medicine and weight management.

How did you become a physician entrepreneur and an executive in the health care industry?

While practicing as an Obesity Medicine physician at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Comprehensive Weight Control Center, I recognized the massive supply-demand mismatch between the number of people eligible for medical weight management (almost 80% of Americans) and the few of us qualified to provide expert medical treatment. In 2019, I teamed up with my mentor, Dr. Louis Aronne, and my entrepreneurial husband, to co-found Intellihealth. Our company’s mission is to scale and democratize access to the kind of comprehensive, effective, and compassionate medical obesity treatment that we deliver.

Intellihealth supports healthcare providers and patients at institutions across the country through our online program and app, Evolve, and in response to increasing demand for a full-service solution, we launched our affiliated telemedicine practice, Flyte. I’m currently focused on leveraging our software to power our clinical services for self-insured companies and employer groups. I’m also passionate about developing our subspecialty programs, including women’s health, and strategizing a variety of partnerships.

You pivoted from academic medicine to start-up with the founding of Intellihealth in 2019. What was the transition like? Were there any unexpected bumps in the road, and if so, how did you overcome them?

Balancing a busy academic medical practice with a growing startup was challenging, and I would be happy to chat with anyone in this situation about the complexities. After co-founding our company, we navigated institutional financial interest disclosures and conflicts of interest protocols. Ultimately, my team of physicians and I joined Intellihealth full-time after we launched our telemedicine practice. We transitioned to “voluntary faculty” to maintain our academic affiliation, teach and precept. It was a tricky decision since I had been at Weill Cornell Medicine for 15 years, but now I have the flexibility to devote much more time and attention to growing our business and improving access to care for exponentially more people.

As we move towards the new year, what’s a goal that you hope to accomplish in 2023, and how can fellow WBL members help you to achieve it?

My company’s mission is to scale and democratize access to effective medical obesity treatment so we’re working to power existing infrastructures. After we raise our Series A, our goal for 2023 is to expand strategic partnerships. Lifestyle interventions (including commercial weight loss programs) are complementary to our expertise, and obesity is associated with over 200 health complications so there are countless opportunities for collaboration. We’re looking for like-minded partners who truly care about their employees’ or members’ health. I’m passionate about our women’s health weight program so I’m eager to pursue partnerships in the pregnancy, infertility, and menopause spaces.

I have absolutely LOVED being a WBL member since my dear advisors, Barbara Senich and Ann Berkey, nominated me last summer. I’ve raved about the group to colleagues and friends, many of whom I’ve recruited. I would be thrilled to speak with any member about anything related to obesity or the broader weight management/wellness space. This week, Kristin Rodriguez (one of my cohort buddies from the Board Program) and I convened our leadership teams in a Zoom meeting. During introductions, we were so complimentary of each other and WBL that the other meeting participants (all men!) were jealous that they couldn’t be part of WBL and our Board Program cohort.

Personally or professionally, what might the WBL network be surprised to know about you?

I work with my husband and we have three kids under the age of 4.5 (two of whom I delivered in May 2020, at the height of the pandemic) so I’ve learned to stay calm during extremely stressful situations.

Since the WBL Board Program in September, I’ve joined the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Association Board of Directors as well as the medical advisory board for a women’s health company. I’m extremely grateful to WBL for the networking, education, and guidance, and I’m particularly thankful for Mary Anne Mason and the incredible faculty of the Board Program including my cohort leader, Kerry Rupp.