Dr. Liisa Tolvanen is a 2024 Health and Behavior International Collaborative (HBIC) Award winner, sponsored by ISBM. The purpose of the HBIC Awards is to facilitate a mentorship collaboration with an international laboratory or research group under the guidance of an identified international mentor. Below, Dr. Tolvanen describes her international research collaboration experience.
I would like to thank the Health and Behavioral International Collaborative (HBIC) Award Committee and the International Society of Behavioral Medicine for the generous award which facilitated my visit to collaborate with my international mentor, Dr. Afton Koball, a clinical health psychologist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Last year, when Dr. Koball contacted me, I had no idea that within a year, I would be visiting her. I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center known for its integrated approach to healthcare, education, and research. The Mayo Clinic is one of the world’s foremost healthcare institutions. With a mix of curiosity and excitement, I arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul’s International Airport on late June evening in 2024, following a long flight from Stockholm, looking forward to my visit at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Koball, my international mentor, integrates her clinical health psychology practice with research on obesity, especially eating-related disorders. Our shared interest in obesity management, particularly patient outcomes following metabolic and bariatric procedures, aligned well with my background as a specialist dietitian in obesity management and a post-doctoral researcher. Shadowing her and discussing her clinical work and research provided valuable insights. It was fascinating to hear how, as a clinical health psychologist, she supported patients undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery with behavioral modifications. In addition, her research initiatives exploring the psychological aspects influencing post-surgical obesity treatment and follow-up are especially impressive.
The comprehensive schedule arranged by Dr. Koball featured tours and meetings with specialists at various departments, including the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, the Nutrition Clinical Specialty Group, and Primary Care, as well as research team meetings. Our planned project involves a collaboration between researchers at the Mayo Clinic: Dr. Sean Phelan, Dr. Jocelyn Lebow, Dr. Erin Standen, and Nurse Practitioner Lindsey Grace. Additionally, the project includes Swedish contributors Dr. Daniel P. Andersson from Karolinska Institutet and Dr. Karin Mossberg from the University of Gothenburg.
Dr. Tolvanen (left) and Dr. Koball (right) with a statue of the Mayo brothers.
Rochester, Minnestota, USA. June 2024.
This international collaboration aims to establish a research project examining how primary care providers perceive post-surgical follow-up and recurrent weight gain in patients who have undergone metabolic and bariatric surgery. Our meetings during my visit gave us the opportunity to finalize our survey and interview guide, while also addressing specifics of the planned investigations.
We have already presented our research project: “How, What, When and Why”: An International Study of Primary Care Providers’ Perspectives on Patient Experience of Follow-Up and Weight Recurrence After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery” at the 30th Mayo Clinic-Karolinska Institutet Annual Scientific Research Meeting. This conference took place in in October 2024 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm Sweden. In connection with this, I had the chance to welcome Dr. Koball to Karolinska Institutet and Center for Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden.
Dr. Koball (left) and Dr. Tolvanen (right) at the MAYO-KI meeting.
Stockholm, Sweden. October 2024.
I would like to thank the International Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Koball and the entire research team for their warm welcome and generous sharing of expertise. I expect that the insights from this visit will yield valuable results for years to come.
Liisa Tolvanen, PhD, RD
Center for Obesity,
Academic Specialist Center, Stockholm
Department of Medicine, Solna
Karolinska Institutet
