Dr. Yoni Freedhoff MD, CCFP graduated with honours from the University of Toronto medical school where he received the Betty Stewart Sisam award, given to the graduating student who, "has shown the greatest human understanding and care for the welfare and health of patients". Dr. Freedhoff then went on to complete his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa where he was elected chief resident.

Very early in his medical career Dr. Freedhoff realized that the medical community, himself included, was not adequately managing obesity. Though many patients requested weight-loss advice he had very little to offer as the management of obesity is simply not taught during medical school or during medical residency.

Consequently, Dr. Freedhoff pursued training from the American Board of Bariatric Medicine (ABBM), the only medical organization in North America to offer certification in Bariatric medicine, and in March of 2005 he became one of only three physicians in Canada to be board certified by the ABBM.  In 2007 the Canadian Obesity Network recognized him as a national obesity expert.

Dr. Freedhoff is also a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons, the Obesity Society, the Center for Science in the Public Interest as well as the Canadian College of Family Physicians.

Since dedicating his professional career to the treatment and management of overweight and obesity, Dr. Freedhoff has been a sought after speaker and teacher. He lectures at all levels of the University of Ottawa's medical school and supervises both medical students and residents in his office.  For a list of his most recent speaking engagements, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Dr. Freedhoff has been referred to as Canada's most outspoken obesity expert and consequently is one of Canada's key opinion leaders in the field.  His advocacy efforts in both obesity and nutrition policy have landed him at a by-invitation-only 2005 Obesity Think Tank co-sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation as well as the Canadian House of Commons where in 2006 he was invited to speak regarding his concerns surrounding Canada's Food Guide.  His advocacy efforts surrounding nutrition have led the Canadian Medical Association Journal to dub him a Canadian "nutritional watchdog".

In 2009 Dr. Freedhoff was called upon by the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine and Ontario's Ministry of Health to be the content expert and weight, nutrition and fitness module developer for their joint project, a self-help portal made by physicians, for physicians. 

Currently Dr. Freedhoff is working with the Canadian Obesity Network and the Public Health Agency of Canada on an environmental scan of the commercial weight management industry as a preliminary survey to kick off discussions surrounding its regulation.

Dr. Freedhoff is quoted regularly in the national press, appears frequently on television including CTV (where he is also a guest blogger), CBC, the A Channel, and he has made three guest appearances on CBC's award winning investigative journalism show Marketplace as one of their medical and content experts. 

Dr. Freedhoff has also co-authored a medical textbook on the office-based management of obesity with Dr. Arya Sharma which is slated to be published in spring 2010 and will be freely downloadable.

Dr. Freedhoff is a vocal advocate for sport and it is due to his and BMI's committment therein that Somersault Events in 2006 renamed their annual season opening Try-a-Triathlon to the "Dr. Freedhoff Challenge" in recognition of the number of new triathletes BMI has helped fall in love with the sport.  He's also proud to have been a part of BMI's Run for the Cure teams which have twice won Ottawa's CIBC Corporate Spirit Award and have raised over $100,000 for the cause.

Not content to wait for the media to call to express his opinions, in 2005 Dr. Freedhoff began writing his daily blog Weighty Matters which is now ranked among the world's top health blogs.  His daily posts cover a wide range of topics giving his unique perspective on nutrition, public policy, advertising, body image, health, weight and weight management.  Among its many accolades, Weighty Matters was voted Canada's top health blog of 2008 and top science blog of 2007 by the Canadian Blog Awards.

Public Appearances

Upcoming

June 11th, 2010 - Canadian Obesity Network Student Meeting, Ottawa ON (Distinguished keynote speaker)

2009:

• Ontario College of Family Physicians, 47th Annual Scientific Assembly, Toronto ON (3 Lectures)
• Ontario Pharmacist's Association, Obesity Certificate Program (Clinical instructor and lecturer) 
• Canadian Obesity Network,1st National Obesity Summit, Kananaskis Alberta (Lecture and Session Chair) 
• Health is Wealth Fair, Ottawa ON (Lecture) 
• Ontario Medical Association (Press Conference) 
• Academy of Medicine Ottawa Annual Clinical Day. (Lecture) 
• Ottawa Heart Institute, Rehab Rounds (Lecture) 
• New Brunswick Heart Centre, 2009 New Brunswick Heart Centre Health Improvement Challenge (Keynote lecture)

 2008: 

• College of Family Physicians of Canada Family Medicine Forum (2 Lectures)
• Canadian Physicians Health Network, Professional Education Day (Lecture)
• Ontario Pharmacist's Association, Obesity Certificate Program (Clinical instructor and lecturer)
• Ottawa Heart Institute, Nurses Week (Lecture)

2007: 

• Ontario College of Family Physicians 45th Annual Scientific Assembly (2 Lectures)
• Women's College Hospital, Women's Health Matters Forum and Expo (Lecture)

2006: 

• Ontario College of Family Physicians 44th Annual Scientific Assembly (Lecture)
• Canadian Medical Association Council on Health Care and Promotion (Lecture)

2005: 

• Ontario College of Family Physicians 43th Annual Scientific Assembly (Lecture)
• University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine 54th Annual Refresher Course for Family Physicians (Lecture)