Who is Echo OBN
What our participants say about ECHO OBN
ECHO OBN operates through eleven Bariatric Centres of Excellence across Ontario. Each centre serves as a regional hub, bringing together specialists, community providers, and allied health professionals to share knowledge and discuss real clinical challenges.
The program welcomes participation from family physicians, specialist physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dieticians, social workers, psychologists, program coordinators, administrators, and other professionals involved in obesity care. This multidisciplinary approach reflects the reality that effective obesity management requires coordinated teamwork across many areas of expertise, supported through a bariatric education program in Ontario, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and designed for real-world clinical practice.
Case-Based Learning That Reflects Real Practice
Every ECHO session is anchored in real patient cases
Curated cases from the ECHO OBN case library are used to guide discussion, allowing participants to explore practical management strategies across medical, surgical, nutritional, behavioural, and psychosocial aspects of care. Regional hubs can also bring forward cases from their own practices to explore challenges unique to their communities.
This case-based format encourages open discussion and shared learning across professions.
Short, High Impact Sessions
Sessions have been redesigned to fit within busy clinical and program schedules
Each session runs for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour and focuses on high-value discussion rather than lengthy lectures. Brief teaching segments are paired with focused case discussions to help participants quickly gain practical insights without significant preparation time. Sessions are CACME-accredited, with participants earning CME credits and covered by the Ontario Ministry of Health at no cost.
Regional Expertise, Provincial Collaboration
Most sessions are led by multidisciplinary teams within each Bariatric Centre of Excellence, highlighting the expertise already present within Ontario’s bariatric system.
Several times each year, the program also hosts cross-provincial sessions that bring together participants from across Ontario to explore emerging topics, complex cases, and new developments in obesity and bariatric care.
A Growing Community of Practice
ECHO OBN is designed to build connections across Ontario’s obesity care ecosystem. By bringing together clinicians, allied health professionals, and program leaders in a shared learning environment, this bariatric education program strengthens collaboration and helps ensure patients across the province receive consistent, high-quality care.
