V. Sushma Chamarthi is a pediatrician and obesity medicine physician.

The inconsistent academic peer review process

Physician
December 7, 2025

I check the submission website again. And again. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I find myself refreshing the page, hoping for a small update (a new status, a change in wording, a sign that my manuscript has moved from “under review” to “decision in process”).

For early-career researchers, this waiting game is familiar. We pour months, sometimes years, of effort into designing a study, collecting data, writing, revising, and …

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The inconsistent academic peer review process

A better way to talk about kids’ nutrition

Conditions
November 8, 2025

When parents bring their children to the clinic, they often expect quick advice: “Eat healthy. Exercise more.” But after years in practice, I’ve learned those generic prescriptions rarely work. Families leave feeling uncertain, children feel pressured, and real changes at home are hard to sustain.

That’s why I focus on a family-centered, personalized approach. Nutrition is not just about a child; it’s about routines, traditions, and stresses that affect the whole …

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A better way to talk about kids’ nutrition

Why new obesity medications for teens could be a game changer

Conditions
August 7, 2025

When I first saw the CDC’s MMWR latest report on obesity medication prescribing for adolescents, my initial reaction was probably the same as yours: less than 1 percent of teens with obesity got these medications in 2023? That seems pretty dismal.

But then I took a step back and looked at what this data is telling us. And honestly? We’re missing the real story here.

We’re witnessing something historic.

Think about where …

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Why new obesity medications for teens could be a game changer