True You Weight Loss was founded by Dr. Christopher McGowan, one of the nation’s few physicians who is triple-board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and obesity medicine. He is a world-renowned leader in endobariatrics, an emerging field of gastroenterology that aims to address the obesity epidemic without surgical intervention. He brings 20+ years of training, education, and expertise to this innovative field of medicine.
DR. CHRISTOPHER MCGOWAN
Dr. Christopher McGowan, MD, a leader in endobariatrics, specializes in non-surgical obesity treatments and is triple-board-certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Obesity Medicine. Renowned for pioneering endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) with over 2,000 procedures, his global influence and research contributions define him as a top expert.
Throughout his career, Dr. McGowan has helped thousands of patients reach and maintain their weight loss goals and literally makes himself available to his patients, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, offering advice, support, and reassurance. Known as an expert among experts, Dr. McGowan frequently educates and trains physician colleagues from all over the world on the precise suturing techniques required for a successful endobariatric procedure. His research has been featured in the leading medical journals, including Obesity Surgery, Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Endoscopy, and Video GIE. Patients have traveled to Dr. McGowan from more than 40 states and eight countries for his unrivaled expertise in endoscopic weight loss procedures.
With all this in mind, Dr. McGowan is immensely humble and rarely talks about himself. Instead, he’s usually talking about his patients or his colleagues, or what’s happening in the world of obesity medicine. That’s why we’re so excited to share this rare Q&A with Dr. McGowan himself. Take a few minutes to get to know the man behind True You Weight Loss!
Q&A with Dr. Christopher McGowan
Q: Tell us about yourself?
A: I grew up in western New Jersey, close to the the Pennsylvania border. My home town was quite small, with a population of only around 1000 people. My father was a rural family doctor, and my mom a nurse, so medicine was ever-present in my home. I was always fascinated by medicine, and knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a doctor. In fact, I was fortunate enough to enter a six-year combined undergraduate/medical program that accelerated my path to my medical degree. I also met my wife, Grace, while in college, and we attended medical school together in Philadelphia. I tend to think that if a relationship can survive medical school, residency, and fellowship training, it can pretty much withstand anything! And we now have two young children, Ada (age 9) and Nico (age 6).
Q: Why is practicing medicine important to you personally?
A: Practicing medicine—being a doctor—really is an honor. The science, technology, and rapid advancement is immensely stimulating. The ability to actually heal is remarkable. But ultimately, just chatting with my patients, getting to know them and to laugh with them—that’s what I love the most.
Q: You are trained as a gastroenterologist. What inspired you to shift your focus exclusively to endobariatric weight loss?
A: Yes, I’m trained as a gastroenterologist, and have always enjoyed the field. The combination of technical/procedural skills as well as complex, cognitive-based medicine, always felt like a perfect mix. Early in my GI career, the field of endoscopic bariatrics (“endobariatrics”) was just emerging, and it really caught my interest. It was always a challenge to help patients lose weight, because there weren’t adequate tools aside from surgery, which most patients don’t want. When I realized that I could provide less-invasive weight loss options to my patients, all with an endoscope, I was captivated. And helping a patient lose weight, improve their health, and improve their confidence—well, nothing in medicine is more rewarding. This field is truly transformational.
Q: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people don’t know?
A: While in college, I owned and operated a landscaping business with my childhood best friend, also a Chris, known as “C and C Landscaping.”
Q: What are your favorite summer activities?
A: I really enjoy outdoor activities with my kids. We are fortunate to live in the Triangle area of North Carolina, where there are endless parks and trails. We spend many weekends mountain biking in the numerous trails in our area. My daughter is an avid skateboarder, and we spend a LOT of time at local skateparks, and enjoy exploring skateparks in other cities and states. And of course, pool time is always a summertime hit. I can usually be seen rocketing down our community water slide as fast as humanly possible.
