We're recording live from the HLTH conference for a special series! In this episode, Dr. Tim Showalter is joined by Dr. Kim Boyd, the new Chief Medical Officer at Weight Watchers.
Dr. Boyd discusses the iconic brand's massive transformation from a weight-loss giant into a comprehensive clinical care provider. She details their new focus on midlife and metabolic health, including the launch of "WeightWatchers for Menopause," a holistic program that integrates telehealth clinicians, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and lifestyle support.
In this conversation, Dr. Boyd dives deep into:
Her journey from a virtual care pioneer at One Medical to her new role at WW.
Debunking the myths around Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and why the science supports a new approach to midlife care.
Integrating GLP-1s with WW's proven behavioral and community support to ensure patients preserve muscle mass and build sustainable habits.
The new employer cost-sharing model designed to improve access and affordability for these "longevity wonder drugs."
The future of personalization and how Weight Watchers is honoring its 60-year legacy while embracing AI and a modern tech stack to deliver personalized care.
Introduction
Dr. Tim Showalter: Welcome to a special episode of HealthTech Remedy. This is one of your hosts, Tim Showalter, and I'm recording this live from the HLTH conference. Today, I'm pleased to be joined by Dr. Kim Boyd, Chief Medical Officer at WeightWatchers, the iconic brand that has helped millions lose weight and is now expanding into midlife and metabolic health with clinical care, GLP-1 support, and a new menopause program.
Some quick backdrop, WeightWatchers recently launched WeightWatchers for Menopause, a holistic care model that includes menopause-trained clinicians, curriculum, community workshops, and access to hormone replacement therapy and GLP-1s when clinically appropriate. WeightWatchers has also introduced a new employer cost-sharing model to expand access to GLP-1s coverage, and it offers all of this through a WeightWatchers clinic. It's telehealth service that is newly available to support this overall care. At HLTH, Dr. Kim Boyd presented today in the Longevity Wonder Drugs panel to talk about the science, access, and where WeightWatchers is headed next. Dr. Boyd, thanks for joining us on HealthTech Remedy.
Dr. Kim Boyd: Thanks so much. It's great to be here.
From Primary Care to HealthTech Pioneer: Dr. Kim Boyd's Journey
Dr. Tim Showalter: Well, I first wanted to start off with hearing about your clinical background and health technology even before you came to WeightWatchers.
Dr. Kim Boyd: Sure. So I'm a primary care doctor by training. I did a fellowship in integrative medicine through Andrew Weil's program at University of Arizona, and I've spent my career in innovative health models. I was an early leader at One Medical and feel really lucky to have been part of that early team thinking about how to really use technology and a reimagining of the member experience to transform care delivery.
I have been doing virtual care since 2011, so well before it was a COVID phenomenon, and have spent a significant part of my career in women's health, obesity, and metabolic health, most recently thinking about longevity and healthspan as a co-founder of a company in that space. I have just come back to metabolic health and obesity with WeightWatchers over the last few months.
Dr. Tim Showalter: Well, that's fantastic. And just for context and thinking this through, it's really remarkable that we think of health technology as the consumer-first platform and really reaching patients where they are. A lot of folks got into it late after the pandemic. And you were really a pioneer in that space. And of course, the One Medical story and a lot of your other activities have really established your leadership there.
Introducing WeightWatchers for Menopause: A New Approach to Midlife Care
I'm in my late 40s. And for the friends and women in my life, I hear a lot about midlife care. I know that this is something that you're passionate about and that you're bringing into WeightWatchers as well. So please give us a little bit of context for what you're solving for women ages 40 to 60 in that age range and why WeightWatchers is the right platform for that.
Dr. Kim Boyd: I think it really does get to this idea of meeting people where they are. And yes, that means in their homes instead of in brick-and-mortar clinics, but it also means really delivering unique care for women, especially in midlife. WeightWatchers has been around for 62 years, and we've helped people on that longitudinal weight journey for those six decades.
It turns out that when women hit perimenopause and menopause, they're really faced with different challenges. And all the time we hear, "I'm eating the same things and doing the same exercise and my body is different." We now have better understanding of the hormonal impact and better tools to support women specifically through that phase. That's part of what we've done in bringing specific programming and treatment plans to women of perimenopause and menopausal age so that we can corral this best science, both in terms of hormone therapy and lifestyle recommendations, really leading into things like resistance training and making sure people have adequate protein and fiber so that we're tailoring care and it's not just a one size fits all.
Revisiting Hormone Replacement Therapy: The Science and the Stigma
Dr. Tim Showalter: That's really profound because if you think about it, it's really a broad health challenge during that phase of life. And it really does connect across all of these different aspects of health. I can see how bringing in a diverse clinical background like you have, and then, of course, WeightWatchers’ iconic brand with respect to health and weight management, how that all plays a part in there.
I think before investigating the broad solutions, I'd love to maybe pause and just hear a little bit of your explanation for our listeners about why hormone replacement therapy is seeing renewed focus based on its health impact and what message you would want to make sure that healthcare consumers and providers are aware of as it pertains to hormone replacement therapy for women in that midlife age.
Dr. Kim Boyd: So I'll start with a message and it's: there is something we can do. We have better science, we have better tools, and we should use them. To circle back a little bit to some of the why, we had more broad prescribing of hormone therapy until 2002, when the Women's Health Initiative came out with some pretty unsettling headlines that really overnight changed the practice of care.
This was a population that was a higher risk. The overblown risk of breast cancer was front-page news that really wasn't backed by what the research showed. And so really, we're just finally catching up to good science. Over the last 23 years, we've had troves of studies that have shown the nuance in that study—that if you're actually starting hormone therapy for the right candidates at the right time, also with the right medications, that women's health initiative was done with conjugated equine estrogen and medroxyprogesterone. Those are formulations that we do not use currently. That formulation shifts the risk profile.
So we're finally just catching up to what science has been showing us for many years. And really, we did a significant disservice to generations of women. I'm really encouraged by the way the conversation has changed. We have some incredible thought leaders who are helping push this forward. And it's really important that we're not just talking about it, but we're acting on it and that we're providing women with the care they need in terms of hormone therapy, as well as the additional lifestyle support and community that can really help guide them through this part of their life journey.
Beyond Hormones: The Role of Nutrition, Fitness, and Community
Dr. Tim Showalter: I think to that point, and it's an amazing message, this is where the virtual care delivery can be so powerful because I imagine, based on that onslaught of information around 2002, probably still a lot of doctors practicing right now who really don't feature hormone replacement therapy as part of their practice. And so for many women served by WeightWatchers, it's really meeting an otherwise unmet need.
And so we talked about hormone replacement therapy. But of course, the field has evolved in general for metabolic medicine and for how we advise our patients on lifestyle management. I'd love for you to comment on what WeightWatchers offers beyond hormones. So how do nutrition, sleep, weight training, and the community aspects of the services get operationalized into your overall program on a week-to-week basis?
Dr. Kim Boyd: I think you really touch on an important piece in terms of what's included on our medical training. Only about 6% of primary care doctors have menopause training, 20% of OB-GYNs. And the same goes for lifestyle elements. In medical school, we have 7,000 hours of medical training, and somewhere between 4 and 10 are dedicated to exercise. And that's an intervention that's more powerful than almost any medication we can prescribe when it comes to preventing disease.
So we have a lot of room here to improve. And I think it's also unreasonable to expect doctors and current health care systems to do it all. We are already overtaxed and overburdened. And there's a place where you can have other partners that can show up in really effective ways. And I think that's one of the areas where WeightWatchers can really shine and does shine.
In addition to the hormone therapy and GLP-1 prescriptions, we have an evidence-based lifestyle intervention. We have 180 publications, 40 randomized trials, where we're able to really shift these profound behaviors in nutrition and exercise. We're also including more material around sleep and emotional health. We know that when you reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods, we see health improvements. And we have data showing that members on the WeightWatchers program reduce consumption by about 30%. So we're able to actually provide that tactical, livable guidance that isn't part of how we were trained as doctors and isn't an added thing that we can do in our short visits or on our daily to-dos. We're already overburdened. And so it's really important to have strong partners who can come alongside us as health care providers.
Integrating GLP-1s with Lifestyle and Behavioral Support
Dr. Tim Showalter: I'd love to transition a little bit to talking specifically about GLP-1s. Obviously, this is on the news all the time. Everyone's thinking about how the overall health of our country and the world can be impacted by GLP-1s. And WeightWatchers has this really compelling story of over six decades of weight loss through the point system and dietary management and lifestyle modification. So I'm curious to hear your thoughts on how WeightWatchers is merging the two and thinking about lifestyle modifications, behavioral modifications and dietary choices blended with the use of GLP-1s. And how are you thinking about that at the scale of WeightWatchers?
Dr. Kim Boyd: It's really central to how we're thinking about programming. GLP-1s are incredibly effective medications. They have truly changed the game when it comes to treating obesity and metabolic health. I think we're really just at the tip of the iceberg of their potential benefits. We already have data on cardiovascular health, kidney health, being evaluated for metabolic-associated dysfunction of the liver, early studies looking at Alzheimer's, cancer. It really is an incredibly impactful innovation.
So we live in a post-GLP-1 world, and WeightWatchers acquired a telemedicine business in 2023. We have a team of hundreds of doctors. We also have hundreds of RDs who can provide one-on-one nutrition counseling. And it's really important that not only are we prescribing, but we're also doing the wraparound support. These medications are actually approved to be an adjunct to lifestyle change. It's not even that you also need to do lifestyle; that really is still central to how we're thinking about the long-term prevention and treatment of obesity and metabolic conditions.
As part of our programming, we're really leaning into the recommendations that are most important as people are on these therapies, making sure that food quality is prioritized. We know the medications can decrease the food noise and reduce some of the cravings, which actually makes some of these lifestyle changes a little bit easier to do. It's a wonderful win-win there. But we want to make sure that we are having people get enough fiber and protein and healthy fats. Food is information. It's fuel for our cells. And we need to be nourishing people in the right ways while they're on these medications.
We also know that a potential downside is the loss of muscle mass. Doing everything we can to build into strength and preserve and ultimately even help people gain muscle is really important. And that doesn't happen just by eating protein. I know that's quite the craze these days. So yes, protein is important in the context of also doing resistance training. Helping members know how to do that can be pretty overwhelming if you haven't been a lifetime exerciser or even a regular exerciser. I think about going to the gym and diving right in. And so we have really tactical ways where you don't have to leave your house, you don't have to leave your living room, and you can start working on some of this resistance training.
That's the kind of programming that we're building around these medications in addition to the community component. Community has always been central to what WeightWatchers does. It's more important now than ever as we're in loneliness epidemics. And being able to go through a journey with others who are experiencing similar things, whether it's the first 30, 60, 90 days of being on these medications and saying, "I'm having a few GI side effects and I haven't seen dramatic weight loss yet." Being able to have other people who are slightly ahead in the journey say, "Don't worry, that's where I was too. And it will change." We can tell people that all day as doctors, but somehow when there's that shared real lived experience, it comes to life in different ways. And so all of those pieces are how we're thinking about the wraparound programming.
Making GLP-1s Accessible: The New Employer Cost-Sharing Model
Dr. Tim Showalter: I think those are excellent points. As an oncologist, I've seen how important that community is around patients making complex treatment decisions. No matter how many times a physician has seen something or a nutritionist has seen something, to hear it from someone who's just a few steps ahead can be really powerful. And note to the listeners, just based on the scene that we're in right now for this conversation, on the point of community and exercise, I will also say that we are recording this from the WeightWatchers pickleball social booth. So they're really leaning into the activity and community aspect, which is remarkable.
I think one of the things that's exciting about seeing WeightWatchers enter this space and having the community built around it and using technology to help to deliver it is that there is this accessibility angle. And presumably there are some cost savings compared to a lot of these in-person concierge clinics that people might go to otherwise. But, of course, affordability is still an important consideration. And I know that WeightWatchers has done some efforts to make sure that these GLP-1 medications can be within reach for consumers. Can you give us a little bit of information about what that looks like?
Dr. Kim Boyd: Absolutely. Obesity and metabolic health really are the public health crisis of our time. It's really important to us that we're able to provide access to the best care globally. Right now, these medications continue to be quite expensive, and that can be cost prohibitive to many people. One of the ways that we are innovating in this space is something that we've just released called the [Could not verify with context], where in working with employers, they're able to provide part of the prescription cost and the members provide the other half of it.
So being able to think through, until these medications become $4, how can we make them more accessible? How can we actually think creatively about the medication models and really allow for broader access? Because these aren't medications or treatment paradigms that should be preserved for the .01%. We want to make sure that this is accessible. We know that 70% of the adult U.S. population has overweight or obesity. And last year was the first year in decades where that trend has not gone up. And the thought is that some of that is because of GLP-1 medications. So there is real hope here. But it's important that people have access to the care that they need.
Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future: Evolving the Points System
Dr. Tim Showalter: Obviously, as we mentioned before, WeightWatchers is the iconic brand in this space for achieving healthy weight and doing that through behavioral modifications. There is this legacy of the points system, and it's a classical approach to portion management and calorie control. And yet you've just summarized all this groundbreaking science and all the health technology platforms we have at our disposal now. How are you thinking as chief medical officer about honoring the Points' legacy and all the tradition and branding that WeightWatchers has brought with all of the latest science that we have now available?
Dr. Kim Boyd: I think very much it's a "yes, and." I love the word honoring. I think that we are really standing on the shoulders of giants. WeightWatchers created the field, has led the field, and has always been grounded in science and community. We'll continue to do that. And as we're in a time of rapid evolution of the science, it's really exciting to think about how we do get to evolve some of the underlying mechanisms, while we also don't leave some of the amazing work behind.
We have millions of members who have found great efficacy through the point system. We talked about some of the clinical trials. We know that that works. So we want to make sure that people can continue to access that and also have opportunities to double-click into some of what's next and even approach things from more of an optimization lens if that's what they want.
One of the other really important pieces of WeightWatchers is that it is livable and it fits into people's lives. And I really think that there's a way to do that and also empower people with the information and the tools. We know that the foods that are on our store shelves are literally designed to become addictive and hack our biology. And so we need to give members information and help them understand that it's not their fault, that it's not a matter of willpower. I think as we think about evolving some of the scoring mechanisms and the ways that people can engage, I'm approaching it from a biology perspective without losing sight of people and their lives and their cultures and joy. That is a real challenge, but I think we have the science and the technology to do that in new ways now, which is exciting.
Career Advice for Future Leaders in Health and Technology
Dr. Tim Showalter: I love that response just because it's so cross-cutting. You've offered up a really broad perspective there. And it's interesting to think about making, in the past, we've been trying to make these choices up against these foods that are designed to hack our appetites and keep us coming back for more. We now have some of these tools available that are weapons that are maybe just as powerful, like GLP-1s and all the tech-connected behavioral tools and these insights for just helping people get to exercise. It's really moving things forward. Before we wrap up, I did want to ask more of a career-focused question. If you think back to where you were coming out of medical school, I'd like to hear your words of wisdom, maybe for people who are just starting off their careers, either young physicians or people who want to work within health technology. What advice would you have for making a big impact?
Dr. Kim Boyd: As I look back on my career path, I would say that serendipity played a big role. And everything makes a whole lot more sense in the rearview mirror than it does when you're taking that next step. So there is no perfect path. A lot of it was saying yes to the right things. I feel extraordinarily lucky to have been able to be part of really groundbreaking companies and work with brilliant visionaries.
One of the elements that I think has been an important part of my journey also is being grounded in values and trusting them. There were decisions that I made along the way that may not have been the right spreadsheet choice at the time. It would have been more prestigious to do a neurosurgery residency. Tremendous respect for neurosurgeons. It just wasn't what I wanted to do. So I think being able to trust those values and follow them and then also be willing to be scrappy.
A lot of the work is not particularly exciting. You're wearing a lot of different hats. You're doing things that may not make you sing and jump out of bed in the morning. For a while, I was deep in some compliance realms. And it turns out that's really important. It's also not what brings me the most joy in life, but it was important for me to have that as part of my stepping stones. So I think it's hard as we have put so much work into getting to college and going through the MCAT and getting into medical school and doing medical school and residency, not to be like, "Okay, now when do I get to enjoy all the fruits of that?"
But being able to put in some of the elbow grease and learn—I've learned a lot from successes and failures. It's a bit of a cliche to say that you learn more from the things that didn't go well, but that's very, very true. And being nimble and scrappy and being willing to keep pushing for what's important is how I've found the path. And I am definitely still in process. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. So I'm glad to be in the journey.
Dr. Tim Showalter: Well, thank you so much. It's great to hear that. It's been great to hear the story of your career as well as what's ahead for WeightWatchers. So Dr. Boyd, I think we'll close there. Thanks so much for your time.
Dr. Kim Boyd: Absolutely. So nice to talk.
Dr. Tim Showalter: Well, that's it for this episode of HealthTech Remedy. Thanks again to Dr. Kim Boyd, Chief Medical Officer for WeightWatchers for joining us today. For listeners, be sure to check out additional special episodes we have from the HLTH conference coming out on your favorite podcast platform. Be sure to like and subscribe. Your support means so much to us.
