DR. SYLVIA, MD
Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, DABOM, FOMA
Integrative Obesity Specialist, Innovative Educator, Best-selling Author
Mission Statement
Embracing Personalized Science with Spiritual Wellbeing Leads to True Healing.
My mission is to utilize my extensive medical expertise and God-given gifts of communication and creativity to compassionately empower individuals to thrive uniquely in body, mind, and spirit. Simultaneously, I am determined to revolutionize healthcare by transforming the outdated 'one-size-fits-all model' and championing personalized care for all through advocacy and innovation.
Changing the Medical Community
The word obesity comes from the Latin word obesus, which means "something that's eaten itself fat." Obesity is a complex medical disease that has over seventy contributors to the abnormal accumulation of fat. The medical community needs to recognize the complexity of obesity and tailor treatment to the individual in a non-judgmental way just as we would any other medical condition. My vision is that 10 years from now, we won't even use the same words when we talk about someone's body, their body size, and their metabolic health. While we will recognize that the accumulation of excess of body fat puts you at considerable health risks, the word obesity is not the best way to describe that.
To promote this vision of the future, I now serve on the board of the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA). I was also recently elected to serve on the National Wellness Institute (NWI) Board of Trustees. Both have a long track record of leadership in wellness and are committed to strengthening an evidence-based approach to wellness, rooted in equity and cultural sensitivity. I also have written many articles and spoken at many events to promote greater understanding and educate individuals and practitioners alike.
To check out some of my latest features, follow the link below.
Serving the Black Community
The black community is disproportionately impacted by the obesity epidemic. This is not simply because of biological reasons, but also the intersection of environmental factors, systemic racism, etc. I believe it is critical at this pivotal time in obesity care that we are making sure that we make culturally tailored tools to empower the black community on the individual level while advocating for systemic changes in diagnoses and treatment.
I am proud to be a part of the Black Physicians & Healthcare Network (BPHN) since April 2022. The organization launched its grant-funded "ENHANCE Your Weight and Wellness Goals Sessions". While we are not doing live sessions at this time, you can access the old recordings and join a waiting list for our next live session here.
We launched a new show at the start of this year on BlackDoctor.org called "Embrace You: Hot Topics in Weight Loss". I hosted the show, airing bi-weekly on the BDO Facebook Live page for 14 episodes. Watch old episodes here.
For additional articles and features related to black health, check out my media features page and featured blog posts.
Empowering the Individual
The body mass index (BMI) is an outdated tool and inaccurate for individualized assessment of healthy weight. I created Embrace You Weight & Wellness coaching and telehealth program in 2020 to help people who have been struggling with weight and self-confidence overcome dieting and love their bodies on their Happy Healthy Weight and Wellness Journey.
Currently, Embrace You utilizes Community, Courses, Classes, and Coaching to help individuals and organizations. The overall mission is to transform obesity care and the weight loss industry to release the outdated "one size fits all" approach and embrace innovative, integrative, and individualized solutions.
To learn more about our classes and approach, check out the link below.
Global Reach
As a proud first-generation American, I draw immense inspiration from my roots. My parents are both from Liberia, West Africa.
My husband and I share a common vision—to harness the transformative power of education and create a lasting impact on a global scale. As a part of that vision, we started Liberia's only non-profit freestanding STEM lab, the Institute of Basic Technology.
This year, we received a 5-figure grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue our mission to unlock the potential of the young minds in Liberia.
Spiritual Health Leadership
I went to a women's Christian college and was very involved in the leadership there. This served as the foundation for future Christian leadership opportunities.
For the past three years, I have co-led the Busy Women's Oasis for our church. This Oasis was specifically designed for busy women and moms to step away from the noise and busyness of daily routine and invest some time to renew, refresh, and rejuvenate.
To find out how you can restore your body and spiritual wellness in 2024, check out the link below.