Meet Alina Chevtsov

Can you walk us through your journey to medicine? What led you to become a physician in the first place?

I decided to become a physician after my father was diagnosed with cancer during my freshman year of college. This challenging time for my family showed me the importance of the medical care provided. 

What drew you to the Obesity Medicine Fellowship at CU Anschutz? Was there anything about our program that stood out to you?

I chose the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center for my Obesity Medicine training because of the resources the wellness center has to offer including a teaching kitchen, as well as nutrition and behavioral health services.

Now that you’ve started the fellowship, what are you most looking forward to learning or experiencing this year?

This year I hope to spend my time learning more about nutrition, optimal use of medications for obesity, as well as factors affecting women's health and their relationship to weight such as menopause and PCOS.  

Obesity medicine often intersects with mental health, nutrition, and social determinants of health. How do you approach the “whole person” in your care?

I try to spend as much time as I can learning about my patients so I can help individualize the care I provide. Having an understanding of a patient’s lifestyle, challenges and priorities helps me to provide them with better care. 

What message would you share with patients who are just starting their journey toward better health and don’t know where to begin?

Small changes add up over time- choose an achievable goal to start with and keep going!