Weight Management and Nutrition Clinic
The Weight Management and Nutrition Clinic team at Firelands Center for Coordinated Care assists in the management and treatment needed to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Weight management is a challenge for an ever-increasing percentage of our population, largely due to genetics and the environment; it’s not just a lack of willpower and dependence on diet and exercise. To learn why weight gain starts with the brain, we use evidence-based, scientific strategies to deliver a comprehensive, individualized plan that meets the needs of each person.
How we can help
We have a board-certified physician, dietitian, nurse practitioner, board-certified pharmacist, and an exercise physiologist team to:
- Support and monitor your progress
- Teach life skills necessary to sustain goals
- Help you overcome the barriers to long-term success
- Help you understand the complex reasons that lead to weight gain
- Give you the tools to maintain your healthy weight
The team also provides optional group support targeted at education, fellowship and faith.
Program Overview
In our medical weight loss program, you will work with multidisciplinary specialists to achieve positive and lasting results. Customized to your goals and needs, our caring team considers your entire well-being to develop a safe and effective plan for you. Components of the program include:
Nutrition
By working with one of our registered dietitians and our medical staff, we will tailor an eating program that works for you for your lifestyle and health conditions. Our goal is to be flexible and understand the many stressors and challenges you may face, while guiding you through the many necessary changes needed to improve the quality of your food choices.
Pharmacotherapy
Our team of trained obesity medicine providers is highly experienced in the use of all FDA-approved weight loss medications. During your first visit, the provider will help you identify any challenges you might face that might be limiting your success. Challenges may include feeling hungry all the time, never feeling full after a meal, and struggling with cravings and/or nighttime eating. The provider will also address any weight-related medical problems and help co-manage them with your primary care physician as needed.
Lifestyle
Our lives change when our habits change. We will use our combined experience and your collaboration to develop a behavioral modification/ lifestyle program to help you reach your greatest health goals. You will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with our clinical exercise physiologist to have a unique and effective exercise prescription made specifically for you. You can also work out with other weight management patients using resistance and cardio equipment in a relaxed environment.
Our team
Donald Cundiff, MD
Donald Cundiff, MD, has been specializing in medical weight loss for over ten years and is passionate about helping people find their healthy weight. He has trained and worked in some of the best programs in the country and wanted to bring his expertise back to his hometown of Sandusky, OH. His approach to weight management focuses on treating obesity as a disease that needs specialized care, just like any other health condition. Dr. Cundiff is dual board-certified in obesity medicine and internal medicine.
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Jennifer Kaple, DNP, APRN, CNP
Jenny brings a robust background in family medicine and a lifelong passion for wellness and healthy living to our weight management clinic. She is dedicated to helping patients achieve their best selves through a collaborative, team-based approach. Jenny emphasizes food awareness, lifestyle modification, and personalized care plans tailored to each patient's unique needs. Her attentive and compassionate approach empowers patients to overcome the challenges of weight loss and maintain long-term health.
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Heather Missler, MSN, FNP-C
Heather Missler MSN, FNP-C recognizes that lifestyle change can be challenging, especially in the busy, fast-paced world we live in today. Collaborating with a team of knowledgeable professionals, she helps guide patients to successful weight loss and maintenance. She utilizes several techniques to provide customized tools and support as well as to make achievable and sustainable goals suited for real-life. She looks forward to working with you to achieve your weight loss goals and improve your overall health and longevity.
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Deborah Scally, MSN, RN, FNP-C
Deborah Scally, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is empowered to assist patients with their complex struggles with weight management. She helps work toward the identification and correction of clinical issues contributing to weight and monitors health conditions associated with excess weight. She works collectively with patients and the team to create tailored plans of care to meet the needs of each individual.
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Ashley Szuch, MSEP
Ashley, M.S. in Exercise Physiology, is passionate about improving quality of life through movement and helping individuals see tangible, meaningful results. Her career has taken her down many paths, allowing her to gain experience in cardiac rehabilitation, gymnastics coaching, personal training, group fitness instruction and cycling class instruction. Her diverse background enables her to help individuals overcome barriers to exercise and develop sustainable routines that support both physical and mental well-being.
Her goal is to help individuals make healthy habits realistic and sustainable for everyday life while supporting long-term health and confidence.
