Dr. Juliana Simonetti, MD
Not yet claimedWeight loss doctor, Internal medicine doctor · Physician (MD)
Salt Lake City, UT
Dr. Juliana Simonetti helps lead the weight management program at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. She also teaches doctors in training at the program's outpatient clinic.
About Dr. Juliana Simonetti, MD
Updated Sep 20, 2026Dr. Juliana S. Simonetti is an internal medicine and obesity medicine physician at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine, and she holds joint appointments in the departments of internal medicine and surgery.
She earned her MD at the University of Utah School of Medicine in 2009, completed internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and finished a fellowship in clinical nutrition and obesity at Boston University Medical Center in 2013. She is an associate professor, Director of Obesity Medicine, and co-director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program, and she supervises the obesity medicine fellowship rotation at the university's outpatient weight management clinic.
Her public work focuses on medical treatment of obesity, including GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound. She co-authored the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology 2025 consensus statement on evaluating and treating adults with obesity, and she has published on obesity-related genetic disorders and on patient preferences for weight loss medication versus bariatric surgery. In news interviews she has described how these medications affect fullness and appetite, and she has warned about risks from compounded semaglutide, saying "The risks are enormous" because of possible contamination from poor compounding practices.
Federal Open Payments data lists $50,248.25 in industry payments to her from 2021 to 2025 across 86 records. Payments from drug and device companies are common and legal for physicians who do research, speaking, or advisory work; the largest payers were Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly.
- Board certifications
- Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. healthcare.utah.edu
- Training background
- MD from the University of Utah School of Medicine (2009), internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (2009-2012), and a clinical nutrition and obesity fellowship at Boston University Medical Center (2012-2013). doximity.com
- Leads obesity medicine program
- Associate professor, Director of Obesity Medicine, and co-director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at University of Utah Health. reference.medscape.com
- Guideline co-author
- Co-authored the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology consensus statement and algorithm for evaluating and treating adults with obesity, 2025 update. sciencedirect.com
- Teaches obesity fellows
- The main obesity medicine fellowship rotation takes place under her supervision at the University of Utah comprehensive weight management outpatient clinic. medicine.utah.edu
- Caution on compounded drugs
- In a KQED/California Healthline story about weight-loss drug marketing on social media, she said of compounded semaglutide, "The risks are enormous," citing possible contamination from poor compounding practices. kqed.org
- Speaks about GLP-1 medications
- In a University of Utah Health article she described patients on GLP-1 medications feeling full much faster than before starting treatment, and urged caution about their use. healthcare.utah.edu
- Research and publications
- Published work includes "Management of Obesity-Related Genetic Disorders" (2025) and a systematic review of patient preferences for weight loss medication and bariatric surgery. ipwso.org
- Comments on equity in obesity care
- In a Medscape news article about Endocrine Society obesity initiatives, she praised a new scientific statement for explaining the physiology but said she would have liked more specific mention of racial and ethnic differences in obesity. medscape.com
Worth knowing
- CMS Open Payments lists $50,248.25 in industry payments to her from 2021 through 2025 across 86 records. The largest payers were Rhythm Pharmaceuticals ($36,091.63) and Eli Lilly ($12,664.40), followed by Novo Nordisk ($1,223.25), Boston Scientific ($125.79), and Amryt Pharma ($125). Such payments are common and legal, and are publicly reported. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
- Medscape discloses that she has served as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant, or trustee for Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly, companies that make obesity-related medications. reference.medscape.com
- Some online directories list her location as Boston, MA, which appears to reflect her training address rather than her current practice in Salt Lake City. doximity.com
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$50,248
86 payments
| 2021 | $1,453 |
| 2022 | $11,219 |
| 2023 | $13,038 |
| 2024 | $6,392 |
| 2025 | $18,147 |
Top payers
- Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$36,092
- Eli Lilly and Company$12,664
- Novo Nordisk Inc$1,223
- Boston Scientific Corporation$126
- Amryt Pharma Holdings Ltd$125
Payment types
- Honoraria$19,782
- Travel and Lodging$10,825
- Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program$10,070
- Consulting Fee$7,355
- Food and Beverage$2,093
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: healthcare.utah.edu · healthcare.utah.edu · linkedin.com · researchgate.net · doximity.com · reference.medscape.com · medicine.utah.edu · openpaymentsdata.cms.gov. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
Comprehensive Weight Management Program
133 Brookline Ave
Salt Lake City, UT 02215
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