About

Juliana S. Simonetti, MD, has joint appointments with both the departments of internal medicine and surgery at the University of Utah. She is co-directing the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at the University of Utah. Dr. Simonetti received her medical degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine in 2009, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and her fellowship in clinical nutrition and obesity at Boston University Medical Center. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. With over nine years of experience in bariatric medicine, she offers medical weight loss options to pre- and post-bariatric surgery patients, as well as to any patient who would benefit from weight loss. Her extensive knowledge and compassionate approach make her a highly valued member of the healthcare team, dedicated to providing personalized and effective care for her patients.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Gerontology
• Nursing
• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Psychiatry
• Environmental health
• Clinical psychology
• Physical therapy

Selected publications

• Patient Preferences, Perceptions, and Influencing Factors in Weight Loss Pharmacotherapy and Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Literature Review

  Value in Health · 2026-04-01

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: Understanding features of weight loss treatments that matter most to patients can inform clinical, reimbursement, and policy decisions. This systematic review synthesizes qualitative and quantitative evidence to characterize treatment attributes patients consider most important in weight loss pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Studies were included if they assessed patient perspectives or preferences for weight loss pharmacotherapy or bariatric surgery among adults with overweight or obesity. Data extraction covered study characteristics, methodological features, and key findings. A narrative synthesis was conducted because of methodological heterogeneity. Study quality was assessed using 3 validated tools. RESULTS: Of the 965 articles identified, 14 met inclusion criteria (5 discrete choice experiments [DCEs], 4 surveys, and 5 qualitative studies) from 9 countries. Most were published after 2017. Sample sizes ranged from 10 to 2500. Treatment effectiveness (eg, percentage weight loss, comorbidity resolution) consistently emerged as the most valued attribute, followed by cost and safety (notably gastrointestinal adverse effects). Willingness-to-pay estimates from DCEs showed patients were willing to pay more for greater weight loss, fewer adverse effects, and improved comorbidity outcomes. However, DCE methodologies varied considerably in design and analysis. Qualitative and survey studies further highlighted the influence of social support, stigma, and long-term risk perceptions. CONCLUSIONS: Patients prioritize effectiveness, cost, and safety in weight management and are willing to make meaningful trade-offs among these attributes. As the obesity treatment landscape evolves, preference studies using more standardized methods are critical for advancing patient-centered weight management.

  PublisherDOI

• “It Honestly Took Me About Two Years”: Minoritized Students’ Experiences in Navigating Pathways Between High School, College, and Health Science Graduate Programs

  Medical Science Educator · 2025-11-28

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Intragastric Balloon as Part of a Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach to Obesity-Related Heart Failure

  ACG Case Reports Journal · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  Obesity is a prevalent and under-recognized contributor to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. We present a unique case of a patient with severe, diuretic-refractory obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and cognitive delay who experienced complete resolution of heart failure symptoms following endoscopic gastric balloon placement. This intervention, combined with supervised group living and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapy, resulted in a 48.9% total body weight loss and discontinuation of oxygen and loop diuretics. This case underscores the therapeutic potential of endobariatric procedures in patients with significant weight-related comorbidities who are nonsurgical candidates.

  PublisherDOI

• A call for increased involvement of people with obesity and neurodiversity in policy, research, and practice

  The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · 2025-04-22 · 1 citations

  letterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Consensus Statement: Algorithm for the Evaluation and Treatment of Adults with Obesity/Adiposity-Based Chronic Disease – 2025 Update

  Endocrine Practice · 2025-09-17 · 55 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Management of Obesity-Related Genetic Disorders

  Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America · 2024-12-07 · 2 citations

  reviewSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A Telehealth Diabetes Intervention for Rural Populations: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

  JMIR Research Protocols · 2022 · 5 citations

  • Medicine
  • Family medicine
  • Nursing

  BACKGROUND: Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is a crucial component of diabetes care associated with improved clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral outcomes. The American Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians all recommend DSMES yet accessing linguistically and culturally appropriate DSMES is challenging in rural areas. The Diabetes One-Day (D1D) program is an established DSMES group intervention that has not been adapted or evaluated in rural communities. OBJECTIVE: The specific aims of this paper are (1) to adapt the existing D1D program for use in rural communities, called rural D1D (R-D1D); and (2) to conduct a patient-level randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of R-D1D and standard patient education, guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework. METHODS: test kit. Practice-level and patient-level acceptability and feasibility will be assessed using surveys and interviews. RESULTS: This study is supported by the National Institute of Nursing. The study procedures were approved, and the adaptation processes have been completed. Recruitment and enrollment started in July 2021. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this will be the first study to evaluate both effectiveness and implementation outcomes for virtually delivered DSMES, culturally adapted for rural populations. This research has implications for delivery to other rural locations where access to specialty diabetes care is limited. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04600622; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04600622. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/34255.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Informing a Randomized Control Trial in Rural Populations: Adaptation of a Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Intervention

  JMIR Diabetes · 2022-06-10 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background Over 34 million people in the United States have diabetes, with 1.5 million diagnosed every year. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is a crucial component of treatment to delay or prevent complications. Rural communities face many unique challenges in accessing DSMES, including geographic barriers and availability of DSMES programs that are culturally adapted to rural context. Objective Boot Camp Translation (BCT) is an established approach to community-based participatory research used to translate complex clinical and scientific information into concepts, messages, and materials that are understandable, meaningful, and relevant to community members and patients. This study aimed to utilize BCT to adapt an existing DSMES program for delivery in rural primary care for English- and Spanish-speaking people with diabetes. Methods The High Plains Research Network (HPRN) Community Advisory Council (C.A.C.) partnered with researchers at the University of Colorado and University of Utah to use BCT to aid in translating medical jargon and materials from an existing DSMES program, called “Diabetes One Day (D1D).” BCT consisted of 10 virtual meetings over a 6-month period among the C.A.C., which included 15 diverse community stakeholders. Both English-speaking and bilingual Spanish-English–speaking C.A.C. members were recruited to reflect the diversity of the rural communities in which the adapted program would be delivered. Results The BCT process guided adaptations to D1D for use in rural settings (R-D1D). R-D1D adaptations reflect both content and delivery to assure that the intervention is appropriate and likely to be accepted by rural English- and Spanish-speaking people with diabetes. Additionally, BCT informed the design of recruitment and program materials and identification of recruitment venues. During the BCT process, the importance of tailoring materials to reflect culture differences in English- and Spanish-speaking patients was identified. Conclusions BCT was an effective strategy for academic researchers to partner with rural community members to adapt an existing DSMES intervention for delivery in rural areas to both English- and Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes. Through BCT, adaptations to recruitment materials and methods, program content and delivery, and supplemental materials were developed. The need to culturally adapt Spanish materials with input from stakeholders rather than simply translate materials into Spanish was highlighted. The importance of increasing awareness of the connection between diabetes and depression or diabetes distress, adaptations to include local foods, and the importance of the relationship between people with diabetes and their primary care practices were identified.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Informing a Randomized Control Trial in Rural Populations: Adaptation of a Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Intervention (Preprint)

  2021-12-12

  preprintOpen access

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Over 34 million people in the United States have diabetes, with 1.5 million diagnosed every year. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is a crucial component of treatment to delay or prevent complications. Rural communities face many unique challenges in accessing DSMES, including geographic barriers and availability of DSMES programs that are culturally adapted to rural context. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> Boot Camp Translation (BCT) is an established approach to community-based participatory research used to translate complex clinical and scientific information into concepts, messages, and materials that are understandable, meaningful, and relevant to community members and patients. This study aimed to utilize BCT to adapt an existing DSMES program for delivery in rural primary care for English- and Spanish-speaking people with diabetes. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> The High Plains Research Network (HPRN) Community Advisory Council (C.A.C.) partnered with researchers at the University of Colorado and University of Utah to use BCT to aid in translating medical jargon and materials from an existing DSMES program, called “Diabetes One Day (D1D).” BCT consisted of 10 virtual meetings over a 6-month period among the C.A.C., which included 15 diverse community stakeholders. Both English-speaking and bilingual Spanish-English–speaking C.A.C. members were recruited to reflect the diversity of the rural communities in which the adapted program would be delivered. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> The BCT process guided adaptations to D1D for use in rural settings (R-D1D). R-D1D adaptations reflect both content and delivery to assure that the intervention is appropriate and likely to be accepted by rural English- and Spanish-speaking people with diabetes. Additionally, BCT informed the design of recruitment and program materials and identification of recruitment venues. During the BCT process, the importance of tailoring materials to reflect culture differences in English- and Spanish-speaking patients was identified. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> BCT was an effective strategy for academic researchers to partner with rural community members to adapt an existing DSMES intervention for delivery in rural areas to both English- and Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes. Through BCT, adaptations to recruitment materials and methods, program content and delivery, and supplemental materials were developed. The need to culturally adapt Spanish materials with input from stakeholders rather than simply translate materials into Spanish was highlighted. The importance of increasing awareness of the connection between diabetes and depression or diabetes distress, adaptations to include local foods, and the importance of the relationship between people with diabetes and their primary care practices were identified. </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• 466-P: Cultural Adaptation of a Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Telehealth Intervention for Rural Colorado

  Diabetes · 2021-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Diabetes impacts rural populations at higher rates compared to their urban counterparts. Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is an evidence-based standard of care for people with diabetes. Yet, in rural areas, DSMES is often not available, culturally relevant, or integrated into primary care practices where many people receive diabetes care. This study uses a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt the language, tools, and delivery of a DSMES program for use in Spanish and English-speaking populations in the High Plains Research Network in rural eastern Colorado. Boot Camp Translation (BCT) is a CBPR method that combines medical, research, and local community member expertise to create locally relevant language, messages and materials to promote discussion and action around a medical condition. For this study, community partners included 13 diverse community members (including bilingual Spanish-speakers, patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers). The group identified a particular need to increase awareness of the connection between diabetes and mental health, specifically depression, and diabetes burnout. Language and tools to address stigma and normalize the connection, talking points to initiate discussions with care teams, and calls for practices to increase screening for depression among patients with diabetes, are under development. Additional themes identified include incorporating nutrition information for food that is culturally appropriate and locally available, and integrating DSMES within the primary care practices where people with diabetes receive their care. Community engagement is crucial to support DSMES program adoption in rural communities. Disclosure T. Oser: Advisory Panel; Self; Cecelia Health, Dexcom, Inc., Advisory Panel; Spouse/Partner; Cecelia Health, Dexcom, Inc. M. L. Litchman: Research Support; Self; Abbott Diabetes. B. Kwan: None. J. Neuberger: None. K. Curcija: None. S. Burke: None. L. K. Zittleman: None. J. S. Simonetti: Consultant; Self; Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Research Support; Self; Rhythm Pharmaceuticals . Funding National Institute of Nursing Research; National Institutes of Health (1R56NR019466-01)

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Tamara K. Oser

  University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

  6 shared

• Bethany M. Kwan

  University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

  6 shared

• Julie Neuberger

  University of Utah

  6 shared

• Kristen Curcija

  University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

  6 shared

• Linda Zittleman

  Research Network (United States)

  6 shared

• Michelle L. Litchman

  University of Utah

  6 shared

• Eli Iacob

  University of Utah

  4 shared

• Shawnecca Burke

  Denver Health Medical Center

  3 shared