Response from the NH Board of Medicine in the Dr. Bennett case
“Dr. Cynthia S. Cooper, a member of the Board of Medicine handling the dispute who has recused herself because Bennett has referred patients to her Dover practice, said she sticks to national guidelines when telling patients they are obese and need to lose weight.

‘We never try to belittle patients or ridicule patients because of their weight,’ she said. ‘I think no matter what advice you give patients you have to try to communicate in an appropriate way.’

Cooper said she doesn’t think doctors will hold back on what they tell patients.

‘It may cause doctors to think of how they can approach sensitive topics … however the advice should be the same,’ she said.

She added that doctors are obligated to tell their patients to lose weight if that person needs to.

‘I can tell you the Board of Medicine does not discipline physicians for telling patients to lose weight, or they’d be disciplining most of us,’ Cooper said.”