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Practitioners’ Experience

Hala D. Mata BC, AANP

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Hala D. Mata BC/AANP, Board Certified Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner with over 17 years of clinical experience. In addition to her outstanding skills in the treatment of obesity, she is skilled in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of acute and chronic medical conditions, and additionally has clinical training in neonatal, pediatric, OBGYN, triage centers, and primary care. Hala received her Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2003 from George Mason University, and her Master of Science in Nursing in 2021 also from George Mason University. Hala currently practices as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at BE-LITE.

Shelli

Shelli Wolfe Mayer, Nurse Practitioner, a Medical Nurse Practitioner at BeLite, earned a B.S.N. at Trenton State College in New Jersey. Over the course of her career, she worked in both large teaching hospitals and small rural hospitals from Boston to Charlottesville to Montana. Mayer attended the University of Virginia where she graduated with a M.S.N. and a Post-master’s Nurse Practitioner (NP) degree. After completing her graduate education, Mayer worked at Gallaudet University providing primary care to college students. Other NP positions include The Washington Occupational Health Associates and the Presidential Classroom. Since 2002, she has been teaching at Marymount University in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Prior to Marymount, Mayer was a professor at The George Washington University in their NP program.

Patience

Patience Yengo, Nurse Practitioner. Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and has spent the last ten years practicing in the Northern Virginia area for INOVA Mount Vernon Hospital, Washington Hospital Center and other organizations.   She attended Marymount University, George Mason University as well as Northern Virginia Community College.   Patient’s often comment on her  welcoming smile and always find her ready to listen.  Patience currently functions as an advanced practice Family Nurse Practitioner.

RICHARD PROFESSIONAL
Dr. Rothman is the Medical Director of the BeLite Medical Center, which has been helping patients lose weight in the Northern Virginia area since 1996. Dr. Rothman, who is Board Certified in Psychiatry, received his MD degree and his Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1982. From 1982-1984, Dr. Rothman was awarded a PRAT Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD. From 1984 to 1988 Dr. Rothman served his Psychiatric Residency at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Washington DC, and later at the Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD. From 1991 – 2012, Dr. Rothman served as a Section Chief In the Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Rothman has published over 400 scientific papers on weight loss supplements and other medical topics in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented over 400 scientific abstracts at national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Rothman’s published work on appetite suppressants has established him as a leading expert in this area (click here for a list of publications related to appetite suppressant medications). Of note, Dr. Rothman’s lab was among the first to identify the mechanism responsible for valvular heart disease produced by fenfluramine. In addition, Dr. Rothman, in collaboration with Dr. Ed Hendricks, has contributed several published papers that review the overall safety of phentermine.
Dr. Rothman has received numerous awards recognizing his work, including the Joseph Cochin Young Investigator Award awarded by the Committee on Problems of Drug Dependence, Inc., June 17, 1991; The Scientific Achievement Award in Biological Sciences for contributions in the field of opioid pharmacology by the Washington Academy of Sciences, May 18, 1989; and the A. E. Bennett Award (basic science) by the Society for Biological Psychiatry, May, 1987.
In addition to his extensive experience in the treatment of obesity, Dr. Rothman also has extensive clinical experience in the psychopharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders. Dr. Rothman is (or was) a member of several professional groups, including the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Medical Society of Virginia and the American Medical Association. Dr. Rothman is licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia and runs an acute inpatient psychiatric unit at an area hospital.

Selected Bibliography of Publications

1. Hendricks EJ, Rothman RB. Phentermine therapy for obesity does not elevate blood pressure. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2011 Oct ;13(10):963-4.
2. Hendricks EJ, Rothman RB. RE: Pulmonary hypertension associated with use of phentermine? Yonsei Med J. 2011 Sep;52(5):869-70.
3. Rothman RB, Hendricks EJ. Phentermine cardiovascular safety II: response to Yosefy Int J Cardiol. 2009 Epub Mar 19. Int J Cardiol. 2010 Nov 19; 145(2):391-2
4. Rothman RB, Hendricks EJ. Phentermine cardiovascular satefy. Am J Emerg Med. 2009 Oct;27(8):1010-3
5. Rothman RB. Treatment of obesity with “combination” pharmacotherapy. Am J Ther. 2010 Nov-Dec;17(6):596-603. PubMed PMID: 19352149
6. Hendricks EJ, Rothman RB, Greenway FL. How physician obesity specialists use drugs to treat obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Sep;17(9):1730-5.
7. Rothman RB, Hendricks EJ. Phentermine cardiovascular safety. In response to Yosefy C, Berman M, Beeri R. Cusp tear in bicuspid aortic valve possibly caused by phentermine. International journal of cardiology 2006;106:262-3. Int J Cardiol. 2010 Oct 8; 144(2):241-2; author reply 242-3.
8. Rothman RB, Baumann MH. Appetite suppressants, cardiac valve disease and combination pharmacotherapy. Am J Ther. 2009 Jul-Aug:16(4):354-64. Review.
9. Rothman RB, Blough BE, Baumann MH. Dopamine/serotonin releasers as medications for stimulant addictions. Prog Brain Res. 2008;172:385-406. Review.
10. Zolkowska D, Rothman RB, Bauman MH. Amphetamine analogs increase plasma serotonin: implications for cardiac and pulmonary disease. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2006 Aug;318(2):604-10.
12. Synapse. 2006 Apr;59(5):277-89. PubMed PMID: 16416445. 12: Alexander M, Rothman RB, Baumann MH, Endres CJ, Brasic JR, Wong DF. Noradrenergic and dopaminergic effects of (+)- amphetamine-like stimulants in the baboon Papio anubis. Synapse. 2005 May;56(2):94-9.
14. Rothman RB, Baumann MH, Dersch CM, Romero DV, Rice KC, Carroll FI, Partilla JS. Amphetamine-type central nervous system stimulants release norepinephrine more potently than they release dopamine and serotonin. Synapse. 2001.
15. Rothman RB, Baumann MH, Savage JE, Rauser L, McBride A, Hufeisen SJ, Roth BL. Evidence for possible involvement of 5-HT(2B) receptors in the cardiac valvulopathy associated with fenfluramine and other serotonergic medications. Circulation. 2000 Dec 5;102(23):2836-41.
16. Rothman RB, Ayestas MA, Dersch CM, Baumann MH. Aminorex, fenfluramine, and chlorphentermine are serotonin transporter substrates. Implications for primary pulmonary hypertension. Circulation. 1999 Aug 24;100(8):869-75.
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Renee

Renee Hadeed, Nurse Practitioner

Renee is a Family Nurse Practitioner with experience in primary care, women’s health, and weight management. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2005 from George Mason University, and her Master of Science in Nursing in 2015 from George Washington University.

She is passionate about preventative care and supporting patients to live a healthy, fulfilling life. Renee is dedicated to creating a personalized plan to help each patient achieve their health goals.
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