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Clifford Raabe Weiss, M.D.

Director, the Johns Hopkins HHT Center of Excellence
Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science

Male

Expertise

Angioplasty, Arterial Occlusive Disease, Arteriovenous Fistulas (AVF), Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM), Chronic Total Occlusions, Claudication, Congenital Pulmonary Malformations, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Diagnostic Radiology, Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), IVC Filter Placement, IVC Filter Retrievals, Kidney Cancer, Liver Cancer, Lower Extremity Angioplasty, Lower Extremity Stenting, Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), Peripheral Vascular Disease, Radiofrequency Ablation for Bone Lesions, Radiofrequency Ablation for the Kidney, Radiofrequency Ablation for the Liver, Radiofrequency Ablation for the Lung, Radiology, Renal Artery Disease, Renal Vascular Disease, Uterine Fibroids, Varicocele, Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Vascular Malformations, Venous Disease, Venous Occlusive Disease, Venous Thromboembolism, Visceral Angioplasty, Visceral Stenting ...read more

Research Interests

Interventional treatment of obesity (bariatric embolization); Device development; Development of interventional MRI techniques; The diagnosis and treatment of vascular malformations, including pulmonary AVM's and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) ...read more

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Locations

The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Main Entrance)

Appointment Phone: 410-502-6611

1800 Orleans St.
Sheikh Zayed Tower
Baltimore, MD 21287 map

Phone: 410-614-1046 | Fax: 410-614-1043

Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center

Appointment Phone: 443-997-7237

601 N. Caroline St.
Baltimore, MD 21287 map

Background

Dr. Clifford Weiss is a Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science. He also holds appointments in Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, he serves as Medical Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID), the Director of the Johns Hopkins HHT Center of Excellence as well as Director of the Johns Hopkins Vascular Anomalies Center.

Dr. Weiss' clinical focus lies in vascular and interventional radiology with a particular focus on the diagnosis and treatment of vascular malformations. This includes venous and lymphatic malformations, arteriovenous malformations, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) and varicoceles. Dr. Weiss also is a pioneer in the use of MRI for interventional guidance (iMRI), especially for the treatment of vascular malformations.

Dr. Weiss' research focuses primarily on the preclinical and clinical development of Bariatric Embolization, a new endovascular procedure designed to help fight obesity, and on the development of new embolic therapies and devices. Dr. Weiss is the Deputy Editor of Interventional Content for the journal Radiology.

Dr. Weiss received his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1995, his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2001. He completed an internship in internal medicine on the Osler Service in 2002, his residency in Diagnostic Radiology in 2007, and a Fellowship in Vascular and Interventional radiology in 2008, all at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

He is a Fellow both of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE).

Titles

Director, the Johns Hopkins HHT Center of Excellence
Medical Director, The Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering, Innovation and Design (CBID)
Director, Interventional Radiology Research
Director, the Johns Hopkins Vascular Anomalies Center (VAC)
Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science
Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

MD; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2001)

Residencies

Radiology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2007)

Fellowships

Vascular and Interventional Radiology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2008)

Board Certifications

American Board of Radiology (Interventional Radiology) (2017)

Research & Publications

Research Summary

The focus of Dr. Weiss' research is the development of Bariatric Embolization, a new, minimally invasive endovascular approach for the treatment of Obesity. Dr. Weiss is the PI or co-PI on a number of pre clinical grants relating to this work, and is the co-PI of the BEAT Obesity trial.

Dr. Weiss' research has also focused on research related to his clinical practice including the development and implementation Interventional MRI techniques, improving the diagnosis, treatment and outcomes assessment for patients with vascular malformations (including HHT and pulmonary AVM), and the interventional treatment of Pulmonary Ebolism (including IVC filtration).

Dr. Weiss has mentored many Undergraduate and Masters CBID teams, and has advised on the design and development of numerous devices related to Vascular and Interventional Radiology, with a particular focus on vascular access and hemodialysis.

Dr. Weiss serves as an advisor to the Johns Hopkins Art as Applied to Medicine Program. Some examples of mentored graduate student work are listed below - please click on the hyperlinks to "experience" the content:

Embolization of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations - An animation by JHU graduate student Caitlin Mock to educate patients on PAVMs. Dr. Weiss served as content advisor for this project.

Clinical Trial Keywords

Obesity; Morbid Obesity; Bariatric Embolization; Bariatric Arterial Embolization; Weight Management; Endovascular Therapy

Clinical Trials

Bariatric Embolization of Arteries for the Treatment of Obesity (BEAT Obesity) Trial

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of bariatric embolization as a minimally-invasive image-guided procedure for morbid obesity. In this procedure, specific blood vessels to the stomach are blocked in order to suppress some of the body's signals for feeling hungry, leading to weight loss.

Morbid obesity is currently treated with diet and exercise, medications, and surgery. This study is designed to help treat obesity using a minimally invasive, non-surgical, angiographic (through the blood vessel) approach. This procedure is similar to a common procedure used to treat bleeding within the stomach. This version of the procedure has been named "bariatric embolization".

Although there are over 40 hormones that limit food intake, there is only one hormone, ghrelin that has been shown to stimulate (prompt) food intake. In obese patients, eating fails to suppress ghrelin levels, which is believed to prevent feeling full after a meal and to lead to overeating. Due to the strong hunger craving effects of ghrelin, this hormone has been a target for the treatment of obesity and weight loss. More recently, ghrelin has been shown to have a significant role in the long-term effect of weight loss in bariatric (obesity) surgery where ghrelin levels are shown to be much lower when compared to untreated patients.

Recent data collected in animals has shown that blocking blood vessels to a particular portion of the stomach (bariatric embolization) can temporarily decrease levels of the appetite inducing hormone ghrelin, and decrease short-term weight gain. In a study of 5 people, there was a decrease in ghrelin levels and weight loss in the first 6 months after the procedure, but there is no information about the effects of the procedure over longer periods of time.

We hope to learn if bariatric embolization results in safe and effective weight loss in people who are morbidly obese.

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For Queries: email [email protected] or call 410-502-5118.

PubMed

Activities & Honors

Memberships

American College of Radiology (ACR)
American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS)
Association of University Radiologists (AUR)
International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM)
International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA)
Radiology Society of North America (RSNA)
Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR)
The Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE)