- Celiac disease
- Malabsorption syndrome
- Obesity
- Short bowel syndrome
- Weight loss
- Weight loss consultation
Octavia Pickett-Blakely, MD, MHS
Gastroenterology
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 18 and up
Penn Gastroenterology Perelman
Penn Medicine Provider
About me
- Director, GI Nutrition, Celiac Sprue and Obesity Program
- Professor of Clinical Medicine (Gastroenterology)
My education and training
- University of Maryland School of MedicineMedical School
- Robert Wood Johnson University HospitalResidency
- Johns Hopkins HospitalFellowship
Spoken languages
English
English
Reviews
Insurance accepted
Please contact the practice and/or the member services department of your insurance company for specific details before receiving services. Providers may participate in some, but not all, products offered by a health plan; providers may also accept plans at some practice locations but not others.
- Aetna Advantra Cares D-SNP
- Aetna Advantra Credit Value
- Aetna Advantra Eagle HMO
- Aetna Advantra Eagle POS
- Aetna Advantra Premier Plus PPO
- Aetna Advantra Value
- Aetna Advantra Value Plus
- Aetna APCN Plus (Multi-Tier)
- Aetna Better Health Kids (CHIP) - DH Only
- Aetna Flexible Five
- Aetna Freedom Core
- Aetna Gold
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Philly Prime
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO APCN
- Aetna Premier
- Aetna Premier Plus
- Aetna Savings Plus
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- Aetna Student Health Plan PPO
- Aetna Upfront Advantage
- First Health HMO
- First Health POS
- First Health PPO
- Meritain - Aramark (Other)
- Meritain - Aramark (Pennsylvania Premier Medical Plan)
- Americhealth Caritas of PA VIP - LGH Only
- Amerihealth Caritas (Transplant patients only)
- Amerihealth Caritas of PA - LGH Only
- Centivo EPO
- Cigna Healthcare EPO
- Cigna Healthcare HMO
- Cigna Healthcare POS
- Cigna Healthcare PPO
- Claim Watcher (Homestead/ INDECs) Open Access
- Clover Health Choice
- Clover Health Choice Value PPO
- Clover Health Classic HMO
- Clover Health Value
Locations
Penn Medicine hospital privileges
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
- Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
Dr. Pickett-Blakely is a Penn Medicine provider.
Qualifications and experience
- Gastroenterology, 2023
- American College of Gastroenterology, National
- American Gastroenterological Association, International
- Recognized annually in Philadelphia magazine's Top Docs issue from 2024 through 2025
All conditions and treatments
Research
Publications
Joly F, Vanuytsel T, Kirby DF, Lal S, Tappenden K, Jeppesen PB, Venick R, Kunecki M, Szczepanek K, Matras P, Li C, Masior T, Valencia P, Boules M, Iyer KR; STARS Investigators. STARS Phase 3 Trial: Once-Weekly Apraglutide Reduces Parenteral Support in Short Bowel Syndrome-Intestinal Failure , Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol.: 2026
Briscoe J, Colyer SB, Profka K, Pickett-Blakely O. Achieving Pharmacoequity in the Treatment of Obesity: Strategies for Understanding and Tackling Disparities , Gastroenterology, 171(2): 2026,225-228
Almandoz JP, Pickett-Blakely O, Tewksbury C, Stefanski A, Gonsahn-Bollie S, Dimitriadis GK, Murro AL, Cao D, Meng Q, Neff LM Nutritional status with tirzepatide in obesity: A post hoc analysis of the SURMOUNT-1-4 randomized clinical trials , Obesity Pillars, 17: 2026
Newberry C, Peng FB, Lynch KL, Sheth SG, Pickett-Blakely O, Maratt JK AGA Institute Quality Indicators for Obesity Medication Use in Practice , Gastroenterology, 169(7): 2025,1537-1546
Panchal S, Mahmud N, Atkins JH, Kang H, Leto A, Goebel A, Trivedi N, Chatila A, Hsu WW, Ginsberg GG, Pickett-Blakeley O, Zandvakili I Endoscopy and anesthesia outcomes associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use in patients undergoing outpatient upper endoscopy. , Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 102(2): 2025,216-222
Sehgal P, Lewis JD, Pickett-Blakely O, Nandi N, Bewtra M, Lichtenstein GR Safety and Clinical Effectiveness of GLP1 Receptor Agonists in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients , Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 23(8): 2025,1453-1454
Priya Sehgal,Faten Aberra,Tushar Khanna, Klea Profka, Octavia Pickett-Blakely, Neilanjan Nandi, Farzana Rashid Hossain, Meenakshi Bewtra, James D. Lewis, Gary R. Lichtenstein Safety and clinical effectiveness of GLP1 receptor agonists in inflammatory bowel disease patients; a retrospective cohort study , Gastroenterology, 166(4): 2024,S-123-124
Sarjukumar Panchal, Octavia Pickett-Blakely, Gregory G. Ginsberg, Hansol Kang, Alexandra Leto, Anna M. Goebel, Joshua Atkins, Inuk Zandvakili Outcomes associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use in patients undergoing upper endoscopy , Gastroenterology, 155(5): 2024,S-207
Vivian Ortiz and Octavia Pickett-Blakely Obesity Medical and Physical Assessment , Health Professional's Guide to Management of Overweight and Obesity: 2024
Jennifer Lubell GI Docs Nutrition Education Deficit May Shortchange Patients , Medscape Medical News: 2023