- 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
- Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Residency: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
- Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Spoken languages
English
English
Reviews
261 reviews
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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.
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
Treatments and conditions
Research
Publications
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
Inuk Zandvukili MD, PhD, Maraya Pulaski MD, Octavia Pickett-Blakely MD, MHS A Phenotypic Approach to Obesity Treatment , Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 38(5): 2023,959-975
Carolyn Newberry, MD, Brandon Sprung, MD, Octavia Pickett-Blakely, MD, MHS Enhancing Nutrition and Obesity Education in GI Fellowship through Universal Curriculum Development , Gastroenterology, 165(1): 2023,16-19.