Sarah Armstrong, MD, FAAP

Sarah Armstrong, MD, FAAP attended medical school at the University of Virginia and completed a pediatrics residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2003.

Dr. Armstrong’s clinical and research interests focus on the treatment of obesity in children through basic, clinical, and community-engaged research methods.  She founded and directs the Duke Healthy Lifestyles Program, a pediatric obesity center providing behavioral, nutrition, exercise, pharmacotherapy, and surgical treatment options for patients aged 23 and younger.  She also developed and has sustained since 2009 the Bull City Fit program, a community partnership between Duke Children’s and the City of Durham, which delivers obesity treatment to children and families through a local Parks and Recreation center.  This model has been disseminated widely, and has informed national guidelines for clinic-community partnerships for the treatment of childhood obesity. Dr. Armstrong was awarded the “Outstanding Advocate for Children” by the NC Pediatrics Society for this work.

Dr. Armstrong serves in several leadership roles, including Chair of the Section of Obesity for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Director for the Duke Center for Childhood Obesity Research, and as Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health at Duke University.  Dr. Armstrong co-authored the 2023 AAP Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Evaluation and Treatment of Pediatric Obesity, is a co-editor for the international textbook on clinical care of obesity in adults and children, was the lead author for the 2019 AAP policy statement on bariatric surgery in adolescents, and has authored multiple additional policy statements on the care of children with obesity.

Sarah lives in Chapel Hill, NC with her husband, 3 children, 2 dogs and cat.  She is a big fan of the US Women’s Soccer Team and loves to climb mountains, stare at waterfalls, sleep under the stars, and cook unreasonable amounts of Italian food for family and friends.