About Me

Obesity is such a challenging disease to treat, and bariatric surgery can help so many people lose weight and get healthier. As a bariatric surgeon, I get to know my patients and what goals they have from surgery. Sometimes, it’s not purely a number on a scale but the ability to play with their kids or ride a roller coaster again. I started performing bariatric surgery in the late 1990s and have focused my career exclusively on bariatric surgery for the last 15 years. Thousands of cases and a lot of experience matters when it comes to choosing your surgeon.

After 16 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, I completed my fellowship training in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at Cleveland Clinic in 2007. That’s when my academic career began, and since then I have authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and edited four textbooks on bariatric surgery. I feel strongly that we should all contribute to our field in some way. I’ve been fortunate to contribute my scholarly work as well as leadership skills at the national level. My roles in our national society provide a national platform to advocate for obesity treatment and to fight the stigma and bias associated with obesity.

At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, I’m the vice chair of Surgery for Quality and Patient Safety and the medical director for Supply Chain Management, which allows me to focus on ways to help the health system deliver high-quality care that adds value and cost savings. I’m also a professor of surgery and train medical students, surgical residents and fellows at the Ohio State College of Medicine. Teaching is an important part of my role at Ohio State, and I get to mentor residents and medical students through quality projects as well. I’ve also dedicated time to research the outcomes of bariatric surgery, specifically the impact it has on diabetes remission, in addition to working extensively on the specific physiologic mechanisms that lead to metabolic improvement after bariatric surgery.

When I’m not at work, I’m an avid fly fisherman and travel to Montana or Colorado for fishing trips as often as I can. I love the mountains and being outdoors.

Highlights

• President, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, 2016 – 2017
• Principal investigator for a multicenter study (36 hospitals) to implement an enhanced recovery protocol and improve their outcomes significantly
• Co-chair of the quality committee for our national quality improvement and accreditation program in bariatric surgery
• Trained 44 fellows who have gone on to productive careers in bariatric surgery all over the world

Procedures and Conditions I Treat

• Gastroplasty
• Obesity, Morbid
• Gastric Bypass
• Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures
• Bariatric Surgery
• General Surgery
• Obesity

Reviews

The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.

The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their view and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.