Robert L. Richard, M.D., FACS, one of Georgia’s leading laparoscopic surgeons, holds over 10 years of experience in laparoscopic weight loss surgery.
Harvard Educated
Dr. Richard attended Cornell University and fulfilled his surgical, laparoscopic, and bariatric training at Harvard University’s prestigious Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
“During my Harvard surgical training, I was lucky enough to spend time with weight loss patients outside of the hospital. At the time, weight loss surgery was considered fringe surgery, and only one surgeon in our system was performing the gastric bypass.
“In general, other surgeons did not like taking care of these patients," he continues, "and my fellow surgical residents were no different than the general population in holding a negative opinion of patients suffering from obesity. But I was fortunate. I was able to see weight loss surgery patients in the office setting and that helped me realize what a profound effect we, as surgeons, could have on this deadly disease.”
Army's First Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgeon
After training, Dr. Richard served at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Appointed Director of the new Bariatric Surgical Service at the BACH, Dr. Richard performed both the first open and laparoscopic gastric bypasses. He also began Fort Campbell's first surgical weight loss program, single-handedly training the OR staff, nursing staff, nutrition and psychology departments, as well as fellow surgeons, to allow for safe and effective treatment of obesity.
As an active trauma surgeon for the US Army, Dr. Richard deployed to the Afghan theater of war shortly after 9/11. He was recalled in 2004, two years after leaving the Army, to serve in Iraq as a Senior Trauma surgeon in Saddam Hussein’s hometown.
Back in Georgia
After leaving the Army in 2002, Dr. Richard joined Obesity Solutions in Gainesville, Georgia. With a focus on laparoscopic gastric bypass, he helped to develop the Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence and now serves as its Medical Director.
Dr. Richard is board certified in general surgery, fully trained in laparoscopic bariatric surgery, and his practice includes the gastric bypass, the sleeve gastrectomy, and the two adjustable gastric bands available in the United States.
“Weight loss is my practice,” he emphasizes. “I do some general surgery, but by far, my passion is the treatment of this deadly disease. Eighty percent of what I do as a physician deals with this one disease.“
Specialty Interest in Weight Regain
Dr. Richard has a distinct interest in weight loss surgery patients who regain weight. He has employed medical weight loss, as well as revisional weight loss surgery to treat weight regain. “One of the most frustrating patients is the gastric bypass patient who has gained weight back,” he says. “Mostly this is due to a return of old habits. However, we often find treatable conditions, if we take the time and effort to look for them. It is very gratifying to get this group of patients back on the road to a healthy lifestyle.”
To combat this condition, Dr. Richard uses the StomaphyX device for endoscopic pouch reduction and has extensive experience in revisional weight loss surgery that includes using the gastric band over an existing gastric bypass.
“Bariatric surgeons truly have the ability to not only fix a problem, like we do when we remove an appendix, but we have the ability to transform a person’s life,” he says. “Seeing this transformation not once but many, many times in my career never gets old. This is why I chose medicine, and this is what keeps me going.”
To see the complete listing of Dr. Richard's publications, memberships and training, read his curriculum vitae.
To read what Dr. Richard's patients have to say, click here.