Meet the General and Bariatric Surgery Staff at Our Center Serving Los Angeles and Orange County
Troy LaMar, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Dr. Troy LaMar was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Southern California, receiving a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1986. He returned home for medical school, earning his M.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992. Dr. Troy LaMar completed his general surgery residency at Huntington Memorial Hospital in California, in 1997. He then joined California Bariatric and General Surgery Associates in 1998. In addition to his private practice, Dr. Troy LaMar is on the teaching staff at Huntington Memorial. His special areas of interest include bariatric surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, and hernia surgery. To learn more about the procedures Dr. Troy LaMar performs, including bariatric surgery for our Los Angeles and Orange County patients, contact California Bariatric and General Surgery Associates today.
Shirish C. Patel, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Dr. Shirish C. Patel did his medical education at M.S. University of Baroda in India and at Makerere University, Mulago Hospital in Uganda, East Africa. His surgical residency was at Toronto General Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
He was certified by the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (1975) and with the American Board of Surgery in 1976 (recertified in 1986 and 1994). He is a member of the Los Angeles Surgical Society, LACMA, CMA, AMA, Ontario Medical Association ( Ontario, Canada ), and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Shirish Patel is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at USC in Los Angeles. His specific interests are in laparoscopic surgery, colorectal surgery, breast surgery, and gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Dr. Patel has been in practice in the San Gabriel Valley for the past 29 years and is on staff at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, Arcadia Methodist Hospital, and Huntington Memorial Hospital.
Bengt Pehrsson, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Bengt Pehrsson received his medical degree at the University of Munich in West Germany. Upon completion of his general medical training, he was accepted to the residency program at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He did his training primarily at what was then known at Charity Hospital in the heart of the city. After his 5 years of general residency he continued with his education receiving an additional year of training in Colon/Rectal surgery as a Fellow at the Alton Ochsner Foundation in New Orleans.
A member of the Boards of both General Surgery and Colon/Rectal Surgery, he began practicing in the San Gabriel Valley in 1982. He maintains active membership in the American College of Surgeons, SAGES, the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons, American Society of Gastroenterology and Society of colon and Rectal Surgeons.
With his extensive training and experiences in general and colon/rectal surgery, he became an early advocate of Bariatric surgery, specifically with Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. Performing these procedures since 1991, they were initially all preformed as open surgical cases but now they are done almost exclusively laparoscopic. With his vast training and year of experience in this procedure he is the only surgeon in the San Gabriel Valley performing laparoscopic revisions of Bariatric surgery.
During the past 14 years he has traveled extensively on the West Coast speaking to groups about Bariatric surgery and obesity. An early advocate for weight loss surgeries, he is the Medical Director of the Bariatric Surgery Program at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, California.
An avid fisherman, he and his wife Denise reside in the San Gabriel Valley. They have two children, both currently attending University.
Asok Doraiswamy, M.D.
Dr. Asok Doraiswamy grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin where he received his bachelors degree in biology in 1997. He attended medical school at Saint Louis University and went on to complete his general surgery training at the University of California Davis in 2006. Before joining California Bariatric and General Surgery Associates, Dr. Doraiswamy completed a year long fellowship in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. His specific areas of interest include bariatric surgery, antireflux surgery, and advanced laparoscopy . To learn more about the procedures Dr. Doraiswamy performs, please contact California Bariatric and General Surgery Associates today.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: 626-445-0600
3/24/06
DR. TROY LAMAR AND DR. BENGT PEHRSSON ARE RECOGNIZED FOR HIGH-QUALITY CARE IN BARIATRIC SURGERY
The ASBS Designates California Bariatric and General Surgery Associates, (CBGSA) and Methodist Hospital as a Center of Excellence
Los Angeles, CA – CBGSA and Methodist Hospital announced today that it has been named an American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The ASBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.
According to a study released in July 2005 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of U.S. bariatric surgeries more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002 – from 13,386 to 71,733. Faced with clinical evidence that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications, the ASBS Centers of Excellence program was created to recognize bariatric surgery centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals continue to improve the quality and safety of care provided.
To earn a Center of Excellence designation, CBGSA and Methodist Hospital underwent a series of site inspections during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected. CBGSA and Methodist Hospital and other centers receiving the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation agree to continue to share information on clinical pathways, protocols and outcomes data.
“Due to the increasing prevalence of morbid obesity and the inherent risks and the opportunities available greatly improve the health of this patient population, we recognize the need to implement a systematic approach to improving quality,” said Dr. Bengt Pehrsson, Bariatric Medical Director “At Methodist Hospital we believe that the ASBS Centers of Excellence program will serve as a catalyst, driving strong programs to get even better. We have done our part, and we urge our peers to join the effort.”
Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence, formulates and establishes the rigorous standards with which CBGSA and Methodist Hospital and other Centers of Excellence must comply, thoroughly inspects and evaluates each candidate for designation, and upon review recommends approval of designation for those physicians and facilities whose practices and outcomes meet the stringent demands set forth by SRC for ASBS.
Obesity has become a significant national health issue, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that 64 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity is closely correlated with a number of serious conditions that severely undermine the health of overweight patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients manage these conditions. By definition, surgeons with ASBS Center of Excellence designations practice only top-quality care, ensuring efficacy of the procedure with each patient to the best of their abilities. At CBGSA and Methodist Hospital, bariatric surgeons demonstrate this willingness to take the extra step by
- Providing educational symposiums, monthly
- Support Groups each week
- Continuing education for hospital staff
CBGSA and Methodist Hospital, Center of Excellence
As a pioneering organization, designating Centers of Excellence based on top quality care and efficacious outcomes, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, with the help of SRC, is working to align the common interests of patients, surgeons, hospitals and insurers, all of whom suffer when complications develop after surgical care.
About American Society for Bariatric Surgery
The American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) is the largest society for this specialty in the world. Founded in 1983, foremost American surgeons have formed the society’s leadership and have established an excellent organization with educational and support programs for surgeons and allied health professionals. The purpose of the society is to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery by continued encouragement of its members to: pursue investigations in both the clinic and the laboratory; interchange ideas, information and experience pertaining to bariatric surgery; promote guidelines for ethical patient selection and care; develop educational programs for physicians, paramedical persons, and lay people; and promote outcome studies and quality assurance. For more information about ASBS, please visit www.asbs.org.
About Surgical Review Corporation
Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to surgical excellence. SRC’s mission is to promote the delivery of surgical care with the highest levels of efficacy, efficiency, and safety possible. For more information about SRC or to download a Center of Excellence application, please visit www.surgicalreview.org.
