NYU Langone Weight Management Program Bariatric Center

I have chosen to go with Dr. Christine J Ren because she takes my insurance and I have found her work to be excellent from her former patients.

I had a consult with Christine Ren, of NYU.

Dr. Ren is very nice - she explains things very clearly and is patient in answering all of my questions.

Her staff is also very nice. Gio, her nurse practitioner, is funny and also patient about answering questions. Barrie Wolfe, her nutritionist walked me step by step through my new plan for eating. I was very comfortable with all of them.

Post - op: I felt very safe with Dr. Ren. The morning of the surgery she met w/my husband & I and explained everything again. The surgery went well and very quickly. She went out and spoke to my family to let them know everything was over and went well.

I had a minor complication in Recovery which she diagnosed and arranged to have a Gastrologist treat me for it right away. She was reassuring to me and to my family. She took time the next day to call my family at home & again reassure them and let them know that I was doing well.

Aftercare has been great - her staff is so helpful - Gio has had a lot of patience w/my questions & Barrie has given me a lot of helpful tips.

I would highly recommend Dr. Ren!

Dr Ren seemed alittle flipant in her responses during consult but I felt confident in her skills. She explained each surgery in detail and spent well over an hour with me.

Post op she was in to see me everyday (even Sunday) and I felt her compassion in addition to her skill. She kept me an extra day to be cautious.

I was not thrilled with the receptionist originally, but I get much better response using email.
Gio the NP is absolutely incredible -- he goes above and beyond the call of duty !
Barrie the nutritionist is exellent as well.

The fact that Dr Ren is young made me nervous at first but I had belonged to her on-line support group for a few months and felt comfortable from what I read.

My only advise to future patients is to question whether she still performs the DS which was my surgery of choice.

She strongly emphasizes aftercare and urges 3 week then 3+6+9+12 month postop visits and bloodwork. She wants to closely follow her patients.


She was Very open about risks. Had I not attended a support group meeting within 2 days of the consult, I may have not gone forward with WLS.


I rate Dr Ren and her staff as exellent in both her surgical competence and bedside manner. I also had a very positive experience with the hospital staff ay NYU.

Dr. Ren is very no nonsense, and takes obesity seriously. She is clear and concise when discussing pros and cons, side effects, types of surgeries, and committment level needed for success.Not only does she deliver factual information in a knowledgeable manner, .. she has compassion without dis-empowering you. Never once did she look upon any obese person with disdain, or allow them to feel as if the obesity is caused by "weakness" or "lack of willpower"She has a way of motivating a person to want to suceed. When i went in for my 3 week follow up, Dr Ren was almost more excited than me by my 31lb weight loss. She is so straightforward, and does not sugar-coat anything.. and if a person can not handle reality, then they may wish to re-think this surgery.
Pre-op.. for me, it seemed that Murphy's Law was in effect.. EVERYTHING went wrong, and the office staff.. Lisa, Tracy, Veronica... were extremely supportive, and would not allow me to give up.Gio is... well.. what can i say?..He is warm, empathetic, gentle, knowledgeable, supportive. I was a high risk patient due to severe sleep apnea, and respiratory problems, which have since dissipated due to initial weight loss... and both Dr Ren and Gio did everything to insure my safety and well being.
To the woman "Deb" who so readily accuses Dr Ren of "botching" her surgery... well.. Deb.. it seems that your problems and issues far exceed the bounds of obesity.. perhaps an exploration into the realm of Mental Health Services may better address your needs.. Dr. Ren strongly emphasizes follow-up and aftercare.. and if you choose to deviate.. well then... that is on YOU.. NOT the surgeon...
Thank You, Dr Ren, Gio, and ALL my peers in the support group for allowing me to get my life back !!
~Donna~

I watched Dr. Ren perform the surgery on a gentleman from Long Island on NBC. I knew immediately that she was the one for me. I researched other surgeons and even the St. Johns Weight Loss Institute in Michigan. They perform the micro pouch procedure but I decided to go with Dr. Ren. I met her and I love her. She is so beautiful, intelligent and real. She is a gem. Very personable and professional with a real human side and that goes for her staff Lisa and Gio also. Dr. Ren explained everything with detail and in a manner easy to understand. She made clear the risks and what I would have to do to be successful. She emphasized that the surgery is major surgery and not something to be taken lightly. It will require alot of changes on my part and I am aware of it. She is grand! At this early point - I have nothing negative to say.

Both the doctor and her staff were very pleasant. I only met with them once, but have had several telephone conversations during the visits to the other doctors I have had to see. A family friend who is also a doctor knows her and spoke very highly about her, so I felt comfortable using her without shopping around. I have been anemic for some time now due to some other medical problems and although my surgery is scheduled for 11/30/01, it may have to be postponed if this can't be controlled. She is concerned about doing the surgery, since there is always the chance of having to do an open procedure. So I have my fingers crossed.

my first impression of Dr. Ren was here is a doctor who cares about her patients and their well being. She is knowlegdable about the surgery she preforms and lets the patient know that they are important. In todays world it is hard to find a doctor who doesn't treat you like a number or just another fat person. Dr. Ren lets you know she cares about YOU. I was a bit confused when I went for my appointment since there wasn't a receptionist, just a phone and phone numbers. I sat there for quit awhile before someone noticed I was there. I didn't know how to let them know I was there. The staff was kind and professsional and Dr. Rens nurse GIO is great. He makes you feel comfortable immediately. Post op Gio came to the hospital to remove the drains and asked if I had any questions before I left the hospital. I also found this to be nice since he works directly with Dr. Ren and follows through with the patient. Dr. Ren has surgical competence anda great bedside manner. I had some post-op complications and since I came from out of state my husband was alone, Dr. Ren did whatever she could to make him more comfortable including giving him her pager number so he could get in touch with her at anytime. She was much more helpful then the hosptial staff.

While she was late for my first appointment do to a surgical emergency, when she finally did arrive she was very nice and very informative. Until she arrived, her staff made me feel very comfortable and they were very sympothetic to my situation. Her medical aid also told me that the insurance I currently had didn't cover the surgery I wanted which enabled me to change it for next year so I would be covered. When Dr. Ren sat down with me, she put things out on the table...that this is not a carefree surgery...that there are plenty of things that can go wrong, but the chances of things going wrong was slim and the benefits of the surgery were great. She told me I was a very good candidate for this surgery and that a women my age shouldn't have all of the medical problems I have. I felt very comfortable with her and am confident in her abilities. I will be going back to her on December 17th to tell her that I want to go ahead with the surgery and to start the ball rolling. I am very excited and can't wait to have the surgery and to begin my life...again...

My impression of Dr Ren, I knew she was the one to perform my surgery. I was so comfortable when i met her and her nurse practioner Geo. I have the upmost respect for her , her work and her research and schooling. The staff was great they alwys answered my questions asap. Patients will feel like they could trust her and know that they are in good hands. Dr Ren does emphasize aftercare with a 3 week visit and every 3 months and then yearly. Plus I can call her office anytime. She addressed all of the risks and benefits clearly to me. My personal rating of Dr Ren on a scale of 1 to 10 is a 10. Dr Ren's surgical competence and bedside manner were present at all times

She made me believe, she was really concerned. And she is ! The entire office goes over every detail. No stone is left unturned. From the endoscopy to the psy evaluation. The nutrisionist gave me so much info. My house is ready for my homecoming. I do not want to worry about vitamins and foods. My date is scheduled for 11/27/01, i will update later.