Anita Courcoulas Bariatric Surgeon M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Courcoulas was highly recommended to me by a friend who had the same surgery with her at Magee Hospital. I was impressed by her kindness and her willingness to take the time to answer any questions that I had upon my initial visit. During my pre-op phase, her office staff and assistants went above and beyond with assisting me and making sure that I met my insurance requirements. Obviously they know what they are doing, as I was approved upon my first submit! Now being a week post-op, I feel so confident that I made the right decision, not only with having this procedure, but by choosing Dr. Courcoulas! My pain is minimal and I am confident that the comprehensive services of her office will help me keep the weight off years down the road. I cannot say enough about Dr. Courcoulas and her associates...I will continue to recommend her practice highly to those who inquire about WLS! I wish I could have seen her a bit more after my surgery but I know how busy she is; I look forward to seeing her for my follow up appointments!

I met Dr. Courcoulas at a seminar and found her to be very informative on both the gastric bypass and lapband surgeries. Her staff guided me through all of the tests and doctors approval process. Dr. Courcoulas is very emphatic about following up for the rest of your life. On my second visit with her, she went into great detail about the risks of gastric bypass surgery, which is what I chose to have. I would rate Dr. Courcoulas very high in my book. Dr. Courcoulas and her associates have great bedside manners and I believe her surgical competence couldn't have been better. The only thing that I wasn't expecting was the amount of pain in the first 6 days. I had a pain pump, but at times I was in such pain that I forgot to use it. I was taken off the pump and put on pain shots every 4 hours. This seemed to work better for me. These are just my personal opinions after only 3 weeks since my surgery. So far, this has been a positive experience for me.

Excellent Dr. with an excellent staff...very friendly an informative...office was comfortable...I was disappointed that I didn't see her after surgery in the hospital, however, I do understand that she is VERY BUSY. Surgical competence I would rate at 101% Wonderful aftercare program...questions are answered in a timely manner...She was very upfront in discussing the risks of the surgery and aftercare with me. She pulls no punches..I think she really appreciates those who take the time to do their research before making such a big decision for this surgery and change of life......

I've only met with Dr. R once so far at my initial consult. He was very informative and really took his time explaining the procedure. He didn't talk much about life post-op. The staff is very nice, but the nurse I spoke to initially left the practice. they are difficult to get on the phone (the machine usually gets it) and slow to return calls.rn**************UPDATE******rnDr. R has left the practice so I've been assigned Dr. Courcoulas. Very happy news. Even better, I just learned I've been approved!

Dr. Dourcoulas is an excellent doctor who keeps you informed of all aspects of WLS. I would recommend her to anyone. Also, her staff is great.

My 1st impression of my surgeon was that i wondered how she could be so young looking and also be the Director of bariatrics surgery for UPMC. The staff was great, They were friendly and they answered all of my questions including the ones I didnt want to ask like their mortality rate and leakage rate with the patients that they have had. I was pleased with the less than 1% results hoping, that they were true in the back of my head.I'll let you know how I rate my surgeon after my surgery as long as I am still here. I didn't have my surgery yet but I am told after my insurance recieves my weight management info and my pre op testing results they will notify my surgeon and then I will be notified. but my last weight management class isnt until june 1st so I'm looking at the least 4 more months.rn Surgery was approved on June 8th 2007 .....rnrnUpdate June 28,2007 Dr.C met me just before my surgery. It was brief. She asked me if I had any ? and I really didn't So I said no. I told her I had 5 kids and I needed to make it through. She told me that she understood and that she had a child as well. I didn't see her again. Not after surgery and not when I was released. I saw Mcloskey at discharge and that is going to be My moms surgeon.

I met Dr. Courcoulas in 3/04 for my first visit to her office. I was struck dumb when I met her-all I can say is gorgeous, she was petite,slim and gorgeous. Needless to say I was a little intimidated. She was compassionate! She made me feel like there was light at the end of the tunnel. She came highly recommended from a friend who had lost 253 lbs. Dr. Coucoulas made me feel very comfortable with all the information reguarding the surgery the side effects and the potential complications. I was given a list of other professionals I needed to see and tests that needed done before the surgery could be done. Six monthes after my initial meeting with Dr. Coucoulas my surgery was scheduled for 9/22.I was admitted to UPMC Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh. Dr. Courcoulas was waiting in the surgical suite, she came over to me, brushed back my long hair and said \"I'm going to take very good care of you\". I knew I was going to be in good hands. I stayed 3 days and managed to have the procedure laparoscopically. I was in no pain, was able to start taking small amts. of fluids while still in the hospital. Dr. Courcoulas changed my life. She gave me a chance to become the real me, and be around for my children and grandchild. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to restart my life, and to Dr. Courcoulas.

I had a very good impression of my surgeon and would recommend her to anyone traveling to Pittsburgh for WLS. The staff is great and kept me up to date on what pre-op tests I needed, what my insurance status was, even when my surgery date was changed.rnrnI learned a lot about RNY and LAP BAND surgeries during my office visits and all my questions were answered efficiently. If I had to do my lap band again, it would be through Dr. Courcoulas.

She is the Best! She is so thorough, cautious, kind, compassionate, makes sure that you understand everything and so intelligent. She is very confident and strict on following her guidelines because she wants you to have the safest surgery possible. Her staff follows her example and they speak so highly of her too. Another great thing about her which I think is unusual she takes the time with your family to answer all their questions and make sure they understand everything. The only negative thing I can say is, if you do not have any complications after the surgery there really isn't what I would call an aftercare program. They really don't push anything other than a multi-vitamin and an occassional B12 shot. Their belief is if you're not having any problems it's a waste of time and money. Luckily I had found a local group that has done extensive research on vitamins and other supplements that we need and I involved my PCP with this so she is the main one watching over me. But even with the lack of aftercare I still would not have had anyone else do my surgery and prepare me for it! And if down the road I would have any complications or gall bladder problems I will definitely go back to Dr. Courcoulas!

She was younger than I expected her to be! She was wonderful and answered every question that my husband and I had. Her office staff is wonderful! There wasn't anything that I didn't like about Dr. Courcoulas. She is friendly, caring and takes the time she feels you need her to spend with you. I didn't see Dr. Courcoulas after my surgery and I was alittle disappointed. I also have not seen her at her office since my surgery, but I love her staff. She emphasizes aftercare and she definitely has a structured program, but most of the time you see one of her associates. I would rate her on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being low and 10 being high) as a 9. Both surgrical competence and bedside manner are great.