Christopher Kowalski Bariatric Surgeon Surgeon

My fiancé accompanied me to my appointment to see Dr. Kowalski and we were very delighted by his demeanor. He was very polite but all about business. He was straightforward and addressed all of my questions and concerns. I met with Dr. Kowalski first on 10/14/08 and the second time was the morning of surgery 12/15/08. He made me very at ease and he checked on me while in the hospital. His staff is outstanding and are ALWAYS available to answer my questions. I have nothing negative to say about Dr. Kowalski, his staff, or the hospital. It was a very pleasant experience.

He is very professional and you don't feel like you are being judged. He is also very thorough. He is not selling a product. He is giving it to you straight. My respect for him grows each time I see him. His office staff is amazing. There are so many things that must be done before surgery can be scheduled and they are on top of it all. I liked everything about him. Future patients should know that he is very dedicated to his patients and their well being. He is serious about what surgery entails and what you as the patient need to understand. This can be taken as his being \"Cold or very serious\" but he isn't. He is a dedicated professional. He discussed every thing in depth. His surgical competance is great, and he has a professional bedside manner.rnGo see him. He is wonderful.rn

I would STRONGLY recommend Dr. Kowalski, to anyone considering WLS. rnHe is professional, yet down to earth and reality based.rnHis courteous staff make you feel like your part of a family when you visit his office. In the past I know everyone has dealt with a Doc that they love only to cringe every time they have to deal with his or her staff.rnThis is so far from the case with Dr. Kowalski sometimes I almost think it is too good to be true. I am amazed at the way my pre-op preperation is just smoothly going by.rnDr Kowalski's personal assistant is worth her weight in gold!!!rnThe staff,nutritionist, psychologist and surgeon have been extremely thorough with me, leaving absolutely no stone unturned. I have noticed the first thing people ask me when I mention my WLS is \"have you researched how involved that is\". My response is always the same. I have researched lapband surgery inside out upside down and around the block, and any possible thing that I might need an answer to after that the Doctor and his staff have already covered.rnI have no worries at all and I am confident that my satisfaction thru surgery and aftercare will be nothing short of superb.rnI give them a 10++++

I guess that I didn't have much of a first impression with my decision to have my weight loss surgery because I had known Dr. Kowalski from my husbands surgery that he had performed. When I decided to go the full route with my surgery he was very willing to help me take the steps needed. Dr. Kowalski has also performed surgeries with other people that my husband and I know, which was the main decider for us to visit him and put our trust into him. The truth is he's great. He cares about his patients and is always available if needed. His team is also wonderful. You can page his nurse practitioner at any time of the day and she responds immediately and is willing to help you through your problems that you have, and trust me for my husband who had the full bypass, we called her quite a few times. I had my lap band surgery on 7/12/07. Other doctors were not an option for me. I only went the route I did because I knew that my life was going to be in Dr. Kowalski's hands and I trust him.

I was very nervous going to my first appointment but Dr K. made me feel very at ease. My parents were very negative about the surgery until they talked to Dr K and he explained the whole process and outcomes of it. I absolutely love him!!! I have never really seen a Dr care for their patients like he did. I must have seen him 3 times a day when I was in the hospital recovery and he actually personally took me down for my 2nd day post of upper GI.. Alot of surgeons, do the surgery and you barely see them after, That was definitely not the case with Dr. K.. If you are from or around the Philly area I would definitely definitely recomment Dr K.. He actually was just made director of the surgery program at Temple!! Go Dr. K!!

Dr. Kowalski was extremely thorough, professional and caring. He is straight to the point. He emphasizes aftercare. His surgical competence is excellent. If you like someone who is straight to the point, then Dr. Kowalski is for you!

I was very impressed with the knowledge, and friendlieness of the staff. I was not made to feel "out of place". He answered all of my questions with straight to the point answers. Amanda, he office staff, has been excelent with helping my in my "thin" journey. Dr. K. blows in the room like the wind and gets right to the point. He could have been a little more chit-chatty (I was very nervous and could not think of the questions I had) He seemed to minimize the risks but he doesn't want to scare pts. off who really need it either. Which is also why it is best to do as much research ahead of time yourself. I would give him an 8 overall.

He was a great surgeon. He was very profesional and caring. I can not think of anything negative to say. He was the best!!!!

He seemed very nice, he also seemed very responsible in informing his would be patients about the procedure. He seems to generally care about his patients.

My impression of him has not changed yet.

Some of his office staff could use improvement, well actually to be fair, the hospital has a surgery department and all surguries come through there. So that staff I feel needs improvement. I feel his personal staff is ok for the most part.

I really did not get a strong sense of aftercare from him directly. I guess this is something his nurse handles.

I do not feel there is a structured aftercare program.

He is very straight forward when describing the risk invloved.

I feel both surgical compentence and bedside manner are important.

Two weeks ago I was had surgery -- Dr. Kowalski was my surgeon. My experience with him during my first session with him as well as our interactions post surgery have been extremely positive. He is extremely professional and although I wouldn't say that he is effusive, he is personable and it is obvious that he really does care about his patients. He totally gets what this surgery means to a patient, both physically and emotionally.

It was my experience that he expects that a patient fully understands what kind of surgery s/he is having and that s/he follows the diet and exercise protocol both prior and after surgery. To me, that makes this surgery and journey more of a team effort rather than something that is 'done' to me. We're in this together. He addressed all of the risks and fully explained my options. If you're looking for someone to baby you -- he's not the guy. This is serious surgery and he expects a knowledgeable and fully engaged patient -- which is something I truly appreciated.

Lastly, his staff is awesome! I emailed his dietician and left a voicemail for Dawn, the nurse-practioner and received replies in a very timely manner. Amanda, Dr. K's admin, is thoroughly competent and patient as she helps progess through the program.

Overall, I would happily recommend him to anyone who is planning surgery at Temple.