Giselle Hamad Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Hamad is wonderful....even though she was running late with appointments, she did not rush me, answered all my questions, and was so knowledgeable and understanding. I truly feel that I am in good hands with her. She is quite thorough, and a stickler with certain medical issues that are important in keeping you as healthy as possible for the surgery and post operatively. I even had to take a test, and got 100% on it!!

When I first met Dr. Hamad, she seemed a little intimidating. I found out that she is that way because she wants you to understand the severity of this procedure. I have come to learn that she is very understanding and thinks of us all as "her kids". She looks out for us and is concerned primarily with our safety. Everyone at her office is so friendly and helpful. They always helped me with any questions or concerns that I had. I would honestly tell anyone considering this surgery to go see Dr. Hamad. I don't know that I would be able to trust anyone else to do such a massive surgery. I can't say enough about her. I had my surgery on Dec. 29, 2005 and I felt great ever since I woke up. She and her hospital staff made me feel important and comfortable. When I told Dr. Hamad that she came highly recommended, she simply told me that all she does is the operation. The rest of her "team" does all the hard work. Can you imagine a surgeon saying that??!!! She is so down to earth and really truly cares about her patients. Her office addressed all of my aftercare concerns and I can't think of anyone I would rather deal with.
This is just my opinion, always do your research before deciding which surgeon or hospital to go to. I researched it for a year before I decided to do it!

RNY December 12, 2005

Where do I begin about Dr. Hamad or as I call her "My Gentle Giant" for the petite woman that she is. Dr. Hamad made it very comfortable for me to be around her. She was friendly but very business at hand. She wanted to do her best for me but expected me to do my part and do it well. She is very upfront and forward and to the point. But that is what I needed in a professional, someone that tells it all and leaves no stone unturned. It was not always easy to swallow, this is a hard decision to make and if you can get through the frankness and it still feels right then you know you are ready to make a decison. There are numberous testing to accomplish before surgery. I find this to be a benefit also. I wanted to know as much as possible about my body and health for Dr. Hamad before surgery. Her staff is very professional and friendly and eager to help you in any way. Just ask. The monthly support group they offer are very helpful also. The risk of surgery is explained to you in both a video and in person. There are always papers (before and after surgery) that go home with you that reinforce what was discussed with you at your visits. I find it to be a very organized caring system. I was totally ready for surgery before hand. My care at McGee's Woman Hospital was outstanding. The nursing staff is very caring and well educated about Gastric Bypass Surgery and took very good care of my needs. My health and safety were always thought of first. My aftercare program is very important to Dr. Hamad. It is all in writing what I needed to do and to keep my scheduled appointments. Between appointments I am only a phone call away from anything I need to know. The surgeon and her staff are very competent and the bedside manner is wonderful (but so was mine :-) ). I only get what I put into it and I kept an open mind as to what I wanted to acomplished for my health and my future. As of today, January 8th, 2006 I am doing great ! ! ! I will do what is necessary to continue on this path. I owe that to Dr. Hamad. She has treated me well and really cares about my outcome and so do I.
She did her part, now it is time for me to do my part and to do it well. Thank you Dr. Hamad and staff.

Dr. Hamad and her entire staff are top notch, by far the best I have ever encountered for any medical help. I would reccomend her to any anyone considering RNY surgery. Her great bedside manner matches her surgical competance. Her background and education are outstanding and her laproscopic skills are highly regarded. The pre-op testing and prep are extremely thorough, as is the aftercare. All of the risks are addressed. I would rate Dr. Hamad and her staff at the highest possible level. The care after surgery in the hospital was also very good.

Dr. Hamad surprised me with her youth. She is young and attractive. She is also very smart (I suppose that helps when one is a surgeon). I liked that Dr. Hamad "struck me" as very competent. I assume that anyone capable of doing a surgery like this would be competent. But I was especially impressed by her intelligence and honesty. She is no-nonsense: she very clearly defines what you need to do and expects you to do it. She (and her staff) encouraged me get involved in support groups, both live and on the Internet. She honestly addressed the risks of surgery. She said she's done 600+ surgeries, but (and she looked me close in the eyes and said this) "someday, I'm going to lose somebody." I appreciated her confidence and her honesty.

The office staff at Magee Women's Hospital is first class. They took care of everything for me , beginnging to end.

I think bedside manner was wonderful. In my case, my doctor(s) weren't all that warm, but the nurses and physician assistants were so supportive. Personally, as to surgeons, I'll take competence in the surgical suite over warmth in the recovery room.

In the months since my surgery, I have gotten to know Dr. Hamad and her support staff, and I've grown to appreciate them all the more. She - and they - truly care about their patients. And I am more than grateful for that, and for their excellence.

Dr. Hamad is amazing! She sees a problem and tackles it. She seems a little quiet......but extremely capable. Her office staff is very efficient.
She has a very structured aftercare program. She knows what she expects from you and she wants you to do it. I had a last minute panic attack and she came in and simply stated. "This is YOUR decision.......if youre not comfortable we can try again in a month or so". You wont get a hard-sell from Dr. Hamad.
She has done over 800 of these surgeries and never lost a patient. I asked her about blood clots and she said she has had 3 incidences of them, but all were resolved. Dr.Hamads numbers speak for themselves!

My first impression of Dr. Hamad is "warm & compassionate yet firm". The staff was great other than I didn't really like the personality of the resident that checked me & spoke to me. Dr. Hamad tells it like it is, she advises you of all the risks and benfits as well (if you do like instructed). Her last words to me as I left the office were "I look forward to working with you Deborah". That made me feel like a "real" person & I said the same back to her.

Very professional and caring
It only improved as she showed her self to be very serious and strick in her attention of her patient
The staff was extremely efficiant and very pleasent
She did not tlak to me long enough, i liked her
That even thought she is very strick, she really cares and is good with her surgery.
Her staff is at you beckon call and you have personal numbers of staff homes and cell numbers
Yes, she has a nurse at your dispossal at all timesand wants all patients to participate in her support groups .
She was very specific about the risks of surgery almost too truthful and scared me but showed her self to want anyone to knoww just waht they are doing .
Excellent,in her bed side manner,and in her overall care iof me as a patient.
Both are important but of course surgical competence is best.

The first impression I had of Dr. Hamad was a very good one. She was honest and up front about all aspects of the surgery. She made sure I knew all the risks involved. She was also very friendly to me. After attending a support group, my impression only got better. She is really down to earth, but professional at the same time. I have total confidence that I have a very knowledgable surgeon. I feel my life will be in good hands. I absolutely love everyone on her staff. They have always been there for me to answer any questions that I have had whether it be by phone or by e-mail. They kept in contact with me for all needed paperwork and made sure they had everything they needed for insurance approval. Dr. Hamad emphasizes quite a lot on aftercare. Overall, at this point in time, she would get an 11 on a scale of 1-10. I don't know about her bedside manner yet, but will update that once my surgery is finished. I feel that anyone that is interested in this surgery would be in excellent hands with Dr. Hamad and her staff.

Had my 1st consultation with Dr Hamad and her staff in October. She seemed cool and professional and was very upfront about the risks and realities of surgery. Behind her cool exterior is a person of warmth and caring. I understand shes very concerned about all of her patients.
When I went to a support group meeting recently, I was hoping to get a little more insight about her, as I understand she attends the meetings, but unfortunately she was out of town at the time. Those in attendance who were post-op had nothing but good things to say about her...stating that they couldnt have chosen a better surgeon. From what I understand, she does her job well, and the rest will lie within me to make this work.
Her staff is nothing but professional and efficient. Anytime I have had to call with questions about testing, insurance coverage etc..they were very knowledgable and helpful. In fact, I hit a few snags along the way..such as getting denied by my secondary insurance, and before I even got the letter in the mail, they had already started working on the problem. They are definately on the ball, and I cant thank them enough for making the "red tape" so much easier to handle.
In fact, it was only a few days later that they called back with the news that my surgery had been approved by the insurance company, and I was given a date...May 5th..WooHoo...I'm both excited and scared...luckily its only a few weeks away and I wont have to dwell on it for long :)
I was set up for an appt for the pre-op testing and 2nd consultation with Dr Hamad before the surgery. So, will keep you informed on how that goes. My overall impression so far..I feel that I am in good hands with the reputation of Magee Hospital and Dr Hamad...know this is not going to be easy, but I trust them with my life. Cant thank the office staff enough for all they have done..they are an awesome group of people working there :)