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

I just had my first appointment with my surgeon, Dr. Giselle Hamad. What an asset to her profession. My first impression of Dr. Hamad was that of dedication, education and compassion. She'd been feeling ill and instead of going home she came in and welcomes both my husband and myself to her office and program. She apologized for being ill and still let me ask every question I had. She is soft spoken and very, very nice. She makes you feel at home. Not only can I say this about her but also her entire staff. Debbie, Katie and Gina are all so supportive. My appointment was scheduled from 3-5 p.m. but I was there until after 6:30 p.m. Each one Dr. Hamad, Katie (nutritionist) and Gina (PA) took atleat 1/2 hour to 1 hour with me on an indivisable basis. I've truly never experienced anything like it. So as first impressions go....This office is wear you want to be!

10/31/01 office called and my consult is 11/28. Dr. Hamad has been doing bariatric surgeries for 8 years according to the woman I spoke with. That is comforting because I thought she was the "new" one.

2/2/02- I met Dr Hamad at my consult in November. She was very kind and I liked her instantly.

3/13/02- Thought I'd mention that Dr. Hamad has the most AWESOME staff. Gina and Debbie are both kind and courteous. If I have a question I call Gina and she answers it immediately. I have heard horror stories of other doctor's staff and I feel very fortunate to be working with this office! Gina and Debbie even came to the hospital room to see me when I was in!

3/25/02- I just want everyone to know about Gina Kozak. She is so wonderful! I called her last Thursday after I had passed out and left a message on Gina's voicemail. She called back early the next day (Friday) and told me I should have paged her. She was already gone for the day when I left the message. We talked for a while and she decided that I was not getting enough calories in. I was to attempt to eat/drink more and get my calorie count up.

Over the weekend she was worried enough about me that she looked up this profile to find my email address (this was her weekend, she did not have to do this!!). She emailed me her home phone number so I could contact her if I continued to have problems. She called early this morning (Monday) to confirm I was feeling better. I cannot stress enough how wonderful this office is. Anyone out there who is looking ibto the surgery - do yourself a favor and meet with Dr. Hamad, Gina, and Debbie. I am sure you will be glad you did.

Dr. Hamad and her office staff are GREAT! What a breath of fresh air after dealing with Dr. Schauer's office staff! My experiences with Dr. Hamad's staff to date has been professionally and expeditiosly handled. They are polite, friendly, and compassionate.

Dr. Hamad herself is warm and friendly and I really had the feeling she cares about ME and remembers me from meeting to meeting. Never had the impression that I was just a number or a $ sign to her. I feel like if I need to contact her for any reason I can expect to get an immediate response. Very happy that it worked out that she actually did my surgery.

1st Meeting: As soon as Dr. Hamad came into the room to meet me, I felt completely at ease. Talking to her was like talking to a friend. She mentioned several times that our dealings together would be a partnership and seemed ready to back this statement up with actions. I am looking forward to working with her.

March 8, 2002: I got the call yesterday that I am approved. I have to thank the ladies at my surgeon's office. They were so patient when I called every other day for something or other. They also led me in the right direction and told me everything I needed every step of the way. I highly recommend Dr. Hamad's practice for this surgery.

I met with Dr. Hamad and her staff on Valentines Day for my initial appt. They are an exceptional group of people! Very compassionate, understanding and made me feel like I was their only patient that day and that they had all the time in the world to spend just with me. Debbie, Gina and Katie were all wonderful, supportive and answered all my "stupid" questions. Dr. Hamad was also wonderful and put me instantly at ease. I am very confident that I have selected the very best surgeon for me. I would recommend Dr. Hamad to anyone looking into this surgery.

I had my first appt. with Dr. Hamad. I liked her from the minute I met her. The whole office staff was great. They made you feel very comfortable and were very happy to answer questions. Dr. Hamad assured me that she would not leave the operating room until she was sure everything was the way she wanted it. She discussed her support group and how nice it was to get to talk with other patients. The aftercare program was thoroughly explained, including the diet by the nutritionist. The risks of surgery were discussed and also talked about in the video that they had us watch. It was a great appt. It made me feel that she, her staff and Magee Hospital are the one for me!

I have waited almost two months to describe Dr. Hamad and her office staff because they are almost too good to be true. I was accompanied for my consultation appointment by a family member (my wonderful mother) and both of us immediately felt that we had found the right people to provide for my care. Dr. Hamad and her office staff represented the complete professional package. Debbie (nurse's assistant and receptionist), Gina (Doctor's assistant)and Dr. Hamad all made us feel as if we were in this together. They cradled me in respect. Each of them gave me as much time as was needed to answer a multitude of questions. They explained all of the pre-operative screenings / risks of surgery and allowed us to leave this appointment with utter elation. Something that we found comforting was that we were told that ALL employees at Magee-Women's Hospital, upon being hired, have to take part in sensitivity training in order to take care of the diverse needs of their patients. This empathy is quite evident in Dr. Hamad's office, although I believe that empathy to be there long before they participated in the training. They were very sincere. Any follow-up questions that I had were promptly addressed. My phone calls were always returned promptly with the necessary answers. They do have an aftercare program and support group that I am looking forward to. The care they provide is so very comprehensive. For future patients, I would simply say not to be nervous because they have a genuine understanding and compassion for the disease of obesity. In addition, because of the way in which they handled my paperwork, I was given insurance approval with no problems. I give the entire office an A+ and consider myself honored to be their patient.

I had a wonderful first impression of Dr. Hamad. She was very professional and very knowledgeable. She made me totally feel at ease. She sat and looked me in the eye when she talked with me and didnt rush out of the room. Her office staff is wonderful also, so far I have had a great experience. I really dont have anything negative to say about my experience so far.

After meeting initially with Dr. Philip Schauer, I was told that they had added Dr. Giselle Hamad (operating out of Magee Women's Hospital) to their office staff. I was also told that my surgery would happen sooner if I would consider having Dr. Hamad as my surgeon. I figured if she was good enough for them to hire, she was good enough for me. What an understatement! She was absolutely wonderful. She is a very kind and patient person. She answered all my questions without once making me feel rushed or anything. She has a very calming personality. My surgery was delayed slightly because she was delivering a speech to medical students. When she arrived, she came to see me first thing. She hadn't even taken off her coat, dropped her briefcase or anything. She apologized for being late, asked if I was ready and if I had any other questions. When I didn't, she assured me that everything would be great, and that she would see me after I woke up. And she did. I was only back in my room for a short time when she came to see how I was doing. She stopped again before she left that day, and I saw her everyday that I was in the hospital. I would recommend her to anyone. She's great!

After initial shock of finding out my surgeon was changed at the last second, I have come to believe that Dr. Hamad is a fine doctor. I have had 0 complications. I also have heard that her office staff (never spoken with them) are very efficient and friendly. Although for my 2 and 6 week checkup I saw Dr. Schauer, I believe I should be seeing Dr. Hamad as she was actually the surgeon. I am going to ask for her for my next appt. which I need to set up in a month or so. I will also say that she came to see me daily during my 3 day stay in the hospital and displayed a very warm and pleasant personality.