John L. Coon Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

Dr. John L Coon, MD is fully certified by the American Board of Surgery and recognized as a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He graduated from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago and completed an Internship at the Saginaw Affiliated Hospitals. He then served two years as a physician in the U.S. Army before completing a surgery residency at the University of New Mexico Medical Center Hospitals in Albuquerque. Following residency, Dr Coon completed a fellowship in Burn and Trauma at the University of Southern California and then took a position as Assistant Director of the University of Southern California Burn Unit at Los Angeles County Hospital for one year. Dr. Coon then entered private practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of New Mexico. In 1994, he and his wife Mary moved to Lake County, Montana to practice surgery and to open programs in laparoscopic surgery and gastrointestinal endoscopy. Dr. Coon became very interested in obesity surgery in 2000, and took numerous courses on bariatric surgery. In 2002, after substantial effort, training and preceptorships with recognized bariatric surgeons, he began offering bariatric surgery to his patients in Montana. After performing a few cases, Dr. Coon realized that he needed a larger medical center. He also came to believe that anyone performing weight loss surgery should do so full time and not as part of a general surgery practice. As such, Dr. Coon began looking for a new place to practice where he could perform bariatric surgery exclusively. After looking at several opportunities, he chose his current practice in Riverside, California. Dr. Coon began practicing in Riverside in 2003 and treated his first year like a fellowship. He accompanied his colleague on daily rounds, assisted him with bariatric operations, and saw almost all of his patients. During this year of practice, Dr. Coon gained considerable experience in performing obesity surgery. This fellowship, coupled with his substantial background in general surgery and advanced laparoscopic surgery, afforded him the extra experience necessary to practice laparoscopic, open, and revisional bariatric surgery.

• Michael Russo — Fountain Valley, CA