Shawn Garber Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

My first impression of Dr. Garber was he was a professional. His office staff is caring and efficient. Whenever I had a question and called the office they helped me out. And if they didnt know right away they would get back to me. My aftercare is good so far. I would rate Dr. Garber very high. And even though he did not visit me in the hospital his partner Dr. Holover came to see me. And after the hospital stay I had some concerns. Dr. Holover got back to me within minutes of my call. I really liked the quick response from the Doctor. I like knowing that I'm not alone through this journey.

My first impression of Dr. Garber was that he was very professional and caring. He took to the time to go over both types of surgery (gastric bypass and the lap band) and to answer any questions that I had.

Over the course of the approval process my impression of Dr. Garber did not change.

Dr. Garber's staff is very pleasant and helpful.

Dr. Garber really emphasizes aftercare with a visit a month for the first year as well as blood work.

He went over all of the possible risks of the surgery during my first appointment.

Dr. Garber is an excellent surgeon with a great bedside manner.

Dr. Garber is great! He is very personable and easy to talk to. He is extremely knowledgable about the surgery and the law! He actually helped my husband and I tremendously in dealing with our insurance company. I was torn between the lap band and RNY gastric bypass, and Dr. Garber was very understanding and assisted me in making the right choice for me! I would highly recommend him to anyone investigating this surgery!

This is my personal opinion and in no way reflects anyone else's opinion. It it based solely on my many emails and two consultations with Dr. Garber. He was very professional, informative, personable, and understanding on my initial visit. My impression only got better. He answered all of my silly emails with my many questions. He fully explained any issues or problems. The staff are very nice and professional. They explain as much as they can when they can. Future patients should now that there are many hours of consultations, evaluations and tests that must be completed. It is your responsibility to make sure that the reports are sent to Dr. Garber's office before you see him for a 2nd consult. You will have to call, cry, and visit in person to either get the reports faxed. Aftercare is emphasized with the doctor, lab work, nutritionist and psychologist. All part of a professional surgical followup protocol. As with any surgery the risks were explained fully and any questions were answered. Surgical competence is definitely more important than bedside manner, however, in Dr. Garber's case he appears have a good "bedside" manner as well. My only negative comment but one that has been addressed with him directly is that every test that is a presurgical requirement has to be put in writing on the information sheet for patients to be fully aware of what they need to have done. In my case, I also needed a specialized test due to a problem with my stress test. This only took me 5 days to complete but could take others longer.

My first impression of Dr.Garber was that he seems to be very concerned about his patients and is willing to take the time to make sure you understand the decision that you are making. I must also note that he had a very warm smile, which made me feel very comfortable, which is no easy task. His office staff were all nice and helpful. His PA, was very informative, explaining pros and cons and well asbeing very honest about the possible risks of surgery and the efforts that their team makes at trying to the patients as comfortable as possible.
When I met with the nutrionist, I thought she was just the best. She is very easy to speak with, again very informative and very honest about what to expect after surgery. All of them stressed that this decision would forever affect my life and that I progres will be monitored closely, which I do appreciate. Thus far I am feeling very good about my decision to have the surgery and to have with Dr.Garber. It has been over a year since meeting Dr.Garber and his staff and I must say that they have maintained there level of professionalism throughtout my journey. I definitely appreciate the close follow-up care that he and his office provide for the 1st year of being post-op, I believe that this has made a difference in the success of my journey, and it has helped me remain heathy. And contrary to the opinions of a few Dr.Garber, Dr.Holover and Donna care very much about their patients and I will continue to recommend Dr.Garber to anyone interested in WLS.

The first impression I had of Dr Garber that he was really busy and had a lot of patients. Would I get the attention that I needed and deserved? As I began all the consultations and exams with other doctors I got to know Dr Garber and his staff. They have been extremely supportive and helpful before and after surgery. Even at times when I was upset or frustrated they would call me back to try and get everything worked out.

I would say that the hardest thing about being Dr garber's patient is that he does tend to fall behind. A lot of that has to do with the him spensing the necessary time with each patient. Dr Garber has always nswered my questions and addressed my concerns. I always try to research my questions prior to visiting him so if I misunderstood anything or have additional questions on what I researched he always explains everything.

Dr Garber and his staff make sure that all his patients understand exactly what the surgery is and it entails. You wake up in the recovery room knowing what to expect.

He fully explained the risks of surgery and that the surgery is a tool. Its up to you what you do with that tool.

Would I have this surgery again? 100% yes.

Would I use Dr Garber again? 100% yes again

I would say that Dr Garber's,surgical competence and bedside manner were both great.

My first impression of Dr. Garber was a great one. He was very thorough in explaining the proceedure, recovery, prep, etc. He was up-front and honest. He was very open to questions and I did not feel rished at all. He was a personable doctor and I feel very confident with him as my surgeon of choice.

The staff was great...friendly, helpful, and worked to get me appointments as soon as they could. I can't wait to see the specialists and get back for my 2nd meeting with him!

First impression was good. Young smart doctor. Office staff could be better, not that orgainized, but friendly enough! Post-op was fine, but after final visit (to remove drains) haven't been able to get a word out of Dr. Asked for some advise, was ignored. He is probably one of the best surgeons in the field. No surprises, no problems. 100% sucess for me! Aftercare program is available, I live too far away to participate. His surgical competence is best. Bedside manner's are limited. Hi, fine, see ya!! But he does so many a day/week/month it must be hard to keep track for him. Of course his busy schedule is what makes him SO GOOD!! His hospitals are also "The Best". Overall impression is "I selected the right man for the job" and I interviewed other surgeons.....

bright, personable, confident, knowledgeable, stayed that way throughout. office staff very helpful. one negative and not really a negative is that you see a physicians asst and/or his assoc dr. i realize he needs help, and this is the trend today, but i prefer to see the main man. dr. g is always available if you do want to see him, tho the office policy is to rotate drs so that they all know you. aftercare is very impt. you need to be seen monthly, with blood work done every couple of months. there are support groups availble, tho not mandatory. all risks are discussed, including death. would rate him as excellent, superb. has done the most surgeries on long island and queens. surgical competence and bedside manner are both great.

First impressions of Dr. Garber was that he is all business--very charming, but all business. I still feel that way. Office staff is a little disorganized--losing papers and such, nice girls though. He raised the price of his aftercare, so I have to limit myself to two or three visits a year instead of monthly.

As a surgeon I would recommend him again.