Shawn Garber Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

I highly recommend this doctor. He is the best. You will have to wait for a long time in his office, but when you sit with him you will then understand why. He will answer every and all questions that you have. He is also available to his patients whenever you need him.

He emphasizes so much aftercare. He sees you once a month for the first year and you need to have blood tests. He is the most caring doctor I have ever met

My first impression of Dr. Garber was very good. He is a very nice guy. He speaks a little too fast but he is very through when he explains the surgery. My impression about him stayed the same while I was at his office. The office staff is very friendly. There was nothing that I didn't like about him. Future patients should know that he is very nice and shouldn't be worried about going to see him. He is not like some of these other kinds of Dr's who people go to and are not understanding. He will listen to any questions you have to ask and answer them truthfully. When he told me about the aftercare he was very very serious. He told me that I would have to be monitored for the rest of my life and he was very very serious about that. He addressed the risks of the surgery very upfront and told me all the risks and what can and cannot happen. I think he is a very good Dr. I only met him once, but I will see him again soon. I will write more then.

My first impression of Dr.Garber was wondrful. he was such a nice man and he answered all of my questions even the silly ones. The only thing i disliked was the office wait.. omg i was there for 3 hours before i got to see him. but once i met him it was well worth the wait.

First impression of Dr. Shawn Garber was a good one, listened and made eye contact, which is always a plus! lol, very busy practice, but this does not take away from the time he spends with each patient.. I have gone to his monthly support groups, and he is always there, either running the group or having a guest speaker. Dr. Garber requires his patients to see 8 specialists before he will discuss a definite surgery date, which I feel is SO SO important, this is our life, so why not get every thing, big or little checked out before such a major surgery? We have every right to receive the best care possible, before, during and after, and this must begin with the proper surgeon. The office staff were accomadating, warm and just plain cool. I met with Dr. Garber again 7 weeks after the first meeting, when I finished all of the required visits to doctors, including a thaluim stress test at the cardiologist, endocronolgist, tons of blood work, endoscopy with follow up, gallbladder sono, nutritionist, 2 psych appts, and gastrologist, and pulmonary specialist. Maybe left something out~!! Learned I am basically a healthy person, quite muscular, with 2 major back surgeries, still causing great pain, most likely due to weight issue. I think Dr. Garber is warm, and will update you on his bedside manner after surgery! Thats a funny term, bedside manner!! Think you are letting someone know something totally unrelated to having surgery! lol....gotta bring some humor into this thing somewhere! Update again soon..

My fist impression of Dr. Garber was "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS MAN HAS MADE ME WAIT OVER 2 HOURS!" - I was pissed.
My impression did not change until I did additional research on Dr. Garber. Also when I came to the mental understanding that the rush is what got me in this condition in the first place.
His office staff is serious, but informative. . way to busy!
What did you like least about him?-
In all honesty I have not found anything to dislike. I cannot be upset because he is busy. BUSY EQUAL GOOD IN MY BOOK!
His team had a list of Docters to choose from when it came to the seven steps and they work well togethor.
What should future patients know about him?
Be prepared to wait!!!!! :(
How much does he/she emphasize aftercare?
He stresses the importance of the aftercare commitments with visit, support groups & vitamins.
He reviewed the risk of surgery.

I will opt to save the rateing until after my surgery date!

He seemed nice, competent, and very sure of himself.


I felt at ease when I left his office.

I really didn't have much to do with his office staff. I was fully prepared, all pretesting done, since I came from another surgeon.


We didn't dscuss aftercare.

I believe he has a very strict aftercare program.
He was aware that I already knew the risks.

I liked him a lot. He seemed very confident to me, which made me feel a little more comfortable.
I believe both are important. You want your surgeon to be competent, that is very important, but you also want to know that he will treat you like a person, not just an operating tool. I personally like a little niceties involved.

I found Dr. Garber to be very professional when I met him at my first appointment. He explained everything to me, and answered all of questions. Also, he discussed all of the risks. He gives you a list of the other types of doctors you need to see, to make sure your health is in check.
At the second visit, he gives you a quiz, to make sure you understand,and goes over your answers with you. He has a wonderful bedside manor. Jennifer, his office manager is wonderful. Jennifer and Lisa are always polite and "obese-freindly" to clients, in person and on the phone.
Dr. Garber makes sure his patients understand that they will have to have life-long medical management.
I found him to be very confident. Myself and my husband felt very comfortable with him. He spoke with me very down-to-earth, he smiles and is talkative, he is also a great listener.
Post-op, when I needed to call him, he called me back in ten minutes, no lie! He encouraged me to call for any questions, any time.
One thing I really liked is, it is just him, he has no other associates. So when you call him, he calls you, no one else. You always know who you will see in the office and hospital. The drawback, sometimes, if he has an emergency, people I have read, have had to wait, but I personally never waited really long.
Dr. Garber is very specific about how things are done in the hospital, for instance, my first night, I stayed all night in the recovery room. The staff at the hospital told me he has his patients stay in recovery for a low patient/nurse ratio, for better care. But I really feel that it makes better care for us patients that way.
I go to see him Monday for my 1 month post op visit. Bottom line is, I recommend him, if you want a great surgeon. Also, I had no complications.
He has both sugical competence and a great bedside manor.
Hope this helps.

My first impression of Dr. Garber was great. He fully explained to me what the procedure would involve and what I will have to do to prepare before the procedure.

> outstanding. young and knowledgable
> saw how professional he was and how willing he was to get back to me to answer questions
>GREAT..ask for lisa or jen
>had to wait long time in office at appts
>great surgeon, explains everything in detail including risks and what is expected of you
>important the follow up and runs support groups
>yes
>to the point..no pulled punches
>11 on a scale of 1-10
>surgical competence. the bed side manner is important to put someone at ease and assist the patient with assisting themselves to recover quickly

On 3/28/02-I had my consultation with Dr. Garber, I feel very confident, he answered whatever questions I had and I was not rushed through the consultation. I was at St Johns and felt the staff was competent also. I was a bit disappointed to find out due to a hernia on my belly button that I will have to have the open bypass surgery and not laproscoptic. I would love to hear from anyone who has had a similiar situation or who has had the open bypass. Today I will get on the ball and start making my appointments for my other doctors for clearance.