William Richards Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

Dr. Richards is quiet but nice, I really don't know him all that well. He has an intern who I dealt with the most and he is really sharp. His name is Dr. Houston(pronounced House-ton) and will be performing Lap at Centennial Medical Center after he completes his intership at Vandy. He was really pleased with the outcome of my surgery, you could see it in his face. That gave me added confidence. He is really going to be in demand, I was glad I had him. I like the staff that I have talked to. There are so many people having this surgery at Vandy that you kind of go thru a process and I go today for my first post -op visit. I have to give this team of Docs a 99.9%. They have saved my life.

I did not even get to meet Dr. Richards until the day of my surgery. I met his assistant pre-op. He is a very matter of fact person. He seems more interested in your anatomy than he does youe soul but that is OK with me. He did a fine job on me. I have see him twice post op and he is much "nicer" and more relaxed. He will answer all your question and even smile occasionally. I would highly recommend him

I went for ny consult with Dr. Richards and I was very impressed with him. He has such a nice Doctor manner about him. I had a list of questions and he gave me all the time I needed to ask questions and for my husband to ask anything that he might be concerned about.
The staff in the office was very nice. I also had the opporunity to me the surgeon that wil assist Dr. Richards.
Dr. Richards said that I was a good candiate for the WLS and the paper work has been sent to my insureance.
Overall, I think I made a good decision on choosing Dr.Richards. I will let you know after the surgery, if I recommend him to others.

My first impression of Dr. Richards was a positive one. Dr. Richards and his staff are not only extremely kind and caring, but also highly skilled in this field. Dr. Richards makes sure your thoroughly educated BEFORE your surgery. He and his staff are available to you through your hospital stay, post-op period, routine check-ups and any type of problems or questions you might have during your aftercare. Before I ever got to meet Dr. Richards, it was required by him for me to go through several other pre-qualifications for the Lap Gastric Bypass Surgery. My first meeting was with a Medical Doctor at the Vanderbilt Center for Human Nutrition to see if I was a candidate for this surgery. The next meeting was with a Nutrition Specialist with whom I was required to meet with 3x before surgery. Next was a Pyschological Evaluation given through the Nutrition Center and then the final 3 Support Group meetings required for all of the patients to attend. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Dr. Richards. I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone considering this surgery!! (Even if your a little unsure) He can make you feel very at ease with his excellent bedside manner and surgical skills! He and His Staff are the very best in my book!

I met with dr. richards in june of 2002 he was very patient with my questions about the procedure. his office staff is top notch to say the least the were always helpful. melanie the nutrition specialist is awesome she was a big help in my journey., (don't be late for your class she will not let you in) hahahaha!!! dr. richards is very cut and dry about the dangers of this procedure but also the benefits. he strike me as a very professional person. and i'll take the profesional skill over personable anyday!!

I fell for this guy when he took the time to draw me a diagram of the surgery he planned on performing on me. He is a good artist and a caring person. His office staff are wonderful. They are patient and kind. They realize the urgency that you feel and try their best to help you. He really emphasizes aftercare and has been known to sit in and participate in his support group meetings. He was very honest about the risks. I really like him alot.

I have seen Dr. Richards one time. He was very responsive to my questions and even let my fiance come in with me.

I have dealt with the office staff most often. All but one person was very helpful. The exception was a brand new receptionist who was rude and sarcastic. I don't think she is there now.

I would highly recommend The Center for Human Nutrition to others. I think the staff is very supportive and competent.

I did not get to actually meet with Dr. Richards at my consultation but I did meet his assistant. He appeared rushed at first but I had come prepared with a list of questions and he settled down and took time with me to answer all my questions. He even drew me a diagram to show what distal and proximal mean. He will soon be qualified to do these surgeries himself. Like most surgeons he was not "warm, fuzzy" person but I'll take surgical skill over bedside manner any day. He was polite,and knowlegable and I felt confident enough with him that I know I am ready to make that final step and that is to actually have the surgery. I am now waiting for insurance approval. Pray for me and I will do the same for you.

After having surgery, I found Dr. Richards to be a very kind person. It was always a joy to see his smiling face when he came in to see me in the hospital. All of the Dr's that came by to check on me were very nice and I really appreciate that. Thanks Dr. Richards!!!!



I met with Dr. Richards on July 18, 2001 to discuss lap band surgery. My first impression was that he seemed to be very nice. He was very careful to answere all my questions and told me that he was preparing to learn lap band procedure and was in the process of getting all the tools for VUMC so he could perform the procedure. Everyone that I've dealt with at the Human Nutrition Center is very Nice and extremely helpful. I'm going back August 15 for Nutrition counciling. Dr. Richards was highly recommended to me by my PCP and is well thought of in his field.

I LIKED DR. RICHARDS HE WAS VERY NICE AND TOOK TIME TO ANSWER ALL MY QUESTION'S AND CONCERN'S. HIS STAFF HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL.THIS PROCESS WAS VERY SLOW UNTIL I GOT TO HIS OFFICE THEN IT ONLY TOOK ABOUT 3 MOTHS FROM 1ST VIST TO SURGERY DATE. I WOULD RECOMEND HIM FOR ANYONE WANTING THIS SURGERY.