Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC Hospital

Very intelligent women that kows what she's doing.

She is very skillful at what she does and tells you the truth of what to expect.

Very busy, but very heplful, espically Karen.

That is is so busy, she can not do all her own rounds at the hospital. If you want to see her in the office your appt. must be on a Mon., That's the only day she is there.

She is a very busy person and is very confident.

Aftercare, is what makes you succesed.

I do not know if she had a structed aftercare, even if is does I live so far away it probably wouldn't benefit me.

She does address the risks of surgery. Everyone is at a different risk depending upon their weight and other factors.

I would rate Dr. Courcoulas excellent. She is skilled at her job.

Both are great. I would take surgical competence first though. She has both, at least to me. She talked about my children when she sat on my bed. Smiled and told me what was normal to be feeling at that time. She is personable as well as professional, which I liked very much. I am sure others might have a different opinion, this is just how I feel about her as my surgeon.

Dr. C is absolutely fantastic. I am so happy that she was my surgeon. When we were searching for a doctor, we used the internet more than anything else and that is how we found her. I had no prior information about her but chose her out of about a half dozen doctors on the website at the time. I think it was one of the best decisions that we made.
My consulation with Dr. C. went very well. I was very impressed with her. She is a very nice person to meet and she is knowledgable and confident. She made me feel much better about this surgery. What I liked the most was that she was upfront about her track record with these operations. She didn't try to explain away the patients who didn't make it. She accepted those the same as she did the successes. She was not afraid to be honest and say how many had not made it. I respected that.
She explained the procedure well and answered any questions I had.
I am post op so I can speak about aftercare also. She visited me in my room nearly every day after the surgery until I was released. Since being released, her office has been very helpful with any questions I have had.
Overall I would give Dr. C. the highest rating in every catagory. I really don't have anything negative to say about her or her staff.

Dr.Courcoulas Is a very nice person, she listens to what you have to say and will give you her opinion on things. she explains
everything to you in detail, what is going
to happen and what to expect from the surgery.Her staff is wonderful, they answer
any questions that you have,and seem to care about you as a person.
The only problem that I had was the wait
to see the doc. becuz' she is so busy, but it was worth the wait. Thanks To Dr.C & her
staff for being so kind and patient with so many of us. I would recommend anyone who is thinking about this surgery to you.

Met her today, November 5, 2003. I was very impressed with her. I immediately felt comfortable and at ease with her. Very compassionate, she maintained direct eye-contact, without coming across as intimidating. She has great people skills.

The office staff were attentive and very organized. Sensitive to the needs patients have and eager to answer questions. Treated me very professionally.

The entire process was clearly described to me. The good and the potential problems. The importance of diet and exercise was clearly outlined as a part of the after-care.

Dr. Hamad was very direct in mentioning the potential risks. She also described some alternative surgeries that are available.

Based on my one interaction with Dr. Hamad and her staff, I feel 100% comfortable with pursuing this surgery. Now its on to the testing.

I gotta tell you, if first impressions are to be trusted, I shouldn't get this surgery with Dr.C.
My initial appt for "eval" was a ten minute disaster. I waited 4.5 hours (honestly) in the waiting room. I was seen by "Kelly", who I think is a PA or RN with Dr.C for 10 minutes. She asked me a few questions and said that I was appropriate for surgery...hmmmmm......
Dr. C NEVER came in to meet me or talk to me. I understand this was probably not a typical day, but geezzzzz.
The reason, the ONLY reason, I am still in this with Dr. C is because my reaseach has told me she is the BEST. I will endure the chaos in her office. I will gather my own info. I chose her for RNY not bedside manners...
Lets hope I am right!

I am and continue to be impressed with Dr. Hamad and her entire staff. At our first meeting she was very straight to the point. I knew exactely was expected of me. At my final consultation she was more layed back. One thing that I was very impressed by her was the fact that she made a point to stop in and see me after my surgery once I was moved into my room. Also, I found out from my sister that before the surgery Dr. Hamad went to talk to her about the procedure. Dr. Hamad is very diligent about her after care and I have had a 10 day appointment, a 1 month appointment, and I have a 3 month scheduled for December. Overall, I would give Dr. Hamad and her staff 4 stars!

Dr. Ramanathan is very kind and knowledgeable man. He was very informative at the pre-op appointment. He was extremely positive about my decision on the surgery but also made me aware of the risks. His team includes Nicole, a physician's assistant, and Paula, an RN. Both are also very nice and informative. I feel comfortable calling them with any questions or concerns.

My first impression was exactly what I wanted in a surgeon and she was a woman. She was kind and has the heavier person in mind. She made me feel very special. My impression of her over time only grew stronger, I have total faith in her and her ability to do this kind of surgery. She never made me feel embarassed or ashamed of my self for being heavy.
I can not say enough about her office staff, she has been consitant in keeping the same staff and they know you. After surgery in the hospital her staff visited me. Deb is always update on the procedures. Karen her nurse remembers me and treats with each time with kindness. And Gina her Pa is just wonderful she has a gift in this kind of surgery.
I can honestly say the is nothing I like least about her and her staff.
For the future patients what would I tell them, she has a great bedside manor. The wing she helped design at Magee was design with the larger patient in mind. She totally thinks of the larger person the chairs are made to fit, ones where you don't squeeze in.
After care is very important to her and she stresses the follow up visits and she is a long for the ride. I will be with her forever and people need the follow up so many just forget all about it. She is there for me in the rough times and the good times.
Every thing is laid out before a decision should be made the before care, the during care and the after care.

She addressed all the risks before a decision was ever made.

I rate Dr Hamad very high. I know I made the right decision and It is well worth the two hour drive each way. I do not have enough words to express just how much I think of her and her staff they are a team. Each visit my husband goes with me and they treat him with the same curtiousy that they treat me. I have never seen Dr Hamad with out a smile on her face. Even though she is a very beautiful and very skinny woman she treats me like a very special human being and she gives me the faith and encouragement to survive this hard trip. This surgery is forever and the visits with her are forever and I am so thankful and thank God everyday that I waited till I found her to be my surgeon.

I very highly reccommend her to any one she is a great surgeon. But also advise people that this is not an easy surgery, it is forever and it is not a quick fix for obesity. After wards it still takes, diet, exercise and alot of commitment to survive this challenge. It takes daily exercise, eating balanced meals with high protein, drinking lots of water. I exercise daily so the weight doesn't come back on and it can. Be sure of your decision and don't rush into anything, unless you have tried diets and exercise and water together and truly stuck it all out and couldn't loose weight then this is you option. And remember it is forever.

My surgeon is Dr. Anita Courcoulas. I was only in her office once for my consultation. I know 3 people that she has performed Rny on. Before my consultation just like most of you i did a lot of research on my surgery. I was frightened a bit, because i am only 19 and there are some things that i was worried about. As soon as i went into the dr. office. I just felt like everything was going to be alright. The staff is WONDERFUL and so helpful. Then theres Dr. C who is just the sweatest person. She discribed the pro's and con's and then let my family ask any questions that they had.(my mom, aunt, and boyfriend went with me to my consultation) She sat there with us until we were all done asking questions.
I do have to advise you of one thing though. On Nov 8, 2002 when i called to schedule my consultation i never got an appointment until March 24, 2003. But after that i scheduled my pre-op testing and was done on April 30, 2003. After I called to tell them that I was done, I had an approval 5 days later. My surgery was scheduled for Jan 2004. But I am graduating school in Oct and could not wait to find a job and wait 6 mos to get insurance then have to go through the whole process again. So on a very rare ocasion she moved my surgery to July.
Her staff is wonderful! After surgery if I had any problems or stupid questions They were happy to help me, so I never felt to hesitate to call.
I do advise you to consider Dr. Courcoulas if you are in traveling range. Her and her staff are just the most wonderful people. and she has been doing bariatric surgery for over 10 years. so she is very experienced. Overall right now i giver her a 10!!!!

I went for my pre-op visit on August 28th and met Dr. Ramanathan and his staff. I have to tell you that everyone was very nice, and Dr. Ramanathan took time to explain all details of the surgery to me. He also has a sense of humor. I met with the nurse who explained all the aftercare and importance of the medications and vitamins. Well everyone, I had my surgery on Sept.9th, and was discharged on Sept. 11th. I am doing fairly well since the surgery, just some minor discomfort. Dr. Ramanathan is very good at what he does, and anyone having the surgery in the furture by him, I highly recommend him. I will keep you all updated on my success.