UPMC Altoona Hospital

When I saw my surgeon for the first time at the seminar I thought "oh wow, he's young!". I had met with two other older surgeons and thought I've heard it all. His seminar was great. He was very through about both RNY and Lap-Band. After his presentation he took all the time the potential patients needed in order to ask their questions. He is up front and honest with his patients, and when you meet with him he is one of the nicest surgeons I know.
His office staff is wonderful as well. They had my surgery approved very fast, and have made sure I have everything I need each time I go.

I CANNOT come up with enough POSITIVE words to describe this man(Doc),his care,his bedside manner and the team that works with him! My story with Doc Currie started Nov 17 2008. He had done my gastric bypass wich was a big success(lost 150 lbs)! I am 37 years old and my hubby and I are childless due to my PAST infertility.. I was diagnosed with unexplained infertility back in the early 90's , went thru all the treatments but failed,only thing left to do was deal. I had the weightloss surgery for health reason and NEVER considered the fact that losing so much weight would "jumpstart" my reproductive system.. By July We were pregnant,with a little girl. :) Words cannot describe the joy that man has brought to our lives. My story does not stop there. On November 13th 2009 my Husband took me to our local ER , I had severe pain in my upper abdomen, I knew it wasn't the baby. The ER doc suspected a blocked bowel, and since I was pregnant and with my bariatric history he called Dr Currie at 3am and He without hesitation told them to transfer me by ambulance to Pinnacle where a bed was ready for me,wich is 1hr and 30 minutes away. Told them it was ok to give me shots of Morphine for the pain. To make a long story short, I had a large Hernia in my bowel,also was blocked.. I was totally dehydrated from vomiting.The pain was almost intolerable. He made sure I was seen by an obgyn everyday ,with ultrasound,and the surgical team monitored fetal heartbeat around the clock. There painmanagement and RN care were out of this world. The surgical team he has I cannot speak more highly of.. He (they ) saved OUR lives,mine and the babies!Spent a week in the hospital..Im still recovering but feel great! IF you live in this area or not Dr Currie , I promise you is the right caring Doctor.. Thanks again Doctor Currie.. Happy Holidays!

Barbara Carl
room 214 W

I really like my surgeon, he answered any questions I had and is helping me through one of the biggest steps in my life. The staff at Robinwood weight loss clinic are AWESOME!!! I love the girls in the office, they are always open to help me when I need the help. I can't say anything bad about Robinwood Weight Loss Clinic. They all have been wonderful.

Dr. Currie is super nice. He walked in and I literally felt like he was an old friend that I was meeting with. He was talking a bit fast but I knew exactly what he was talking about from doing so much research. The office staff has been great so far...the receptionist actually knows me by name after only being there three times. So far, so good!

What was your first impression of him/her?
Nice guy, easy to talk to, and explained everything in detail

How did your impression change over time?
still good

How would you describe his/her office staff?
great staff, they greet me by name when I walk in the door. My face is easy to remember, I'm pretty damn good looking for an obese guy!

What did you like least about him/her?
no negatives thus far

What should future patients know about him/her?
he is polite and almost on time (only ten minutes behind, which isn't bad for a doctor)

How much does he/she emphasize aftercare?
I haven't had that appointment yet

Does he/she have a structured aftercare program?
I haven't had that appointment yet

How did he/she address the risks of surgery?
very well

How would you rate him/her overall?
8 out of 10 now, we shall see how the surgery goes

Which is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or are both great?
both are great!

I just love Dr. Currie! Great guy, very friendly and good at what he does. He seems to be a \"right to the point\" kind of person which I like. i would highly reccomend him to anyone.

Excellent surgeon! Very personable, well spoken, explains everything in great detail. Awesome! Answers all questions, and is open to patient input on care post-op (specifically, when I felt I needed one more day of IV fluid therapy after my gallbladder removal). Dr Currie did both my RNY in 4/07, and my gallbladder/hernias in 3/08. I highly recommend him for both surgeries. He is extremely competent, with an excellent bedside manner. When reviewing my goal weight at the beginning of the process, he felt my best goal would be 160 lbs, even though I wanted to get to 150 lbs. He warned me it would be difficult to maintain at 150 lbs, to stick to a more reasonable goal of 160 lbs. I'm happy to say - I've made it to 149 lbs, and my maintenance at that weight is going VERY well so far! Thanks so much Dr Currie, for helping keep me on track with realistic expectations, and for helping with my post op complications. A definite 10/10!

Dr. Currie has been wonderful. He took as much time as needed to answer all of my questions. His demeanor was quite sincere. All my questions were answered in detail with the utmost consideration. Risks, complications, after-care procedure, all the details.. he touched on everything. Most importantly, he let me know that I'm not alone because he'll be there for me the entire journey. I'm quite pleased!

My first impression of Dr. Newlin was that he is very confident in what he does. He is a very no nonsense kinda guy and takes everything very seriously. Haven't had a chance for a one on one yet. Attended a seminar that he requires you to attend if you choose him as your surgeon. I really like the fact that he didn't sugar coat everything and tell you it will all be ok. He pointed out the possible problems that can occur and what to expect. I really like him. More after I finally get to meet with him and talk.

He seemed very professional. I only met him once, so I do not know much else yet.