Meet our Weight Loss Team
Experts to Support Your Weight Loss Goals
Loyola Medicine’s Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care offers expert medical and surgical options for weight loss treatment. Loyola weight loss professionals understand the challenges of living with excess weight and the challenges of losing it, and we value a multidisciplinary approach to medical and surgical weight loss. Our doctors rely on the skills and knowledge of a large group of experienced professionals who are committed to helping you achieve success in weight loss from beginning to end.
Meet Your Team of Weight Loss Experts
Loyola’s multidisciplinary team of weight loss experts works almost exclusively with our bariatric program and include:
- Surgeons: James N. Lau MD, Tyler Cohn MD, Kevin Brown MD
- Bariatricians: Monica Edwards, MD, Elisabeth Miwa APRN, Chris Biag APRN
- Psychologists: Elizabeth Simmons, PsyD and Laura Wool, PsyD
- Dietitians: Lauren Zuro, RD, LDN, Faith Flaherty, MS, RD, LDN, Lori Costigan, MS, RD, LDN
Our expertly trained team of specialists partner with you from your introductory weight loss seminar, through your chosen weight loss procedure to your ongoing, lifelong lifestyle changes.
Our multidisciplinary team draws on the expertise of:
- A pre-certification specialist who helps you verify insurance coverage for your bariatric procedure. He or she will contact your insurance company on your behalf, find out what coverage you may have and find out if your plan has any requirements for coverage.
- An advanced practice nurse (APN) and clinical coordinator work as your surgeon’s right hand, offering surgical education and counseling. The APN works with the bariatrician and surgeons, seeing medical and surgical weight loss patients and acting as a guide and answers your questions as you go through the process of weight loss and improvement of your medical illnesses at Loyola.
- A Loyola registered dietitian coaches you as you change your diet in advance of your bariatric surgery. After your procedure, you will be required to make substantial changes to your diet. You will lose weight quickly, and proper eating habits will improve your chances of success by ensuring you get the right nutrients and vitamins to stay healthy. In our medically supervised weight-loss program, a registered dietitian works with you on a healthy eating plan, how to make positive food choices, food shopping and meal preparation. Dietitians will also help ensure that you know how to take in adequate nutrition after surgery with regular follow-up appointments.
- Our psychologists talk with you before your bariatric surgery to evaluate your readiness and help increase your chances for success. They will ask questions about a variety of lifestyle factors that can impact your adjustment to all of the changes that occur following surgery. After your surgery, we will offer you ongoing counseling to help with adjustments and behavior change. Support groups made up of people who have also had the surgery are offered monthly.
- Our exercise physiologists have broad experience and specific expertise with medical weight loss and bariatric care patients. It is important to find out which exercises you enjoy so that it will be easy for you to stick to your routine. We will work with you one-on-one at the Gottlieb Center for Fitness, helping you set fitness goals, stay motivated and create time for exercise in your schedule.
- Medical assistants will also provide clinical support and education throughout the process.
- A registered nurse works closely with your surgeon and bariatrician to monitor your results, assist with prescription refill requests, answer questions and address any concerns you may have. The registered nurse will be available to provide clinical support and will provide any additional education that may be required throughout the program. The registered nurse will also assist with pre- and post-operations and will help achieve your weight loss goals.
- Our clinical coordinator works as your surgeon and bariatrician's right hand. The coordinator is available to answer questions, address concerns and ensures a smooth process throughout the program. The coordinator oversees and helps organize clinical activities. The coordinator will help provide you with any education and counseling that may be required.
The bariatric program at Loyola is integrated with the complete expert medical team of Loyola Medicine, allowing us to call upon the expertise of cardiologists, pulmonologists, endocrinologists, hepatologists and other experts who may be beneficial to your team as you pursue your weight loss goals.