MDNews - Long Island

Meet Dr. Atwa HE SH A M AT WA , MD, FACS, FASMBS, Founder and Clinical Director of Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors, is known across Long Island as an advocate and educator in the field of robotic-assisted surgery, which he uses consistently for both general and bariatric operative procedures. Dr. Atwa is also Director and Chief of Surgery and Director of Robotic Surgery at St. Charles Hospital and Chief of General Surgery at Mather Hospital, a member of Northwell Health. Dr. Atwa has performed more than 10,000 surgeries and assisted on 6,000 more throughout his career. Dr. Atwa attended medical school at Ain Shams University in Cairo and completed his residency at the University of Illinois — Metropolitan Group Hospitals in Chicago. He then completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery at The University of Texas in Houston. Though he stays busy with his hospital duties and practice, Dr. Atwa also serves as a proctor for Intuitive Surgical, assessing other surgeons and helping them learn new techniques for robotic surgery. To better serve his community, Dr. Atwa performs procedures as part of a devoted group of Long Island surgeons who take care of charity cases at the Port Jefferson Surgery Center for patients who don't have insurance or cannot afford surgery. In 2018, he was named a recipient of the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Award presented by Mather and St. Charles Hospitals to physicians for exceptional volunteer service to the community and the hospital. "Despite all the awards and titles, the best compliment and reward is getting a hug after removing a cancer from a patient or having a patient lose 100 pounds after dieting and exercising for years without success," Dr. Atwa says. "I feel one of the highest honors in medicine that I have received is to be asked to take care of my colleagues at the hospital, whether it be doctors, nurses, hospital staff or their families. I provide every patient my very best care as if they were a member of my own family." MEET THE LONG ISL AND L APAROSCOPIC DOCTORS + Eileen M. Barr, DO — Obesity medicine physician + Jon Leung, DO, FACOS — Minimally invasive general and bariatric surgeon + Ghaith Khair, MD — Minimally invasive general and bariatric surgeon + Nicholas P. Craig, MD, FACS — Minimally invasive laparoscopic general surgeon It's no wonder that the long-term success of diets is only 0.05%." Long Isla nd Lapa roscopic Doctors offers several options for bariatric sur- gery, all of which are available as robotic procedures. These include gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, revisional bariatric sur- gery, gastric band revision surgery and adolescent bariatric surgery. Adolescent obesit y is on t he r ise. Recognizing that earlier treatment allows most medical problems to resolve, Long Island Laparoscopic Doctors accepts patients a s young a s 14 yea rs old. A 60-second assessment is available for patients on the practice's website to help people determine whether they are ready for surgery and which type might be the best choice. "After surgery, most patients report more energy, less fatigue, more mobility, better sleep, and less joint and back pain," Dr. Atwa says. "They a lso have better self-esteem and are able to do activities they couldn't before, like play with their kids. Surgery changes their lives." For patients who don't qualify for or don't want to undergo surgery, nonsurgical treatments are also available, including the Orbera gastric balloon. But Dr. Atwa adds that for all options, patients must a lso follow a n exercise prog ra m a nd adjust their eating habits for the weight to stay off. "If patients are struggling, they can come to us and review their options," he says. "It's a chronic disease, and if it Dr. Atwa with practice partners Dr. Leung, Nicholas P. Craig, MD, Eileen Barr, DO, and Dr. Khair. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 0 2 2 0 9

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