UPMC Bariatric Services

Is your weight holding you down? You're not alone.

If you're struggling with obesity and you're ready to lose weight, UPMC Bariatric Services can help you find a healthier you. At UPMC, we provide a broad range of surgical and non-surgical medical weight loss solutions.

Why Choose UPMC for Bariatric Services?

UPMC Bariatric Services meets the highest level of national accreditation for bariatric surgery centers.

This means we have rigorous routine reviews to make sure we:

• Meet nationally recognized bariatric surgery benchmarks, outcomes, and standards of care.
• Commit to advancing care quality and patient safety.
• Have the resources and equipment to perform even the most complex bariatric surgery procedures.
• Offer continued support after weight loss surgery.

And UPMC Bariatric Services provides much more than surgical procedures.

Our locations

UPMC Bariatric Services is provided at UPMC hospitals and in offices located throughout western and central Pennsylvania and in New York. The services offered vary by location.

• UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
• UPMC Chautauqua
• UPMC Altoona
• UPMC Hamot
• UPMC Jameson
• UPMC in Central Pa.

Our Weight Loss Experts and Personal Care Plan

Our team of bariatric experts from many specialty areas will:

• Ask you about your medical history and do a thorough check-up. We might also take blood and order other tests.
• Decide which weight loss option is right for you, based on your exam and test results.
• Work with you to design your personalized weight loss plan.

Nonsurgical Weight Loss Services

For individuals who choose not to undergo surgery, or for those who are not eligible, we offer non-surgical medical weight loss options. Treatment is tailored to your needs and supervised by medical experts who are trained in providing care for overweight and/or obese patients.

• Lifestyle Program
• Comprehensive Weight Loss Services
• Low Calorie Meal Replacement
• Bariatric Weight Management
• Intragastric Balloon
• Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG)

Bariatric Surgical Services

Our surgeons perform a variety of bariatric (weight loss) procedures, including minimally invasive bariatric surgery. They'll work with you to develop a personalized weight loss plan and talk with you about weight loss surgery to determine the right option for you:

• Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
• Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Revisional Surgery

Lifelong Support

Our approach provides what you need for a successful weight loss and weight management journey

• Prepare for weight loss through our Presurgical Lifestyle Program.
• Access postoperative support groups and educational activities.
• Consider our Life After Weight Loss Program.

Weight Loss Research

Learn how our researchers and staff are committed to providing the latest therapy and surgical techniques to optimize patient care.

Anita Courcoulas, MD, MPH, FACS, chief of Minimally Invasive Bariatric and General Surgery at UPMC, discusses surgical options for weight loss, the health benefits of weight loss surgery, factors that make a person a likely surgical candidate, and weight loss expectations.

Listen to the UPMC HealthBeat Podcast: Weight Loss Surgery.

Anita P. Courcoulas, MD, chief of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at UPMC, talks about the benefits of bariatric surgery in this edition of WPXI Community Matters.

In the News

Dr. Anita Courcoulas was recently featured in these articles about bariatric surgery.

• Is Bariatric Surgery Right for You?
• Classifying Patients with Obesity to Predict Bariatric Surgery Outcomes
• Lap Band Failures Drive Many to Safer Weight Loss Surgeries
• Dr. Courcoulas spoke at the American Diabetes Association national meeting in 2023, where she presented results of a clinical trial that started at UPMC and ended as a collaboration with four other sites. Read the article.
• In December 2023, Dr. Courcoulas was first author on an article that was published in the British Medical Journal: “Long term outcomes of metabolic/bariatric surgery in adults”.