Our Mission

Promoting health and wellness with understanding and compassion is our main mission. We strive to partner with our patients to provide exceptional personalized attention so they can reach their individualized goals. We strongly believe in “personal interactions” and accordingly, every patient will be cared for directly by the surgeon and the medical director for as long as they receive care in our practice..

About Dr. Vafa Shayani

Dr. Shayani completed his undergraduate degree at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and medical school at George Washington University in Washington, DC. He completed his general surgical residency at George Washington University and after an additional year of concentrated training in advanced laparoscopy, started his first professional appointment at Loyola University Medical Center in 1996. He ultimately attained the rank of Associate Professor of Surgery and the Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship Program at Loyola University before his departure in 2007. Since then, he has been practicing as a General and Bariatric Surgeon in Chicago metropolitan area.

Dr. Shayani is one of the experts on adjustable gastric banding in the country. He started performing gastric banding soon after its FDA approval in 2001, making him one of the first surgeons in the United States to perform this procedure. His extensive experience and successful outcomes have led to his status as a proctor and a member of the Advisory Board for the device manufacturer, wherein he trains and qualifies other surgeons in LAP BAND surgery.

In addition to his high-volume gastric banding experience, Dr. Shayani utilizes his expertise in minimally invasive surgery to perform many other abdominal operations including hepato-biliary procedures (e.g gallbladder surgery), surgical treatment of gastoresophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia, as well as repair of all abdominal wall and groin hernias.

Dr. Shayani is board certified in General Surgery, has published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals, and has presented his research at several medical and surgical meetings. He is a primary investigator on a number of FDA trials. He is a member of several regional and national medical societies including American College of Surgeons, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, Midwest Surgical Association, Illinois Bariatric Society, Chicago Surgical Society, and holds leadership positions in many of these organizations.

Our Staff

At each of our facilities, you will find that our staff is here to support you throughout your weight-loss experience. We are available to answer any and all questions or concerns you may have. No patient should ever feel “lost in the shuffle”. “Attention to the details” is our main strength.

Contributions to the medical literature regarding gastric banding

Sarker S, Herold K, Creech S, Shayani V. Early and late complications following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. The American Surgeon, 70(2): 146-150, 2004.

Shayani V. Comparison of Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass and Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. [Letter] Journal of the AmericanCollege of Surgeons. 198(3): 501, 2004.

Sarker S. Shayani V. Diagnosis and management of acute gastric distention following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Obesity Surgery, 14: 702-704, 2004.

Sarker S, Myers JA, Shayani V. Superior Weight Loss With Patient-Driven, Fluoroscopically Guided Band Adjustments Following Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. 2005; 9(3): 269-271.

Myers JA, Fischer GA, Sarker S, Shayani V. Gallbladder disease in patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. 1(6): 561-563, 2005.

Myers JA, Sarker S, Shayani V.Treatment of massive super-obesity with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. 2(1): 37-40, 2006.

Sarker S, Myers JA, Shayani V. Three-year follow-up weight loss results for patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding at a major university medical center: does the weight loss persist? American Journal of Surgery. 191: 372-376, 2006.

Myers JA, Clifford JC, Sarker S, Primeau M, Doninger GL, Shayani V. Quality of life after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding using the BAROS and Moorehead-Ardelt quality of life questionnaire II. JSLS 10(4), 414-420, 2006.

Fischer G, Myers JA, Shayani V. Gastric migration and strangulation following adjustable gastric banding. Accepted for publication in Obesity Surgery.

Manganiello MD, Sarker S, Tempel M, Shayani V. Management of slipped adjustable gastric bands. SOARD, 4(4): 534-538, 2008.

Sunil Bhoyrul, John B Dixon, George Fielding, Christine Ren, Emma Patterson, Lee Grossbard, Vafa Shayani, Marc Bessler, David Voellinger, Helmuth Billy, Robert Cywes, Timothy B Ehrlich, Daniel B Jones, Brad M Watkins, Jaime Ponce, Matthew Brengman andGregory Schroder. Letter to the Editor: Safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery: Roux-en-y gastric bypass is superior to gastric banding in the management of morbidly obese patients: a response. BioMed Central, Patient Safety in Surgery, 3:17, July 2009.