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Dr. Maher El Chaar, St. Luke's bariatric surgery fellowship director and co-medical director of bariatric surgery, was recently recognized by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for his research into the safety and outcomes of bariatric surgery patients.

El Chaar used the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database to review revisional – or follow-up –  bariatric surgeries. This first-of-its-kind study of more than 150,000 patients was presented at an ACS convention in New York City, during an exclusive session for distinguished research work on the safety of surgical patients. 

“I want to thank everybody for the continuous support,” El Chaar said. “These kind of achievements and milestones cannot be realized without teamwork and the team’s ongoing dedication and commitment to our program, including students, residents and fellows.”

St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Bariatric Surgery program – the only one in the Lehigh Valley with a bariatric fellowship – is an accredited center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, an organization dedicated to reviewing standards and the accreditation process for surgical weight loss programs. As the regional leader in bariatric surgery, St. Luke's performs up to 450 bariatric procedures annually, or nearly the same as the Cleveland Clinic.

Media Contact

Sam Kennedy, Corporate Communications Director, 484-526-4134, samuel.kennedy@sluhn.org

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a non-profit, regional, fully integrated and nationally recognized network providing services at seven hospitals and more than 270 outpatient sites. The network’s service area includes Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania and in Warren County in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing health education, St. Luke’s operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing and 22 graduate medical educational programs and is considered a major teaching hospital, the only one in the region. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the region’s first Medical School. Repeatedly, including 2017, St. Luke’s has earned Truven’s 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation as well as 50 Top Cardiovascular program in addition to other honors for clinical excellence. St. Luke’s is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of St. Luke’s information technology applications such as electronic medical records, telehealth, online scheduling and pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers in comparison to major teaching hospitals and other health systems.