Dr. Alan Saber Named Director of the New Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark, N.J. (March 29, 2018) – Alan A. Saber, MD, MS, FACS, FASMBS has been named Director of the new Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
This comprehensive new program will offer patients a range of minimally invasive weight loss surgery options from endoscopic procedures to laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and laparoscopic revisional procedures. To schedule a consultation please call his office at 973-926-7331 or 973-926-7402.
“My aim is to provide those who have been struggling to successfully lose weight with minimally invasive surgical options that will help them reach their weight loss goals and resolve many of their related health issues, such as Type 2 Diabetes,” said Dr. Saber. “Several studies have shown that metabolic surgery can successfully resolve or improve Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, asthma, sleep apnea, and decrease heart disease risk.”
Dr. Saber will lead a multidisciplinary team of dietitians, primary care providers, psychiatrists and psychologists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, radiologists and emergency medicine physicians. The team will collaborate to address patients’ weight loss needs as well as comorbidities associated with obesity.
“We are delighted to have someone of Dr. Saber’s caliber join our team of highly-skilled and talented surgeons. He is a gifted physician and researcher, and a nationally and internationally recognized innovator in the field of bariatric and minimally invasive surgery,” said Dr. Adam Kopelan, Director of Surgical Services and Chairman of Surgery at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Approximately one third of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 30 percent of Essex County adults aged 20 and older are obese, according to New Jersey State Health Assessment Data.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has spearheaded several initiatives to combat obesity in the city including The Beth Challenge, which began as an employee weight loss program and spread to 12 local churches, Newark City Hall, and to the State House in Trenton. Newark Beth Israel is also home to the Beth Greenhouse, a hydroponic greenhouse that produces locally grown produce, and The KidsFit program which empowers grade school children throughout the city to live healthier lifestyles.
“Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has a long-standing commitment to reducing obesity in the communities we serve and Dr. Saber’s practice now offers local residents, a safe and effective minimally invasive surgical option to lose weight and improve overall health” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and CEO of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
Dr. Saber joins Newark Beth Israel from The Brooklyn Hospital Center/Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, where he served as the Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Director of the Weight loss Center, and clinical professor of surgery. Prior to his work at Brooklyn Hospital, he was Director of Metabolic Surgery at Case Medical Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH and Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery at Michigan State University.
About Alan A. Saber, MD, MS, FACS, FASMBS
Dr. Saber earned his medical degree, with honors, from Alexandria University School of Medicine in Alexandria, Egypt. He completed his Surgical Residency at Alexandria University School of Medicine and his General Surgery residency at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY. Dr. Saber’s expertise extends to 18 years of excellence in Bariatric Surgery and Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery. He has performed more than 4000 minimally invasive weight loss procedures including Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, and Laparoscopic revisional bariatric surgery. He sits on the editorial boards of Obesity Surgery, Bariatric Times, and Surgical Techniques Development, Global Journal of Surgery; he is also a frequent national and international lecturer on bariatric surgery. Over the years Dr Saber has served as the Presiding Officer for numerous sessions at the American College of Surgery Annual Clinical Congress. Dr Saber was also the Chair, Moderator, and co-moderator at various Obesity week and Obesity weekend events.
He received numerous honors and awards in recognition for his contribution in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery. Dr. Saber has more than 200 publications, presentations, and book chapters.
Dr. Saber has been selected by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) to be a site visit inspector for the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), the only nationwide accreditation and quality improvement program for metabolic and bariatric surgery Center of Excellence.
About Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, (NBIMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is home to one of the nation’s top five heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center provide seamless integration of cancer prevention, specialized care and treatment options. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.
CONTACT: Linda Kamateh
Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications
linda.kamateh@rwjbh.org
(973)-926-3803