Walter Sartor, MD FACS FASMBS

I was born and raised in Monroe, LA and graduated from River Oaks School in 1983. I then went to Tulane University, where I spent my college and medical school years, graduating from college with a BS in Biology in 1987, and medical school in 1991. After graduation, I spent the following 6 years at the University of Maryland Medical Systems in Baltimore, MD for general surgery residency, including five clinical years and a year of research involving tumor immunology. The training program was rich with advanced laparoscopic training, especially during that time period with a young and dynamic teaching staff. I finished in 1997 and went into private practice in Lake Charles, LA, until late 1999, when we decided to move back to my hometown of Monroe where I have been practicing since. I started performing weight loss surgery in 2003, and in 2007 started the Louisiana Center for Weight Loss Surgery. I have been an active member of ASMBS since 2007, and we have been a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence since 2008. We have maintained this status ever since. To date, I have performed over 2000 weight loss procedures, including laparoscopic and robotic sleeve gastrectomy, laparscopic and robotic gastric bypass, along with laparoscopic and robotic BPD/DS and SADI, as well as revisional surgery. In 2021, I was recognized as a Surgeon of Excellence in Robotic Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation. To date I have performed over 1000 robotic cases. My practice as a whole is a general surgery practice with an emphasis on weight loss surgery and minimally invasive procedures, but perform essentially all aspects of general surgery, including antireflux surgery, and paraesophageal hernias, stomach, small bowel, and colon procedures including surgery for cancer and diverticulitis, breast and thyroid surgery, trauma, acute care surgery, and pediatric surgery. Our minimally invasive surgical approaches include both laparoscopic and robotic techniqes, having a robust experience in both. We also have a very active vein clinic which we started in 2018.