Robert L Richard Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

After training, Dr. Richard served at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) in Fort Campbell, Ky. Appointed Director of the new Bariatric Surgical Service at the BACH, Dr. Richard performed both the first open and laparoscopic gastric bypasses. He also began Fort Campbell's first surgical weight loss program, single-handedly training the OR staff, nursing staff, nutrition and psychology departments, as well as fellow surgeons, to allow for safe and effective treatment of obesity. As an active trauma surgeon for the US Army, Dr. Richard deployed to the Afghan theater of war shortly after 9/11. He was recalled in 2004, two years after leaving the Army, to serve in Iraq as a Senior Trauma surgeon in Saddam Hussein’s hometown. After leaving the Army in 2002, Dr. Richard joined Obesity Solutions in Gainesville, Ga. He joined The Longstreet Clinic in April 2010 when his practice, Surgical Specialists of Georgia, merged with The Longstreet Clinic.  Dr. Richard also has a distinct interest in weight loss surgery patients who regain weight.  He has employed medical weight loss, as well as revisional weight loss surgery to treat weight regain.  "One of the most frustrating patients is the gastric bypass patient who has gained weight back,"he says.  "Mostly this is due to a return of old habits.  However, we often find treatable conditions, if we take the time and effort to look at them.  It is very gratifying to get this group of patients back on the road to a healthy lifestyle."