Paul Benn, M.D. — Medical Director and Surgeon
Dr. Benn completed his internship at the University of California/San Diego Medical Center and his residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.  Specializing in gastric bypass surgery, Dr. Benn also performs general surgery for Surgical Consultants, P.A.  Dr. Benn is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Minneapolis Surgical Society, and Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. 

Bradley Pierce, M.D. — Surgeon
Dr. Pierce completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine – Peoria, after graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. He practiced at the Brainerd Medical Center before joining Surgical Consultants, P.A., in 2003. Dr. Pierce is a board certified surgeon, with training and interest in weight loss surgery.  Dr. Pierce is certified by the ASMBS as a Baraitric Center of Excellence Surgeon.

Luis Laguna, M.D. — Surgeon 
Dr. Laguna completed a general surgery residency at Mayo Clinic followed by an Advanced Laparoscopic Fellowship in Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgery at Evanston Northwestern Hospital in Illinois.  His surgical interests include advanced laparoscopic surgery, specifically bariatric surgery.  He also performs abdominal and groin hernia repairs and colon surgery.  Her is certified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and is a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS).

Melissa K. Dvorak — PA-C, Physician Assistant                                                                                                                                                                                       Melissa has a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Augsburg College and is a past board member of the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. She is an active member of both the Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants (MAPA) and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). Melissa practiced at Northern Michigan Hospital where she was a physician assistant in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery before joining Surgical Consultants, P.A., in 2007.

Janelle Melgeorge Anderson, MEd, RD, LD — Dietitian
Janelle is a registered and licensed dietitian. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dietetics from the College of Saint Benedict and her Master Degree in Adult Education from the University of Minnesota. She has completed the Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management Program. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association, Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutritionists and the Minnesota Dietetic Accsociation. She also has a special interest in exercise and is a certified USATF level I coach and writes for a running magazine. In our program, Janelle helps educate patients on the food and lifestyle changes required after gastric bypass surgery and guides patients through the process.

Sally Hesse, RD, LD — Dietitian
Sally has practiced dietetics for more than 20 years in various clinical settings. She is a long time member of the American Dietetic Association and the Minnesota Dietetic Association. Sally has completed a certificate of training in adult weight management through the American Dietetic Association.  Sally conducts nutritional evaluations of weight loss surgery candidates, educates patients on lifestyle and eating behavior changes that follow surgery as well as long term follow up.

Donna Ziemer, MS, RD, RN — Nurse Educator
Donna is the program's dedicated nurse educator who is responsible for patient care, support, and education.  She is an excellent resource for our patients as she is both a registered nurse and a registered dietitian with a Master of Science Degree in Nutrition and Food Science.  She has additional training in providing nutrition support to patients with a modified gastrointestinal tract.  Donna has a special interest in the field of obesity management.

Christi Anderson, PT; Jason Koltes PT; Aarathi Gangadharan PT;  – Physical Therapy
Christi, Jason and Aarathi are the program’s dedicated physical therapists. They see patients during their inpatient stay and within the first two weeks after surgery.  They also help our patients determine how they can start fitting exercise into their life to ensure weight loss success following surgery.

Gina Pelava, MA, CNA – Program Assistant
Gina is our program assistant.  Gina helps our patients throughout their journey with our program.  Gina is the primary contact for scheduling appointments and general questions about our program.  Gina also has several responsibilities in the clinic, including rooming patients and providing education.

Anna Krause — Scheduling Coordinator
Anna is our program's scheduling coordinator.  She performs registration for information sessions and schedules appointments.  She helps patients with questions regarding insurance.  She also answers patient's questions about the required guidelines and the process for the Weight Loss Surgery program.

Lyn Miskowicz — Clinic Manager

Marie Brown, MHA — Program Director
Marie has a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota, where she also obtained her Bachelor of Science in Genetic and Cell Development.

For more information e-mail FSWLS@fairview.org.

Information Sessions

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