Today we’d like to introduce you to Garth Davis.
Hi garth, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For many, childhood memories include playing catch with their father, or going fishing or shunting. For me, time with my father was spent going with him to the hospital. I started scrubbing in surgeries with him when I was 16 y/o. So you can say my love for surgery started at a young age.
During one high school football game I was knocked unconscious. When I awoke I kept asking if I was still going to be able to be a surgeon. My friends still kid me, but obviously my desires were deep.
I went through my training and graduated from University of Michigan surgery program and came back home to join my father in practice. It was the ultimate achievement. I started as a general surgeon but around that time there was a growing interest in doing weight loss surgery through small incisions in a minimally invasive way. I became one of the leaders of the field and developed a very large weight loss clinic, The Davis Clinic. I also served as medical director for weight management services at Methodist and Memorial Hermann Memorial City.
At one point my wife got pregnant and was having our first child. I went for a life insurance policy check and basically failed. I had high cholesterol, hypertension, and fatty liver. This was a real wake up call. I started researching why we get metabolic disease in Western cultures and ended up writing 2 books. I became a keynote speaker on topics of obesity, nutrition, metabolic diseases.
I am now teaching residents at Kingwood HCA and have just taken over as head of bariatrics at Kingwood.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Handling people suffering with weight issues is difficult. There are genetic factors, psychosocial factors, and socioeconomic factors. These are issues that cant be fixed with one quick visit. I have had to develop multi-specialty teams and build large clinics. Not easy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a general surgeon who has specialization in weight loss. I go over the top for my patients. They become my friends/family. They may not know this but I think about them constanly. Their successes are my successes, but so are their failures. I really try to listen to the patient and be present. I want them to feel heard.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I try to walk the talk. I want to be an example to my patients. After my life insurance policy test failure I turned my life around. I now follow a plant based diet and exercise regularly. I refuse to tell my patients to do something I wouldnt do myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://garthdavismd.com
- Instagram: drgarthdavis
- Facebook: drgarthdavis
- Youtube: gpdtx
