CRAIG CHANG, M. D., F.A.C.S.
As you know, these profiles are usually boring and impersonal.  My goal is to give you some insight into who I really am and why I like caring for weight loss surgery patients.

My Education.  I attended the University of Kansas for college and medical school.  I attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City for my surgery residency.  After this, I paid back two years to the Army as a general surgeon (also doing weight loss surgery).  My family and I then moved to Dallas where I performed a one-year fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern (Parkland Hospital) specializing in laparoscopic weight loss surgery.  I performed numerous operations and wrote multiple medical papers, including a chapter on laparoscopic surgery for one of the premier textbooks of surgery (Sabiston 17th edition).

Why do I perform weight-loss surgery?  The answer to this question has changed over time.  In the past, I primarily performed weight loss surgery (WLS) because these were challenging operations.  Although the operations are still challenging and exciting for me today, my motivation has changed.  Experience has taught me that my patients need physical, mental, and spiritual health to be completely healthy.  This is my primary motivation today.

My experience has validiated the need for physical, mental, and spiritual health.  Clearly, the most significant event for me in the past few years has been the loss of one of my children to cancer.  You may be asking, "How does this relate to WLS?"  I'll try to clarify.  His illness was a life-altering event for our family.  I thought this should not be happening to me!  I believed that I was above this.  Over the course of time, I learned that I wasn't.  Multiple bad things happened to my son and me (physically, mentally, and spiritually) during this period.  I learned that I am not exempt from illness or bad things in life.  I am not bullet proof or infallible.  I was fortunate to have some very good people around me to help guide me back to health.  As a result, some very positive things have occurred.  I can now use this experience to relate to my patients.  I can relate to the grief, anger, and frustration of illness.  I am a more mature and caring person because of this experience.  I care more about people and less about things.  These are all valuable lessons in caring for patients with obesity.

My Practice Philosophy.  I love to learn and I am still a student … I am constantly learning about my patients, surgery, and life in general.  For me to effectively care for you, I have to study and learn about you -- What motivates you?  What fears do you have?  How can I better encourage you?  This translates to greater success.  I would, therefore, summarize my practice philosophy in the following way: ”My goal is to use all that I know and have experienced to help restore your health.”

What makes me unique?  Although my job is very important, it is much less important than being a good servant of God, good husband, and good father.  These are my priorities.  Other things that make me unique are the fact that I am a bee-keeper, runner, armadillo hunter, and long-range shooter (I do not claim any level of expertise in these other areas!).

Craig G. Chang, M.D., F.A.C.S.