UAMS Health Weight Management Clinic Adds Bariatric Surgery to Weight Loss Offerings

By Yavonda Chase

LITTLE ROCK — Effective today, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has added bariatric surgery to the weight loss options offered at the UAMS Health Medical and Surgical Weight Management Clinic.

“We are pleased to be able to offer bariatric surgery to our patients who have been unable to lose weight using other interventions such as medication, exercise or dietary changes,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “We know obesity is a disease that affects far too many in our state, and we are committed to helping Arkansans lose weight effectively and safely.”

Arkansas has an adult obesity rate of 40%, the third highest among all states and the District of Columbia, according to a 2024 study by the Trust for America’s Health.

UAMS Health Weight Management Clinic Adds Bariatric Surgery to Weight Loss Offerings

The UAMS Health Medical and Surgical Weight Management Clinic team -- Monica Ferrero, M.D., (top left); Yasthil Vijay Jaganath, M.D., MPH; Martha M. Estrada, M.D.; Lexie H. Vaughn, M.D. (bottom left); Rebekka Amick, APRN; and Kaitlin Shonnard, PA-C.