The Bariatric Center at Columbia St. Mary’s offers comprehensive care before, during, and after surgery. The team is led by a surgeon who is fellowship-trained in bariatric surgery and laparoscopic surgery.

Other team members provide a variety of support and care services. Specialists in nutrition, psychiatry, gastroenterology, sleep medicine, rehabilitation, and endocrinology will work together to help you in your recovery. And our specially trained nursing staff understands your special needs while you receive care in the Bariatric Center.

Joseph Regan, MD, Medical Director
Dr. Regan earned his degree in medicine from Northwestern University in Chicago in 1996. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore in 2002. In 2003, Dr. Regan completed a fellowship in laparoscopic digestive surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Board Certification
American Board of Surgery, 2003
American Society of Bariatric Surgery, 2003

Joseph Regan, MD
Medical Director

Craig Siverhus, MD
Dr. Siverhus earned his degree in medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1988. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals in 1993. In 1994, Dr. Siverhus completed a fellowship in vascular surgery at St. Louis University in Missouri.

Board Certification
American Board of Surgery, 1995

Craig Siverhus, MD

Susan Dugan, RN, Nurse Coordinator
Susan earned her degree in nursing from Columbia University in New York City in 1977. She has extensive experience coordinating and providing care for bariatric patients. As a patient advocate in the Bariatric Center, Susan provides support for patients in all aspects of their care, and is the first person patients meet with at the Center. She coordinates pre and postoperative care, and follow-up care well after surgery.

Susan Dugan, RN
Nurse Coordinator

Peg Mayer, MS, RD, CD, Registered Dietitian
Peg earned her degree in dietetics from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, and went on to receive a master’s degree in adult education and administrative leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Peg has practiced clinical dietetics for over 20 years and has facilitated classes for diabetes and weight control. She meets with each patient before and after surgery to discuss the lifestyle and eating behavior changes that will follow surgery.

Peg Mayer, MS,
RD, CD

Other Team Members
Many other Columbia St. Mary’s staff members are members of the Bariatric Center team. Nurses in the Bariatric Center’s inpatient unit, the nursing surgical coordinator, the laparoscopic coordinator, physical therapists, psychologists, anesthesiologists, dietitians, surgical technicians, and others have received special training in meeting the special needs of bariatric patients.

Psychiatrists on the team are Susan Kaehler, MD; Beth Abramson, MD; Ken Johnson, MD; and Joan Russo, PhD.