Mark A. Shina Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I had the realize band in 2008 at st Catherine's I was 300 pounds and really thought at one point if I didn't do something that I may die. Dr Shina preformed my surgery and I have done very well. I like him for the most part his goals were not my goals I wanted to lose 100 pounds I have exceeded my goal a bit and have loss 140 pounds but he wanted me to be 138 probably never will happen but you never know has I still am slowly losing weight. He was very through with all the risk and complications that come from surgery. My only issue is his push for only eating protein when I talked to the nutritionist she wanted me on a well balanced healthy diet that included veggies and fruits and he would get upset with you if you let it slip that you ate anything but protein. Over all a good experience. I would love to have skin surgery on tummy
Eggs and arms but probably will never happen due to money. I had to pay cash for the Lapland as is.

I was impressed with him & the whole entire staff since day one. Dr. Shina is alway's straight forward with everything I wanted to know. I never felt rushed in any of my office visits with him. After my surgery, I felt like I was a very important patient to him, his bed side manner was wonderful! I would recommend Dr. Shina to anyone who is wanting/needing wls!

I must say if you want a Doctor?Surgeon who doesn't pull ANY punches then you need to check into Dr Shina...I almost thought if I heard one more thing about a PE I would of choked the life out of him....However he was only being honest with me & my family...During the course of my WLS he and his surgical staff kept my family well inform ....continued to do so through out my entire hospital stay....I would recommend him to any one...Thank You Dr. Shina for my new life...now the rest is up to me...

Dr Shina is great he tell it like it is. He beleaves that when you are deciding to have the surgery you should be clear that this is a tool and you have to follow all instruction for it to be used successfully. He was great on making sure you were check out completely before he would even except you as a patient he is very maticulous and concern about each patient. He dose not sugar coat any of the facts that is why I trust him and refer others to him. He and his complete staff are there for you way after you have the surgery for help and guidance I am so glad he was my surgeon.

My first impression of Dr. Shina was that he was very knowledgeable. He clearly laid out the risks of the surgery and his expectations for your committment to reach a successful outcome. His office staff is very friendly and responsive. There was some kind of mixup with my last appointment. I arrived at the office and they didn't have a record of my appointment for that day. They told me that Dr. Shina had just left. The office staff immediately called him and he turned around and came back to see me. Dr. Shina can be a bit gruff at times but he is very thorough and has high expectations for your success. I believe that the structured after care his office provides along with his high expectations motivated me to work harder to lose the weight. I had my surgery in January 2009, reached my goal in April 2010, and have been successfully maintaining the weight loss since that time. I would give Dr. Shina and his staff an A+ rating.

I have to say I have referred people to Dr Shina, he is a very competant surgeon and knows what he is doing, his bedside manner is abrupt, but I have been around Drs and surgeons way too much for that to bother me at all, his honesty is refreshing.

That being said after succesfully having my RNY with no complications or problems in January (5months later) I had abdominal pain. I went to the urgent care center because it was more convenient. They diagnosed me with a hernia and said I should go see my surgeon. I went to Dr Shina the next day, and he discounted my pain, and said he didnt believe for one second that I have a hernia, and left the room. His nurse came in and said they were going to schedule a CT scan to diagnose it... in a few weeks! I was already almost doubled over in pain (and I have a high pain tolerance) and I was told it wasnt considered urgent. So in tears I left there and went to the ER near my house. The ER dr did a CT scan and sure enough I had a hernia, she called Dr Shina, and came back and told me that I needed to find a different surgeon, that he was completely unprofessional arguing with her that I didnt have a hernia when she had the CT results in her hand!

I then went to a different surgeon the next day who said I had 2 hernias, one incisional, and that it was incarcerated but not strangulated, so urgent but not emergent, so 2 days later he fixed it laparscopically and I have been fine since.

I no longer would reccomend Dr Shina to anyone, any Dr who is going to discount my pain and a diagnoses by another medical professional is not someone I trust to manage my healthcare.

I do still believe he is a talented surgeon, but I still would choose another surgeon over him.

This review is solely my opinion and personal impressions from my personal experience, and I am not making any statements about what other people may experience.

I saw him at mmy second siminar. I thought that he was very straight forward, very confident about the surgeries, however he did not try to persuade anyone to have the surgery. He actually remained the same. His office staff is very friendly and caring. I would say I thought he was not as warm after surgery,(more business like) however, he always asked me or my family members if we had any questions for him. He is a great doctor, highly competent. He is straight to the point and does not risk doing procedure just because he can. He has a 24hr. access line, advises and encourages you to call at anytime that you have a question or concern. He and his associates are definitely on call and will get back with you ASAP. He schedules a home nurse for you so that he can insure that everything is going okay after surgey. The aftercare program is very strucured, and is mandatory for you to attend appointments. The Norton team/Dr. Shina, highly educate you prior to surgey. There are somethings that they go over and emphasize repeadly. There is a very small intimate meeting in the office, then a forum with nutrion and nursing, as well as one on one meetings with each. One to ten, a 10. Surgical competence.

Asshole!
We became friends..
His wife is the office mgr. Holly is amazing.
He didnt/doesnt like that I take xanax, it's dr. ordered. He complained a lot about my taking the medicine. He complained to the point that he told me to my face that I had an ADDICTION to xanax. Yes it made me very upset. He has had to repair the same hernia 3 times and guess what it's back. I have been told to look for another doctor because of the way he treated me last year when he did my hernia repair. But I dont want to go to another doctor, I like Dr. Shina, I like him a lot and I TRUST him.
Listen good and follow his rules. He knows what he is doing.
He has a very structured aftercare program.
He told me everything to expect.
He is without a doubt a 10, you just have to get past his stern personality.
Dr. Shina knows what he is doing, his bedside manner is well.. Like I said you have to accept his personality. I refer him to friends all the time. My over all experince with Dr. Shina has been positive. I have no regrets choosing him.

I had my surgery on 10/08/10 by Dr. Shina. I was very impressed with him and his office staff they are incredibly helpful and friendly! He can seem a bit abrupt at times when he speaks with you but he doesn't sugar coat anything. Right before the surgery he will come in and ask you if you still want this surgery, and tell you your other options for surgery such as going to another surgeon, picking a different procedure or not having WLS at all. it seems crass but in all honesty he just wants to make you a well informed patient. He can at time speak quickly and you may seem lost but he WILL stop and answer any questions you have. I'm a nurse so his abruptness to me doesn't bother me as i'm used to physicians and how they talk. If you are looking for a doctor to hold your hand and pat your back he is not for you, but if you want downright honesty and the facts and surgical competence then this is the right surgeon for you!
The day of surgery the pre-op staff at Norton Suburban were fantastic, along with anesthesia, and the recovery room, once i got to my actualy hospital room the nursing staff their i'd give them a 75 percent. I think they could be alot more responsive and answer call lights quicker...although that has NOTHING to do with Dr. Shina i do feel that everyone has a right to know. The bariatric Nutritionist, Nurse, and psychologist are the nicest people i've ever talked to before!

Dr Shina is my surgeon and I have to say I have been very impressed with him. When I went for my consult and seminar in his office he made me feel like he was talking directly to me in the seminar and then when I was in the room for my consult he made sure he answered all my questions in detail. He made me feel very comfortable with all the procedures he would be performing. I think he is very well educated and that he knows all the ins and outs of being an excellent bariatric surgeon. He seems to have alot of compassion for the obese...I would definately recommend him to anyone interested in having surgery.