Robert Woodruff Jr Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

very smart man. he answers all questions and his staff is great!! i had my 6 week follow-up and lost 62lbs in 6 weeks!!! great staff!!!

My first impression of Dr. Woodruff was how young he looks, with that aside I felt he knew his stuff. I was very at ease with him and his staff. Dr. Woodruff is very calm and compassionate, he doesn't want his patience in pain after surgery, so pain control is important.
The staff at the clinic are well informed and very friendly.
Aftercare is addressed in the hospital by Dr. & the nurse from the clinic that will visit the day before you go home. Support group is important & family support also.They take their time explaining instructions for your care and will answer any questions asked.
Before surgery was even scheduled I took a test, to see if I knew the risks of the surgery that had been explained to me.

Dr. Woodruff gets 100% from me - the staff at the hospital also the same.

It is great to get competence & bedside manner and Dr. is teaching students the same, as they came to see me during my stay.I'm sure he is teaching many other skills.

My first impression of my surgeon was how professional, yet personal his staff is. I also was impressed that 50% of his staff are WLS patients who have experienced excellent results. He has a very structured initial visit, that guides prospective patients through an informative and detailed consultation with himself, his RN, Bariatric Counselor, and Nutricionist. There is a structured pre-op. and post-op. program that follows each patient for life after the surgery. This also is excellent for continued research on the topic of WLS and adequate surveys of the risks and benefits for future condidates. The aftercare program is strongly emphasized and a patient can not procede w/o committed to the aftercare program. The risks of surgery are outlined and discussed by the surgeon and each of his staff members. He is also very detailed about pryor medical history and making sure that all aspects of the patient's current health issues are being addressed. As a pre-op condidate, I would rate Dr. Woodruff and his team at 10 (on a scale from 1 to 10).

I chose Dr. Woodruff because my sister recommended him. She is an RN at St. Joseph's. She says he is a very conscientious of his patients. He doesn't even mind being waken in the middle of the night if she has a question, lol! My first impression of him was that he is really young. He and his staff did a great job of explaining the whole surgical process. The risks, the advantages and what is expected from yourself afterwards. I think that surgical competence is definatly my first concern but bedside manner is always a plus. I feel confident in my choice of Dr. Woodruff, his staff and of St. Joseph's.

My first impression was that he was a young Doogie Howser, but I later found out that he is older than me so that was okay. Both me and my husband was really pleased with him. He had been a surgeon for 15 years and a bariatric surgeon for the last 2. Both he and is office staff were very pleasant and friendly. I didn't feel like they were looking down on me because they were thin and I didn't get the impression that they blamed me for my weight problem. There was nothing that I didn't like about him. He is very open and honest and wants to help those who he can and do the best for them. That was one of his biggest points other than the actual procedure. He stated that the surgery is just a tool to help you. It's like being on a diet that you can't cheat on because your body won't allow it. The after care is very structured and easy to understand and follow. Went through every risk factor and explained each one in detail and very well. On a scale of 1 - 10 I would give him 20!! I feel that having both the surgical competence to do your job good and the bedside manner to make the patient feel like a person and not just another insurance carrier are very important. My experience was not bad. Any part of it for that matter. The staff was great and easy to get along with and the Dr. was very pleasant and helpful. I am just hoping that I get approved and am able to go through him.

My first impression of Dr woodruff was "Gee, he's very young". But as I spoke with him I learned that he had a lot of personal experience already and that he new his subject in-depth. I became confident that I would be safe in his hands.

Dr. Woodruff's office staff are always knowledgeable and friendly. I really like them and am confident that any advice they give can be taken to heart.

Dr.Woodruff is very big on attending the monthly support group meeting. Most of the time either he or his representative staff members are in attendance.

Doctor was very blunt and explicit about the risks of the surgery. I did NOT go through with it and then think, "if he had told me about THIS part I never would have done this." I was very well prepared.

I like Dr. Woodruff, he has a dry sense of humor, like mine. Although I believe his surgical competance is better than his bed side manner, neither one is bad and his surgical staff at St. Joseph Hospital are beyond reproach.

I was very impressed with Dr. Woodruff at my first meeting. He was very friendly and made me feel at ease. I became very informed on the procedure and its risks and benefits; recovery, and changes to my lifestyle. His staff was and is very helpful. Dr. Woodruff does emphasize support group meetings, which are held once monthly. They are fun and informative. He has a structured aftercare program and gives his personal number in case there is an emergency. I would say he is a caring, concerned and excellent surgeon. Overall, I would say I thank God I picked him! Both his surgical and bedside manner were professional and meaningful in my recovery.

I met with Dr. Woodruff at the Center for Comprehensive Weight Loss in Youngstown, OH. His office staff was effiecient and pleasant. The thing that I liked the most was that in one day I met with the nurse, the bariatric counselor, the nutritionist and the surgeon. So, while I was there for 3 hours, I got 4 meetings completed. I have known Dr. Woodruff since he was a resident since I am a nurse the hospital he trained at. My first impression as a patient was that he was very kind and comprehensive. He answered all of my questions easily and without patronizing, as some doctors do. That day he set me up for a gallbladder ultrasound and upper endoscopy. His nurse said that if I had everything (ultrasound, endoscopy, pap, medical clearance, psychological evaluation) done that day (Jan. 19), then they'd be scheduling for March. Prior to surgery, they require you to attend two support group meetings, to get the good and the bad sides of post-operative care. Dr. Woodruff was very blunt as far as risks of the surgery are concerned. He stressed the fact that the national morality rate is 1 in 200, although his program has had two deaths - both from heart attacks at 6 weeks and 3 months post-op. My overall feeling is that he is very knowlegable and competant. His bedside manner is wonderful. I felt very much at ease with him. At this point, I don't feel there is anything negative I can say about him.

Dr. Woodruff is a wonderful surgeon. He's thorough, attentive - I can't think of one negative thing to say about him. HIGHLY RECOMEND!

My first impression of Dr. Robert Woodruff is, he is a very caring compassionate doctor.
The office staff at St Elizabeth's in Youngstown, Oh is great, they all have been very caring and responsive.
St Elizabeth's have a good aftercare program, with group support meetings once a month.
Dr. Woodruff & the entire staff explained all of the risks involved with surgery.