Akuezunkpa O. Ude Welcome, MD

My mother, a pediatrician, is always in the back of my mind. She influenced my decision to pursue medicine when I was exploring career options in college.

During my medical training, I found that surgery gave me a great sense of satisfaction, because it allowed me to fix people’s health problems. Patients’ lives are dramatically changed for the better, both physically and mentally, after a good surgical outcome.

I manage severe obesity and related conditions, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis of the knees and hips, and hyperlipidemia, which is when there are high levels of lipid or fats in the blood. As part of the Weight Management Program at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, I perform bariatric surgery, which involves making changes to the digestive system to help people with weight loss.

Robotic-assisted and laparoscopic surgery are my preferred approaches. These minimally invasive techniques provide a variety of benefits to patients undergoing a bariatric procedure, including reduced pain and scarring, shorter hospital stays, fewer wound complications, and lower infection rates. The approach also allows me to revise a previous bariatric procedure with fewer complications.

I take a holistic approach to patient health. After performing thousands of procedures over the course of my career, I know working closely with patients and helping them make highly individualized lifestyle changes is the best way to support their weight management goals. I also help them mitigate risk factors for complications during the postoperative period and provide ongoing follow-up care as they heal. In addition, I am involved in research projects that seek to improve surgical outcomes in people who have bariatric surgery.

As chief of surgery at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, I look forward to expanding a variety of services, including critical care surgery, to the local community. I am also deeply committed to training the next generation of doctors and am especially passionate about recruiting faculty and residents who are interested in healthcare access and equity.