The Digestive Health Institute’s Medical & Surgical Weight Loss Program includes highly-skilled, experienced obesity medicine specialists, surgeons, APRNs, physician assistants, nurses, registered dietitians and behavioral health specialists. Our collective focus is on providing the tools for your weight loss and offering support before, during and after your treatment.
Experts in Your Care
We are so happy you’re here and ready to explore medical or surgical weight loss with our expert team. Our one focus is helping you reach your health and weight goals with a variety of tools and specialists. We know it can often be difficult to reach out for care, and are dedicated to ensuring you feel welcome, supported and hopeful from your very first visit.
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Darren Tishler, MD
Chief of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
Darren Tishler, MD, is chief of the Division of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Hartford Hospital, chief of metabolic and bariatric surgery for Hartford HealthCare and associate professor of surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
He earned his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, and completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. His current research interests include studying the response of medical conditions to various surgical treatment options, the role of robotics in bariatric surgery, the study of nutritional abnormalities after weight loss surgery, and the long-term surgical management of post-bariatric surgery patients.
Every day, Dr. Tishler works to understand the challenges of weight loss surgery for patients to best match them with an effective procedure.
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Devika Umashanker, MD
Medical Director, Obesity Medicine
Dr. Devika Umashanker is the System Medical Director for Obesity Medicine at Hartford HealthCare Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Hartford HealthCare Digestive Health Institute. She is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Frank Netter School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University and the Program Director of the Obesity Medicine Fellowship at Hartford Healthcare. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and fellowship trained in Obesity Medicine at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Umashanker’s primary areas of expertise include weight management, preoperative weight loss, and post-operative bariatric surgical care and nutrition management. Her research interests focus includes optimization of non-surgical treatment modalities in patients with history of bariatric surgery and obesity, association of weight stigma and bias on patient clinical outcomes, and prevalence of migraine in patients seeking treatment in medical and surgical weight loss. Dr. Umashanker was awarded the 2023 Integrated Health Emerging Scientist Award by the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders.
Dr. Umashanker has several publications and book chapters on the topics of management and treatment of obesity, pharmacotherapy for obesity, and weight stigma and bias.
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Diversity and Inclusion
Ours is a welcoming, nonjudgmental environment where you can feel seen and safe as you discuss your health and weight loss goals. We have a wonderfully diverse team of providers who are eager and happy to help you.
Patient-Centered Care
As our patient, you can expect a personalized experience that considers your health, weight loss goals and how you envision life after obesity. We listen to you from the very minute you come into our offices. We want to know how you’ve struggled with your weight, what’s worked and
what has not. We incorporate that personal information into your overarching care plan to best set you up for success.