Edward Yatco, M.D., F.A.C.S.

I first became interested in bariatric surgery during my fellowship for minimally invasive surgery. Bariatric surgery comprised a large component of my training during that fellowship. What struck me the most about this field of medicine was the impact that it had on the lives of the patients. Not only were these patients losing weight; they were getting their lives back. Their health dramatically improved. Comorbid conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep apnea disappeared resulting in prolonged life and greater quality of life. The patients became more energetic, more outgoing and more confident. All of these changes greatly improved their social, professional as well as family lives. I soon realized that there were few if any other medical fields that positively impact a patient's life to the same degree as bariatric surgery. It was then that I decided to devote my career to helping obese patients lose weight and reclaim their lives. This decision has led to a career of great challenge but even greater fulfillment.

Dr. Edward Yatco is a board certified surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery and minimally invasive surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. He has performed laparoscopic obesity surgery since 2002. Prior to his recruitment to Lenox Hill Hospital, Dr. Yatco was a principal bariatric surgeon at The Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York and performed over seven hundred laparoscopic bariatric procedures including laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses, laparoscopic insertions of adjustable gastric bands, duodenal switches, and sleeve gastrectomies. He served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at The New York Medical College and was involved in the training of residents in general surgery and instructed surgical fellows on how to perform bariatric and minimally invasive surgery at The Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery. He has published numerous articles and has spoken at national conferences on the subjects of laparoscopic surgery and obesity surgery.

Dr. Yatco graduated from Colgate University with a degree in molecular biology and has several publications in biomedical science from research performed at The Rockefeller University and The Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He received his medical degree with a Distinction in Research from The State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Medicine. After his general surgery residency at St Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center in New York City, he completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at The Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Westchester Medical Center.

Dr. Yatco was named in the 2004-2005 edition of Strathmore’s Who’s Who. He was named as one of America's Top Surgeons (2010). He is a Fellow of The American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He is a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons and The Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgery.