HAZARD, Ky. – Kabir Mehta, MD, a fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center, recently served as an invited faculty expert panelist at the International Bariatric Club’s 2024 World Congress at the University of Oxford in England.

“I am humbled to have been asked to serve as an expert on the panels,” Dr. Mehta said. “Surgeons from all over the world presented their work at the conference, so it was truly an honor to be invited.”

Dr. Mehta, who completed his surgical internship, residency and fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, has worked as a general and bariatric surgeon at Hazard ARH for more than two years.

In his practice, he treats a variety of upper gastrointestinal tract conditions through procedures such as minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic abdominal surgeries.

Dr. Mehta’s focus, however, is bariatric weight loss and foregut surgery.

“These are safe, effective and durable,” he said of the procedures. “In addition to weight loss, bariatric surgery can help improve and/or cure medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, heart disease and liver disease. It also reduces the risk of cancer of various organs and increases patient’s lifespan, as proven by various research studies.

“There is a growing obesity epidemic, but we can improve the health of patients and the overall population with the help of these procedures. Furthermore, these have been found to be much more effective and long lasting than weight loss medications”

Dr. Mehta said he believes his selection to attend the conference is confirmation that the services he and his team provide at Hazard ARH Regional Medica Center are on par with those available at larger hospitals throughout the country and around the world.

“I provide personalized care for patients, endorsed by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery,” he said. “And as far as bariatric surgery goes, what my team and I are able to offer here is as complex and sophisticated as a patient could want and could get anywhere else.

“Being invited to attend the conference was really exciting and satisfying,” Dr. Mehta continued. “The impact on patient lives really reinforces the reasons why I do what I do.”

In addition to Bariatric surgery, Dr. Mehta also offers various other minimally invasive operations for treatment of reflux/heartburn, hiatal hernia, diaphragmatic defects, stomach and small bowel masses, adrenal tumors, gallbladder disease and appendix disorders.

***

Dr. Kabir Mehta’s office is located at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 606-439-6782 or 606-487-7320.

# # #

Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), is a not-for-profit health system operating 14 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies and medical spas. ARH employs approximately 6,400 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $474 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 1,300 providers on staff across its multi-state system. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia