Dr. Schauer earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio. He is Professor of Metabolic Surgery and Director of Metamor at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is formerly Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He is past president of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). He is former Chair and founder of Obesity Week (2012-present) and Co-Chair of the Diabetes Surgery Summit (2007, 2015, 2019). Dr. Schauer's clinical interests include obesity, diabetes and metabolic surgery. He has performed more than 8,000 operations for severe obesity and diabetes. His research interests include the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and outcomes of metabolic surgery.
He has authored more than 350 scientific papers, 60 textbook chapters, and 3 textbooks related to obesity, bariatric/metabolic surgery and gastrointestinal surgery with more than 20,000 citations. He is past chairman of the Bariatric Surgery Section of The Obesity Society (TOS). He has been a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Obesity, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases and Obesity Surgery as well as 3 other scientific journals. He has been an invited speaker for more than 200 international lectures on the subject of metabolic surgery. He is the founder of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium (MISS) now in its 20th year.
Dr. Allain earned his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, where he also completed his internship and residency in general surgery. He is Fellowship trained in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery and is Board Certified in general surgery. Dr. Allain performs a wide variety of operations using minimally invasive surgical techniques, including robotic surgery via the da Vinci Surgical System. He has a special interest in weight loss surgery, including gastric sleeve, gastric bypass and gastric balloon. His additional interests include anti-reflux surgery (including the LINX procedure), gallbladder surgery, hernia surgery, colon surgery, and surgery to treat excessive sweating.
Dr. Hausmann earned his medical degree from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and is Board Certified in general surgery. Dr. Hausmann has special interest in advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery including robotic surgery, particularly focusing on acid-reflux surgery and bariatric (weight loss) surgery, as well as surgery for benign and malignant colon diseases, hernia, gallbladder and endocrine (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal) pathologies. He serves as a proctor to other surgeons across the country, teaching advanced surgical techniques including robotic surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System and the LINX procedure for the treatment of GERD.
Dr. Daryl Marx is a general surgeon specializing in general, bariatric, and robotic-assisted surgery using advanced minimally invasive techniques. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and Board Certified by the American College of Surgeons. He is also a fellow of the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons. These organizations represent the level of commitment that Dr. Marx has to his patients in providing excellent care. These accomplishments are based on a surgeon’s education, training, surgical competence, ethical conduct, professional qualifications and rigorous testing.
Dr. Marx offers minimally invasive surgery using the state-of-the-art Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. He is a specially trained surgeon using techniques to perform complicated surgical procedures with a degree of precision, control and dexterity that traditional surgery cannot match. Dr. Marx is the No.1 robotic surgeon in the South based on volume statistics provided from DaVinci surgical statistics. He has performed over 4,000 robotic cases since he started using the system in April 2012. He is a speaker for DaVinci Robotics, giving presentations over a tri-state area. He currently trains and proctors other surgeons in robotics and routinely has other surgeons travel to observe his cases.
Dr. Marx received his doctor of medicine from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. He continued his surgical internship and residency there, graduating in 2003. While at LSU, he excelled and received several awards for demonstrating outstanding academic and leadership ability. The rigorous training, volume of patients, exposure and responsibility to all aspects of general surgery has well equipped him with surgical excellence. Upon completion of his training, Dr. Marx was most interested in something that he believed was the future of surgery – laparoscopic surgery. This method of surgery uses several small incisions to access the affected area and a “telescope” type instrument inserted to allow the surgeon to operate inside the body without opening the skin. This method of surgery offers less pain and a shorter recovery time for the patient. He enrolled and completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery at Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. This was done in conjunction with Willis Knighton Medical Center. This program gave him the ability to offer many laparoscopic techniques from the very beginning of his solo practice. Dr. Marx regularly attends training and education in any new techniques available. Currently, approximately 90% of his practice is laparoscopic surgery, with most of his surgeries being robotic-assisted. In 2010, Dr. Marx was the only one in the area to offer the single-incision or “scarless” gallbladder surgery. In 2012, Dr. Marx was trained by the DaVinci Group to operate using the newest technology available: the DaVinci Robot. He was the first surgeon to offer this to the people of Northeast Louisiana and is thrilled to bring his knowledge to serve the people of Baton Rouge. This is still laparoscopic surgery that utilizes the special skills and benefits that robotic-assisted surgery can provide.
Vance L. Albaugh earned his medical degree from Penn State University College of Medicine. Dr. Albaugh then completed his general surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and his Fellowship in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at Cleveland Clinic. He serves as Assistant Professor of Metabolic Surgery at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Louisiana State University, as well as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. In addition to being certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Albaugh has completed extensive scientific training, earning his PhD in the physiology of metabolism, with emphasis on control of body weight and diabetes. Dr. Albaugh's research interests include the investigation of the mechanisms of weight loss surgery, identification of patients who benefit most from surgical weight loss, as well as investigation of other lifestyle, dietary and medical treatments for weight loss and diabetes. Dr. Albaugh is the co-author of more than 40 scientific articles, including numerous invited editorials, book chapters and reviews within the medical and surgical literature.
Jean Domercant, MD, earned his medical degree from the Medical University of the Americas in St. Kitts. He completed his residency at Chabert Medical Center in Houma. Dr. Domercant is fluent in English, Creole (Haitian) and French.
Brian Saunders, MD, earned his medical degree and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr. Saunders is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and is Board Eligible in Obesity Medicine. He is a member of the Obesity Medicine Association and the Obesity Society.
Holly Edmonds, PA-C, received her bachelor of science degree in microbiology from Louisiana State University in
Baton Rouge, LA. She then went on to earn an advanced degree to become a physician assistant from Louisiana
State University Health Sciences Center School of Allied Health in Shreveport, LA. She is licensed and has worked
in Louisiana since the beginning of her career in 2003. She has worked in the field of Bariatric surgery her entire
career, and has 1st assisted on over 7000 Bariatric surgery cases. She has also served as International Faculty for
Johnson & Johnson and ASMBS teaching surgical techniques and instructing surgeons and PAs on critical pathways
for metabolic and bariatric programs. She also served locally as an officer for the LA Chapter of the ASMBS. Not
only has she fulfilled her clinical role as a PA-C, but she has also been the Bariatric Program Coordinator for OLOLA
for the last 12 years. The hospital was awarded and has maintained multiple designations for providing excellent
care in Bariatric surgery, including being named an MBSAQIP facility as well as a Blues Distinction facility. Her
specialized care in the Bariatric industry is beyond impressive, and her experience is unmatched.
Dr. Queen is a pediatrician who is passionate about preventing chronic disease and obesity in children by promoting healthy lifestyle choices. She first became interested in nutrition and physical activity as a teen, when she recalls doing weekly step aerobics with her mother at the local gym. While completing her degree in Plan II Honors liberal arts at the University of Texas at Austin, she completed her AFAA training to teach group exercise, was president of the Nutrition & Wellness Association, and concentrated on nutrition classes in addition to her premedical studies.
She went on to complete her medical degree from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, spending two elective months during her fourth year at UCSF and Duke University learning from experts in childhood obesity. During her residency at LSU Pediatrics New Orleans, she received an American Academy of Pediatrics CATCH grant to design and implement an intensive healthy lifestyle program for kids and their families at a local community center.
Dr. Queen earned her Board Certification in obesity medicine in 2020 and began her role as the medical director of the Our Lady of the Lake Children's Health Weight and Nutrition Center.
Dr. Queen is currently focusing on making progress at the state level to try and reduce the rates of childhood obesity in Louisiana.
“We are number three in the country, and I realize that treating one patient at a time will likely not fix this enormous problem” she says. “I'm interested in public health and changing policy that can help make the food and physical environment one where the healthy choice is the easy choice.”
Dr. Queen remains an active member of the national American Academy of Pediatrics section on childhood obesity and is currently working on creating a section for the state chapter.
T. Shavaun Sam, PhD, LP, HSP-CPT, received her bachelor of arts and a bachelor’s of science from Louisiana State University. She completed her Master’s rotation in Marriage & Family at Glanton House while focusing on cross racial and same gender couples. She earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology at Auburn University and completed her doctoral internship at Clemson’s Redfern Health Center. Dr. Sam completed postdoctoral residencies in college counseling and academic assessment & forensic psychology with a focus on competency restoration. She also completed training in faith-based counseling. Dr. Sam is a relational-cultural psychologist with specializations in assessment, forensic evaluation, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, trauma, identity issues and clinical supervision/consultation. When she is not practicing, she enjoys spending time with family, travelling to new places, blogging/reading, and watching crime documentaries.
Amanda Perron, RD, LDN, NSCA-CPT, earned her bachelor's degree in nutrition from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Over the last 20 years, she has worked as a Registered Dietitian counseling medical weight loss patients. Amanda has provided her weight management expertise during health fairs, nutrition seminars, personal training and weight loss support group sessions. She holds a certificate in adult weight management by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is also a Certified Personal Trainer. (CPT).
Victoria Harris, MS, RDN, LDN, CPhT, received her bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences/dietetics from Louisiana State University. She then completed her master's degree in nutritional sciences - dietetic internship program at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University in Baton Rouge. As a registered dietitian, Victoria conducts nutrition assessments, group classes, and implements a nutrition care plan based on each patient's individual needs. She has volunteered and worked in a variety of care settings and continues professional development through education to provide the best care possible to bariatric patients.
Mallory Cavalier, MS, RDN, LDN, received her bachelor's degree in dietetics from Nicholls State University. She then completed her master's degree in nutritional sciences and dietetic internship at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University in Baton Rouge. Mallory helps support individuals undergoing weight loss surgery by providing personalized nutrition guidance and educating patients about lifestyle adjustments pre- and post-surgery to ensure a successful and healthy weight loss journey. She has worked closely with Bariatric patients throughout her internship and continues to pursue professional development through education to provide the best care possible.
