Bariatric Center Georgetown Community Hospital

Our Surgeons

 

Central Kentucky Advanced Surgery and Medicine 

 

Dr. Tom Sonnanstine, Medical Director

The Bariatric Center at Georgetown Community Hospital

 

Tom Sonnanstine, MD, is well-known for both his surgical expertise and his desire to see patients through their entire weight loss journey. 
 
Originally from Ohio, he trained with Scott Shikora, one of the pioneers of minimally invasive weight loss surgery, during his Fellowship Residency at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.
 
After completing his residency in Bariatric Surgery, he, along with his wife Debbie and their children,  moved to Northern Kentucky, where he remained for 5 years as the Medical Director of a successful Bariatric Surgery Center.
 
In April, 2009, he moved to Georgetown, KY, to become the Medical Director of their nationally-known weight loss surgery program.  Since his arrival, the program has expanded its services and has been able to take the most-challenging cases to date.  In addition, he completed his 2000th weight loss surgery in Georgetown Community Hospital's brand new, technologically advanced Bariatric Surgical Suite.


In addition to his duties as chief surgeon and Medical Director, Dr. Sonnanstine also has a very close relationship with Johnson & Johnson Ethicon Endo-Surgery as a member of their faculty.  With them, he travels across the country teaching proper surgical technique to surgeons seeking to offer Realize Banding Solutions to their patients, as well as serving on several panels that determine solutions to medical complications and development of new surgical instrumentation.
 
Dr. Sonnanstine delights in walking with his patients on their path through weight loss and takes a great deal of pride in celebrating their accomplishments.  He sees patients for all of their post-op visits and takes the opportunity to meet new patients by presenting most of the informational seminars that Georgetown Bariatrics offers throughout the year.
 
Dr. Tom, as his patients call him, has been instrumental in three very big accomplishments at Georgetown Bariatrics by lobbying for the removal of the Program Fee, allowing Georgetown Bariatrics to accept Kentucky Health Choices (Medicaid) insurance, and by recruiting Dr. Jason Rasmussen, who will join his practice in August, 2010.

To read more about why Georgetown Bariatrics is the right place for your weight loss surgery, click here.
 
For information, call 888-868-0008 or contact Joann Powell, Office Manager for Georgetown Bariatrics, at Joann.Powell@LPNT.net.

 

Dr. Jason Rasmussen Joins Our Program

 in August, 2010!

 

 

Dr. Jason Rasmussen is a fellowship-trained board-certified general surgeon with a special interest in bariatric surgery.  He is a native of Minnesota, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Rasmussen completed medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and general surgery residency at the University of California, Davis.  

 

Following residency, Dr. Rasmussen completed his fellowship training focusing on advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery, also at the University of California, Davis.  Dr. Rasmussen has published more than a dozen research studies on bariatric surgery and its unparalleled potential to change people’s lives for the better.   

Dr. Rasmussen has performed nearly 2,000 surgeries, including well over 100 bariatric surgeries.  In addition to bariatric surgery Dr. Rasmussen performs the following advanced laparoscopic surgeries:

 

  • Laparoscopic Anti-Reflux surgery (GERD)
  • Laparoscopic correction of Achalasia (a swallowing disorder)
  • Laparoscopic Hernia repair (including groin, abdominal wall and hiatal hernias)
  • Laparoscopic Colon-Small Intestine surgery
  • Laparoscopic Gallbladder removal
  • Laparoscopic Appendix removal
  • Laparoscopic Spleen removal
  • Laparoscopic Adrenal gland removal
 

Dr. Rasmussen's passion for bringing long-term weight loss to morbidly obese patients led him to join the comprehensive bariatric program at Georgetown Community Hospital. His goal is to provide the safest and most comprehensive surgical and post-operative care to each individual.

 

A successful outcome to bariatric surgery requires more than a successful surgery:  it requires a commitment to many lifestyle changes. Dr. Rasmussen’s training allows him to function as more than just a surgeon to help each patient make these changes.  Because each patient’s journey before and after surgery is unique, he strives to individualize each patient’s care to suit his or her needs.  Dr. Rasmussen treasures the partnership he forms with his patients as they go through this wonderful process.

 

Dr. Rasmussen comes to Georgetown with his wife, Jeanelle, and their two children Anna and Benjamin.  They enjoy a wide variety of family activities including outdoor recreation and travel.

To learn more about Georgetown Bariatrics and their Center of Excellence, click here.