For Immediate Release

Contact:         Maryjane Briant   
                        News and Media Relations Director   
                        Galloway, N.J. 08205     
                        Maryjane.Briant@stockton.edu   
                       (609) 652-4593 
                       www.stockton.edu/media

Galloway, N.J. - The public is invited to a free “Lunch & Learn” session on bariatric surgery to induce weight loss, presented by Dr. Lucian Panait at the Manahawkin Instructional Site of Stockton University on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at noon.

Dr. Panait, of the Center for Surgical Weight Loss & Wellness at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, specializes in bariatric surgery with an emphasis on laparoscopic gastric bypass and other minimally invasive procedures. He has a particular interest in robotic and other minimally invasive techniques that can be used to treat gallbladder disease, hernias, gastro-esophageal reflux disease and other disorders.

He received his medical degree from Ovidius University in Romania and then spent several years doing NASA-sponsored research at Virginia Commonwealth University assessing telemedicine and laparoscopic surgery capabilities for space flight. He then completed a general surgery residency at St. Mary’s Hospital/Yale affiliate in Waterbury, Conn. before continuing his training with a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at Yale University, where he also served as a clinical instructor in surgery.

Before joining AtlantiCare, he was assistant professor of surgery at Drexel University and practiced at the Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia.

This event, sponsored by Stockton and AtlantiCare, will take place at the Manahawkin Instructional Site, 712 E. Bay Ave. Lunch will be provided. Please call AtlantiCare at 1-888-569-1000 to reserve a spot.

For more information about classes and other activities at Stockton University’s Manahawkin Instructional site, visit stockton.edu/manahawkin