The Ochsner Lafayette General Bariatric Surgery Team is comprised of many individuals who perform a wide variety of services; we work diligently with our weight loss surgeons as a team in order to meet the specific needs of patients actively seeking to reclaim their lives by means of weight loss surgery.
Our Doctors
Philip Gachassin, MD
MEDICAL DEGREE
Louisiana State University
RESIDENCY
University of South Alabama
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- American College of Surgeons
- American Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgeons
- Louisiana State Medical Society
- Lafayette Parish Medical Society
- Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons
Dr. Gachassin is the Medical Director of our weight loss surgery program at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center. He assisted in the start up of the bariatric surgery program in 2004 and has been performing weight loss surgery for over 15 years. Dr. Gachassin practices both advanced, general and bariatric surgery in Lafayette. He is a native of Lafayette and resides with his wife and three sons.
Dennis Eschete, Jr, MD
MEDICAL DEGREE
Louisiana State University - New Orleans
RESIDENCY
Louisiana State University - New Orleans
FELLOWSHIP
Minimally Invasive and Gastrointestinal Laparoscopic Surgery - New York
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- American College of Surgeons
- American Medical Association
- American Society of General Surgeons
- American Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgeons
- Louisiana State Medical Society
- Lafayette Parish Medical Society
- Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons
Dr. Eschete joined our bariatric surgery program in 2009. He is a highly skilled and trained bariatric surgeon. Following his medical school and residency at LSU, he completed an advanced fellowship training program in New York with a very busy bariatric hospital. Dr. Eschete practices both advanced laparoscopic, general and bariatric surgery in Lafayette. He is a native of Louisiana and excited to be back home as well as practicing in south Louisiana.
Robert Autin, MD
MEDICAL DEGREE
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Shreveport
RESIDENCY
New York Methodist Hospital - Brooklyn, NY
FELLOWSHIP
Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery - Albany, NY
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- American College of Surgeons
- Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons
- Louisiana State Medical Society
- Lafayette Medical Society
- American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
Dr. Autin joined our bariatric surgery program in 2015. He is fellowship trained in minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon. Among his many procedures are gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, lap band removal and endoscopic revisions which he mastered during an advanced fellowship training program in New York. Dr. Autin is a native of Louisiana and proud to be back home serving residents across Acadiana.
Non-Surgical Weight Loss
Benjamin Doga, MD
, oversees the program at Acadiana Weight Loss Surgery, located at Ochsner Lafayette General Surgical Hospital—An Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center Campus. Dr. Doga is certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. Scheduled visits occur every Tuesday and include sessions with a dietitian, behavior modification educator and exercise physiologist. The goal is to help people safely lose weight and keep it off by learning new food choices and habits. It is essentially a lifestyle modification program that pursues the best course for each individual.
Participants can choose a three-month or six-month plan. Dr. Doga will evaluate patients to help determine their best options, which can include a customized diet and/or pharmaceutical assistance to help suppress appetite, and participants will receive constant support from professionals throughout the program.
For more information about the Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program, call (337) 289-8484.
Ochsner Lafayette General Bariatric Team
Our Bariatric Team is here to provide you with the needed support through your weight loss journey in order for you to be successful pre and post-operatively. Throughout your journey in the Bariatric Program at Ochsner Lafayette General, you will develop a relationship with multiple members of our Bariatric Team:
- Bariatric Program Manager/ Certified Bariatric Nurse
- Bariatric Office Coordinator
- Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist/Certified in Adult Weight Management
- Behavior Modification Educator/Certified Lifestyle Coach & Certified Trainer
- Surgical Clinical Reviewer/Licensed Practical Nurse
- Bariatric Patient Advocate
- Licensed Professional Counselor
