Hugh L. Houston, MD
Biography:
A fourth generation physician and third generation surgeon, Dr. Hugh Houston decided he wanted to be a doctor at the age of 11 after seeing the impact his dad and grandfather had on the local community in Murray, Kentucky.
Dr. Houston graduated from Murray State University before attending the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He obtained his general surgery training in one of the nation’s top programs at the University of Cincinnati. After witnessing firsthand the life-changing benefits of bariatric surgery, he entered a two-year fellowship in Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Houston was one of the first surgeons in the country to complete a fellowship dedicated to laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Houston has helped thousands of patients in the middle Tennessee area lose weight and is passionate about helping his patients achieve healthy lifestyles. He is a member of the team at TriStar Centennial Center for Weight Management, which was one of the first centers in the country to be recognized as an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. He continues to be on the cutting edge of weight loss solutions being the first surgeon in the area to perform robotic gastric bypass surgery, robotic single anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S), and robotic duodenal switch surgery.
Dr. Houston enjoys spending time with his family and golfing when he’s not helping patients. He’s an active member of Brentwood Baptist Church and loves coaching his sons’ baseball and basketball teams on the weekends.
Care Philosophy:
Dr. Houston’s goal is to provide the best patient experience possible through education, accountability, relationships and expert surgery.
Procedures and Conditions Treated:
- Gastric Sleeve
- Gastric Bypass Surgery
- Revision Surgery
- Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch (SADI)
- Duodenal Switch Procedure
- Weight Loss Surgery
- Robotic Weight Loss Procedures
Specialties:
- Bariatric Surgery – Board Certified
Education and Credentials:
- University of Cincinnati Hospital – Residency (2001)
- University of Louisville School of Medicine – Graduate Degree (1996)
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center – Fellowship (Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery)
Contact Information:
- Phone: 615-342-5820
- Fax: 615-342-5816
Click to visit Dr. Houston’s clinic website
George Lynch, MD
Biography:
I am proud to practice Bariatric and General Surgery with The Surgical Clinic. I grew up in Pulaski TN, received my secondary education at Giles County High and Montgomery Bell Academy, majored in English at Dartmouth College, and taught high school in rural Kenya between college and med school. I spent 9 years at Vanderbilt for med school and residency. My wife Amy and I lived and worked in Greenville SC from 1997-2002 before returning to Nashville. We have two sons. Henry works for a software company and Haynes is an aspiring chef. When I’m not at work, I enjoy cooking, gardening, hiking, sailing, golfing, and solving the NYT spelling bee.
Care Philosophy:
It is a great privilege to work as a surgeon. I’ve always been impressed that patients who hardly know me entrust their care to me with little fanfare. That trust comes with a huge responsibility, and I take that seriously. For me, that means working hard, listening to, and being honest with my patients. It means that my own education didn’t stop when I finished my formal training. I believe patients should be active participants in their own health outcomes. That might mean smoking cessation or weight loss or starting an exercise routine. Some patients appreciate this message, others not so much. I am conservative in my decision making. Surgery can be an awesome tool to help improve quality of life. But operations have risks, and there need not be an operative intervention for every malady. I try to educate my patients so that we can make informed decisions together.
Procedures and Conditions Treated:
- Gastric Sleeve
- Gastric Bypass Surgery
- Revision Surgery
- Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch (SADI)
- Duodenal Switch Procedure
- Weight Loss Surgery
- Robotic Weight Loss Procedures
Specialties:
- General Surgery – Board Certified
Affiliations:
- TriStar Centennial Medical Center
Education and Credentials:
- Vanderbilt University – Graduate Degree (1992), Residency (1997)
Clinic Information:
- Phone: 615-329-7887
- Fax: 615-340-4537
Click to visit Dr. Lynch’s clinic website
Zachary Callahan, MD
Biography:
Dr. Callahan specializes in minimally invasive general surgery including weight-loss surgery.
He is fellowship-trained in primary and revisional weight-loss surgery including both traditional laparoscopic procedures (sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, duodenal switch) and exciting new incisionless procedures such as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, endoscopic revision of gastric bypass, and intragastric balloon placement. He also offers incisionless treatment of Achalasia, Gastroparesis, Zenker’s Diverticulum, and early-stage cancers of the esophagus or stomach. He has additional training in foregut surgery (hiatal hernia repair and anti-reflux procedures including fundoplication or LINX placement.) Lastly, he offers minimally invasive repair of both simple and complex abdominal wall hernias.
Dr. Callahan graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from the Cincinnati College of Medicine and then joined the Jefferson Surgical Residency in Philadelphia. At Jefferson, he logged over 1,100 general surgery cases and passed both Fundamentals of Laparoscopic and Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery examinations. During his time there, he received seven teaching awards, was accepted to the Gold Humanism Honor Society and was selected as Administrative Chief Resident in his final year.
After residency, he matriculated to his first-choice fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) to train under foregut expert Michael Ujiki at Northshore University HealthSystem in Chicago. This fellowship is one of only a few programs in the country to be accredited in four categories of MIS training including Advanced GI MIS, Bariatric, Comprehensive Flexible Endoscopy, and Foregut.
Dr. Callahan has presented research at numerous national meetings; he has more than 30 publications and over 200 citations relating to minimally invasive surgery. He is an active member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
In his spare time, Dr. Callahan enjoys staying active, traveling, and spending time with his wife and Bernedoodle, “Carson.
Care Philosophy:
Accelerating recovery by using minimally invasive techniques.
Procedures and Conditions Treated:
- Gastric Sleeve
- Gastric Bypass Surgery
- Revision Surgery
- Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch (SADI)
- Duodenal Switch Procedure
- Weight Loss Surgery
- Laparoscopic and Robotic Weight Loss Procedures
Specialties:
- Bariatric Surgery – Board Certified
- General Surgery – Board Certified
Education and Credentials:
- University of New Hampshire – Undergraduate Degree (2010)
- University of Cincinnati College of Medicine – Medical School (2015)
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospital – Internship (2016), Residency (2021)
- Northshore University Health System – Fellowship (2022)
Contact Information:
- Phone: 615-292-7708
- Fax: 615-292-7756
Click to visit Dr. Callahan’s clinic website
MBSAQIP works to advance safe, high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients through the accreditation of bariatric surgical centers. A bariatric surgical center achieves accreditation following a rigorous review process during which it proves that it can maintain certain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice. All accredited centers report their outcomes to the MBSAQIP database.†
