Dr. Walter Rose

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Walter Rose
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Physician Spotlight: Dr. Walter Rose

Dr. Walter Rose is no stranger to the East Tennessee area.This self-described "hometown boy" grew up on Signal Mountain right outside of Chattanooga.

Now Dr. Rose, a bariatric surgeon with the Surgical Weight Management Program of Memorial Health Care System, is giving back to the community where he was educated.Rose attended Chattanooga's McCallie School before receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.He then headed west â€" West Tennessee, that is â€" where he attended medical school at the University of Tennessee-Memphis."I've been raised and educated in our community and state for my entire education," noted Rose, "and came full circle back to Chattanooga in 1984, when I completed my general surgery residency at Erlanger Hospital."

Of course, Rose is happy to give back to a community whose members were early influences on his decision to study medicine.Naturally interested in the sciences â€" "I came by it honestly. . . my father was a chemist," â€" Rose explained that McCallie School had strong programs which helped develop his interest in medicine, and his fascination with medicine was fostered by two early mentors.
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"I watched them â€" how they conducted their life and their involvement in the community," said Rose.

Rose's family all call Chattanooga their home, including his parents, his wife of sixteen years, Jan, his two children, Rebecca and Preston, as well as the family's cat and 3 dogs.Jan, whose background is in nursing and currently works in real estate, has also been actively involved in the community, serving as the president of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society Alliance, composed of spouses of physicians who do volunteer work in the area, including patient advocacy.

For Rose, one of the biggest ways he is now giving back to Chattanooga is by calling attention to a growing epidemic facing our societyâ€"obesity.

"Obesity, in my opinion, is the single biggest health issue facing our society, nation, and world," said Rose."I can't overemphasize the epidemic proportions of the problem.Quite frankly, there are not enough surgeons to take care of this problem, so obviously we are going to need more than just surgery."

Rose has been performing bariatric surgery for the past 5 years, but he was in private practice for 18 years as a general surgeon, specializing in laparoscopic surgery.Because he got involved early in the field of minimal invasive surgery, he was able to participate in several training courses and improve his experience using more advanced laparoscopic approaches.

"After we saw success with laparoscopic cholecystectomy, many of us realized we could do more with this and questioned ‘What would enhance the patient's experience and still produce quality results?'" noted Rose.

He was among the first to perform laparoscopic hernia surgery, appendectomy, and anti-reflux surgery, helping develop the techniques, the tools, and skill sets involved with these procedures.Of particular note, Rose also developed the ability to perform gallbladder removal with only two small incisions rather than four â€" half the incisions and half the pain.

"It's a matter of looking at what can be done laparoscopically but is still reasonable," said Rose."Ultimately, we should question, ‘Is this of benefit to the patient?' We can do many things with our current tools, but will these techniques or ideas be of benefit to the patient, will they be economically feasible and sustainable, will other surgeons be able to adapt and incorporate the techniques in any hospital facility?You've heard the saying, ‘If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail'?Well, if the only tool you have is laparoscopy . . . use it appropriately and, most importantly, for patient benefit."

Laparoscopy, however, is not the only tool at which Rose is skilled.One of Rose's favorite hobbies is woodworking and furniture building."People think I'm foolish working around power tools with my occupation," Rose jokingly commented.

Those concerned individuals might suggest Rose stick with his other recreational interest â€" fly fishing.When time permits, Rose fishes the rivers of Tennessee, North Carolina, and north Georgia, and for the past two years, Rose and a few friends have traveled to Alberta, Canada, where they enjoyed fishing for trout."As a teenager, I liked to backpack and hike.Fly fishing was a natural evolution, and it has been something I've enjoyed for the past 34 years," shared Rose.

After talking with Dr. Rose, it is easy to see that at the heart of his impressive career is the patient, and on a larger scale, the community."I'm doing my little part to help a small group of patients when compared to our entire population struggling with obesity."

Rose's concern for our society is inspiring, and the message that he is trying to spread is of utmost importance.

Physician Spotlight: Dr. Walter RoseDr. Walter Rose is no stranger to the East Tennessee area.This self-described "hometown boy" grew up on Signal Mountain right outside of Chattanooga.Now Dr. Rose, a bariatric surgeon with the Surgical Weight Management Program of Memorial Health Care System, is giving back to the community where he was educated.

Surgeon Info: My surgeon is Dr Walter Rose in Chattanooga, TN.So far, I've met once with Dr Rose.He was very friendly and professional.He seems to be very interested in the individual and I felt he tried to set my mind at ease.He sat and talked WITH me, not TO me.He was very willing to answer any of my questions and I think he really wanted me to ask more than I did.He explained to me the varying parts of the program.He understood that I would not be able to take advantage of some aspects of the program because I live 95 miles away.He said however, that I could call and talk to different members of the team anytime.Also, he did my wife's cousin's surgery several weeks ago and she just loves him.She recommended him to me.Dr Rose is part of the Surgical Weight Management Program at Memorial Hosp in Chattanooga, although he has a private practice.He is also Chief of Surgery for the hospital.A very busy man, I'm sure.But he did not rush our meeting in any way.So far, all of the S.W.M. staff which I have met have been really helpful and friendly.Dr Rose even took time to call my insurance company while they were trying to decide on approving him to do the surgery.

Terry Rose, RNMemorial North Park Hospital

Dr. Walter Rose who performs stomach surgeries for obese people questions the finding.

"We know that even modest weight reduction of 10 to 15 pounds will make that person healthier.For instance, diabetes goes down by half for example."

Dr. Rose says those modestly overweight might live longer lives but not necessarily a better quality life due to medical advancements.

He also says because the study is based on B-M-I or body mass index, he believes it's skewed.