ABOUT US

Our Surgeons

Leadership is a choice. Not a position. ~ Steven Covey

Leaders in bariatric surgery.

If you are searching for a leading bariatric surgeon in Oregon, your search is over. Southern Oregon Bariatric Center is home to four certified bariatric surgeons who are experts in the most current bariatric surgery techniques. Our goal is to provide the most appropriate personalized care in the least invasive manner possible. That is why our surgeons are leaders in laparoscopic surgery—the minimally invasive approach to surgery. Those patients who are candidates for this minimally invasive technique benefit from smaller incisions, reduced pain and scarring, and typically recover quickly.

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OUR SURGEONS

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OUR STAFF

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OUR PARTNERS

Mark A. Eaton, MD, FACS

BARIATRIC SURGEON

Dr. Eaton received his medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, NM. He attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, TX for his surgical residency and he completed a vascular surgery fellowship at University of Tennessee’s Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Eaton is the medical director of Southern Oregon Bariatric Center. He became a strong proponent of bariatric surgery after he witnessed many patients greatly benefiting from bariatric surgery while he was completing his surgical training.

Dr. Eaton is certified by the American Board of Surgery, with added qualifications in vascular surgery. He completed Medtronic and Guidant Endovascular AAA Training programs. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Oregon Medical Association, and the American Medical Association.

Originally from New Mexico, Dr Eaton and his wife, Shelly, moved to the Rogue Valley in the late 1990s. Both college athletes, they enjoy the wealth of outdoor activities available in Southern Oregon. In his spare time, Dr. Eaton enjoys working out at the gym and playing his guitar. He also plays the drums in an all-physician rock band. Dr. Eaton and his wife are the proud parents of two boys.

Juan M. Castillo, MD, FACS

BARIATRIC SURGEON

Dr. Castillo received his Doctorate in Medicine from the New York University Medical Center in New York, NY. He completed his surgical residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX. Dr. Castillo specialized in vascular surgery during his Vascular Fellowship at the New York University Medical Center in New York, NY. He is Board Certified in General and Vascular Surgery, is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Castillo believes strongly in the great value of bariatric surgery as a treatment for morbid obesity.

Originally from New York, Dr. Castillo enjoys the mountains and many outdoor activities such as hiking and running. However, in recent years he has discovered a love of Cross Fit. He also enjoys skiing, biking, and cooking. Dr. Castillo and his wife, Sherry Jo (a local Family Practice physician) moved to this area to enjoy the benefits of living in a small community. They have five daughters.

David Lee Street, MD, FACS

BARIATRIC SURGEON

A native Californian, Dr. Street received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of California in Davis, CA. He was a surgical intern and resident at UC Davis. Dr. Street was a Research Fellow and Clinical Fellow in vascular surgery at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery with added qualifications in general vascular surgery. Dr. Street holds professional memberships in the Oregon Medical Association, the Jackson County Medical Society, Pacific Northwest Vascular Society, American Association of Vascular Surgery, International Society of Endovascular Specialists, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgery.

Dr. Street was the first surgeon in Southern Oregon to perform both laparoscopic and endovascular surgery. He continually brings new technology in minimally invasive surgical procedures to the Rogue Valley. An expert laparoscopic surgeon, he has now educated many surgeons throughout the world in the method for performing several different surgical procedures.

Dr Street and his wife have been married for over 30 years and they have three grown children together. Dr. Street’s favorites hobbies include golf and fly fishing.

Patrick J. Phelan, MD

BARIATRIC SURGEON

While an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Phelan discovered his calling to medicine during an internship with the Wellcome Trust in Nairobi Kenya. He went on to attend Emory University School of Medicine, where he chose to pursue a career in surgery. After graduating with honors, he accepted a general surgery residency position at the University of Washington-Seattle. He is board-certified in General Surgery and Vascular Surgery. Read More... Read Less

In addition to his clinical training, Dr. Phelan spent two years in the laboratory studying lung injury after lung transplantation. He ultimately chose to pursue further training, winning a fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There he learned the art of traditional open surgery and participated in clinical trials probing the frontiers of new technology.

Dr. Phelan and his wife, Wei have been very excited about their time in the Rogue valley. Engaged on the slopes of Mount Rainier, the mountains have always been an important part of their lives. An avid mountain climber and skier, Dr. Phelan gets outdoors whenever possible. Together they look forward to raising a family in this vibrant community.

Our Staff

Caring. Knowledgeable. Compassionate.

Within minutes of meeting the staff at Southern Oregon Bariatric Center you will come to understand that their work is more than simply a job. Individually and together as a team they share a unique combination of the highest qualities of caring, knowledge, and compassion for our patients. They also love their work…

Reeger Cortell, MSN, FNP

FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER

Reeger Cortell graduated from Western University of Health Sciences with a master’s degree in nursing and family nurse practitioner certification. We at Southern Oregon Bariatric Center (SOBC) are not only proud of the fact that Reeger graduated 1st in her class and with top honors but that she accomplished these goals by focusing her education upon obesity-related conditions and care of the bariatric patient.

Reeger’s focus at SOBC is to provide continuity of care for SOBC patients during the entire length of their treatment phase; including pre-operative medical evaluation and education, assistance during surgery, as well as short and long-term post-operative care.

But Reeger’s work does not stop there. In 2013 she launched the Weight Loss Surgery Podcast as a by-product of her passion and caring for people suffering from the disease of obesity. Her podcast is a mix of professional musings, interviews with people who have had bariatric surgery, and interviews with professionals in the area of obesity medicine. The podcast can be heard for free in iTunes and at WeightLossSurgeryPodcast.com

Jaymey Sweeney, RN, MN, FNP-C

FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER

Jaymey Sweeney graduated from Oregon Health and Sciences University with a master’s degree in nursing and family nurse practitioner certification.

Jaymey has been a registered nurse for more than 23 years and 10 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner. She has worked with patients across the lifespan focusing on health maintenance and promotion as well as managing multisystem chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

Over the past 5 years, seeing the profound affect that obesity has on patients’ health and wellness led Jaymey to seek additional education about obesity-related conditions and treatment options. She is excited to join the team at SOBC and continue to provide the high level of care that patients have come to expect from them.

Married for 28 years with 2 teenage children, Jaymey enjoys traveling, camping and spending time with her immediate and extended family and friends.

Jane Reese, RN, MBA, CBN

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Jane Reese, RN, MBA, CBN graduated from Houston Baptist University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She spent many years working in rehabilitation nursing and as a nursing manager and administrator. She returned to school earning her Master of Business Administration in 2004. Her career in bariatrics started with her own bariatric surgery in 2007.

Since that time she has worked as a Bariatric Program Coordinator, Certified in Bariatric Nursing, in San Antonio, Texas. She recently moved to Oregon to join SOBC, and is thrilled to be with such a phenomenal team of professionals. Jane is passionate about helping other bariatric patients with empathy and hope, believing we all learn and benefit from each other on our journeys.

Julie Kokinakes, RDN, LDN

REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Julie received her Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and completed her Nutrition and Dietetic Internship at Medical College of Georgia/University Hospitals in Augusta, GA. She holds certifications in Medical Weight Management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and in Intrinsic Coaching and Motivational Interviewing.

She has 25 years of experience practicing Medical Nutrition Therapy, and has served in various roles in clinical, research, administrative, community health and private-sector settings. These include: Program Coordinator in Population Health and as a Care Transformation Dietitian in Endocrinology at Asante Health System; Contract Researcher at Oregon Center for Applied Science NIH NHLBI Telephonic Coaching Research Trials; Clinical and Research Dietitian at The Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute Section of Preventive Cardiology; Program Director at the American Heart Association of Cleveland, Ohio; and as a consultant and grant-writer in private practice serving individuals, national weight management companies, nutritional supplement manufacturers and medical research/Institutional Review Boards. Julie is delighted to contribute to a medical team focused on the compassionate delivery of care in Obesity, Behavioral and Nutritional Medicine.

Susan Hubartt, LPN

BARIATRIC LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE

Susan came to us with many years of nursing experience. She is a 1992 graduate of Shasta College in Redding, CA with a Certificate of Completion in Vocational Nursing. Susan has had experience in Acute Care, Gastroenterology, Primary Care, Urgent Care, and most recently as a Clinical Scribe in an urgent care setting. Susan’s interest in Bariatric patients came as a result of having Bariatric surgery herself and seeing the benefits in her own life. She has also gone through the journey previously with her husband as well and feels like he would probably not be here with her today if it weren’t for his weight loss and Bariatric surgery. Susan works closely with SOBC Providers managing pre-operative requirements and post-op care including triage. Susan is excited about building relationships with our Bariatric patients and walking with them through their journey.

Melissa Rowan, RN, BSN, CBN

ARRMC BARIATRIC PROGRAM COORDINATOR

(541) 789-4703

Melissa joined the program in 2016 as the hospital-based Bariatric Program Coordinator at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Melissa educates patients preparing for bariatric surgery to understand what they can expect during their hospital stay. She also oversees and assists with the training of hospital staff in the knowledge required to care for a patient having bariatric surgery. In her role, she closely monitors the program to ensure compliance with national standards established by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. Melissa is dedicated to promoting a patient-centered, safe and healing environment with knowledgeable and compassionate staff while you recover from surgery.

Melissa graduated from Oregon Health & Science University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University. Melissa has six years of bedside experience caring for patients in the hospital after bariatric surgery. She has acquired specialty certification as a Certified Bariatric Nurse and is an associate member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Noelle Taylor

BARIATRIC PATHWAY SPECIALIST

Noelle earned an Associates of Psychology and Social Science at College of the Siskiyou’s in Weed, CA in 2013. She relocated to the Rogue Valley to pursue a medical career, with an emphasis on patient advocacy. In 2014 Noelle began scheduling surgery at Oregon Surgical Specialists, PC. In 2017 she joined the SOBC team, where she has enjoyed her role at the front desk, as well as behind the scenes as the Bariatric Pathway Specialist. She is inspired by patient’s perseverance and commitment to self-improvement, also by our practice’s collaborative effort in promoting physical as well as emotional health.

Bene Chavez

CERTIFIED MEDICAL ASSISTANT

Bene recently joined the SOBC team as our Medical Assistant but has many years of prior experience working with the surgeons at Oregon Surgical. Bene is a certified medical assistant and her long term goal is to become a registered dietician.

Amanda Linnehan

FRONT OFFICE ASSISTANT

Amanda joined our team in June of 2018 just a little over 1 year after her own successful Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy with SOBC. Amanda has spent the majority of her life living in the Rogue Valley. She is active in her community, coaching softball for Ashland High School and other club softball teams. She and her husband are raising their family in the Rogue Valley after spending several years in Wyoming. Amanda spends as much of her free time as possible with her family. They enjoy hiking, horse-back riding, going to the surrounding lakes and traveling to the coast together. When she is not with her family or coaching softball, you can find her at the gym working very hard on maintaining her weight loss or at Baxter’s boxing and coaching others. Amanda is very passionate about the SOBC program and helping others on their own journeys through this process.

Linda Ruette

FRONT OFFICE ASSISTANT

Linda joined SOBC in February of 2017, and has enjoyed her role as Front Office Assistant. She is originally from the Chicago area, and started her move west to attend The University of Denver where she earned her BA in International Relations and a Graduate Certificate in Modern Languages. Following college, she spent almost ten years in Brazil where she learned Portuguese and taught English. She returned to the U.S. with her son and followed family farther west to Southern Oregon where she has worked in health care and volunteered for The American Red Cross. She enjoys many aspects of her work at SOBC, especially helping patients overcome challenges and make improvements in their overall quality of life.

Damon Ramshaw

BAXTER FITNESS SOLUTIONS

(541) 776-9813

We are delighted to be partnering with Damon Ramshaw and the medical exercise specialists at Baxter Fitness Solutions. They began providing the fitness portion of our program in 2010.

Damon is a graduate of Southern Oregon University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion/Fitness Management and has been a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach for 20 years. He received certification through the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Senior Fitness Association for personal training, as well as several other health promotion certifications.

Damon currently owns and operates Baxter Fitness for Fifty and Beyond in Medford, Oregon. Baxter Fitness is an exercise facility that uses very specific equipment in a medically safe environment to enhance strength, endurance, range of motion and function. He looks forward to spending the time to get to know you and help you enrich your fitness life style.

Phone: 541-776-9813

Email: damoram@charter.net

Psychologists and Counselors

Southern Oregon Bariatric Center works with a number of psychologists, therapists and social workers who are experienced in counseling bariatric surgery patients before and after surgery. They are compassionate and solution oriented to support their clients with long term success after weight loss surgery.

All patients are required to have a pre-surgery psychological evaluation.

If you feel that individual or group therapy may be beneficial for you, please feel free to contact us for a list of names and phone numbers.

Our Partners

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. ~ Henry Ford

Southern Oregon Bariatric Center is born out of a great partnership between Oregon Surgical Specialists, PC (OSS) and Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. This unique blending of two outstanding medical facilities brings the best of both worlds to our patients.

Oregon Surgical Specialists

For over 25 years Oregon Surgical Specialists, PC has set the standard in our region for general, oncologic, endocrine, bariatric, vascular, and endovascular surgical services. In addition to their team of board certified general, bariatric, and vascular surgeons, OSS offers one of the most comprehensive diagnostic vascular labs in the region. OSS is also a member of the prestigious Cardiovascular Institute. As a dedicated partner in the Southern Oregon Bariatric Center, Oregon Surgical Specialists provides a staff of trained weight management professionals who understand the unique problems and challenges of the morbidly obese patient.

Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center

For nearly 50 years Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center has played a significant role in the lives of people throughout southern Oregon and northern California. Through high-quality services and leading-edge technology, Asante Rogue Regional provides superb medical care with genuine human compassion. As the regional referral center for nine counties, Asante Rogue Regional has earned a reputation for expertise in cardiovascular care and many other medical specialties.

“This decision has given me a wonderful new life!”

I find myself more active today than I have been in years. I am not sure I can convey to those reading this the emotion I felt when I played golf for the first time in three years or the day I was able to sit in a restaurant booth.

Read Doug's Story

Call (541) 930-7819. Your transformation starts here.

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