Surgeons
Staff

Surgeons

Dr. Norbert Richardson

Dr. Norbert Richardson has been part of the St. Alexius NewStart program since August 2003, and currently serves as our Director of Bariatric Surgery. Having performed over 1000 laparoscopic bariatric surgeries, Dr. Richardson offers significant surgical expertise spanning numerous advanced laparoscopic procedures. Dr. Richardson received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery, and is an active member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Richardson grew up in Union, Missouri, and enjoys snowskiing, waterskiing, boating and fishing in his spare time. He is married and has five children.

Dr. Van L. Wagner

Van L. Wagner, M.D. has been a full-time bariatric surgeon since he joined St. Alexius NewStart in June 2003. Having performed over 250 LAP-BAND™ procedures and 150 Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass procedures in his surgical career, Dr. Wagner has balanced experience with both Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Bandings and Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass procedures. He has performed bariatric operations on a large number of high-risk patients, including over 100 patients weighing between 350 pounds and 510 pounds, and over 170 patients with a Body Mass Index of 50 or greater.

Dr. Wagner was born and raised in Galion, Ohio, and received his college degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland 1984. He graduated from New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY in 1989, and completed his General Surgery residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark in 1994.

Dr. Wagner has been a board-certified general surgeon since 1996, and is a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. He is married and has two children. His interests include mountain climbing, scuba diving, snowboarding and running marathons.

Dr. Richard O. Follwell

Dr. Follwell graduated from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, and completed a one-year rotating internship at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Missouri. He went on to complete a four-year residency training program in General Surgery from Des Peres Hospital in June 2003, where he focused studies in laparoscopic and open Roux-en-Y divided gastric bypass surgery. Dr. Follwell is board-certified and has performed over 250 bariatric surgeries.

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Africa, Dr. Follwell enjoys camping, hunting and fishing in his spare time. He and his wife have three children.