Metabolic & Weight Management Center
The Metabolic & Weight Management Center is unique to the area and one of the few comprehensive metabolic centers in North Carolina. A joint venture by Pinehurst Surgical Clinic, FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Pinehurst Medical Clinic, the Center offers both surgical and non-surgical medical weight management services, and a comprehensive approach to weight loss that is tailored to each patient’s specific goals.
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Surgical care options include laparoscopic or robotic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy. Both surgeries aid in significant weight loss and maintenance for those suffering from morbid obesity. The Metabolic & Weight Management Center’s award-winning bariatric program is staffed by an interdisciplinary team that provides quality education and support before and after surgery.
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The program is recognized as a Center of Excellence by Optum and a Blue Distinction Center + for Bariatric Surgery by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Non-surgical treatment plans include one-on-one consultations with a provider and registered dietitian to establish customized weight-loss plans. Medical weight-loss management also consists of treating complex metabolic diseases, lab testing and prescribing appropriate medications. Meal plans, cooking classes and access to a variety of nutrition classes are also available.
MANDATORY INFORMATION SESSION
Complete our mandatory weight-loss surgery information session to learn more about the benefits of having bariatric surgery, surgical treatment options, hear from our bariatric surgeons, and more.
Watch our online information session
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Click the links below to learn more about comprehensive services at the Metabolic & Weight Management Center and how we can help change your life.
Patient Experiences
Janet Matias
Janet Matias had weight-loss surgery in August of 2020, and since then she's lost 116 pounds and no longer needs any medication.
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Kelly Jones-Tice
Kelly had weight-loss surgery in 2018 and has since transformed both internally and externally. She has more energy, has increased productivity at work and has taken up jogging.
Bill & Yvonne Dixon
Finding the right support to find their healthy weight. For one couple, "It's a whole new world!"
Eric Baker
Meet Eric Baker, 49-year-old Seven Lakes resident. Listen as Eric talks about his struggle with weight, failed diets and why he opted to have weight-loss surgery here at the FirstHealth Bariatric Center.
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View Entire Team Meet our Medical Professionals
Board Certified
Raymond G. Washington, Jr., M.D.
General/Bariatric Surgeon
Pinehurst Surgical Clinic
Specialties
- General Surgery
- Bariatric Surgery
Hospital Affiliation
- Moore Regional Hospital
Training
- M.D., Medical College of Virginia
Internship & Residency
- Christiana Care Health System, Del.
Board Certified
David W. Grantham, M.D.
General/Bariatric Surgeon
Pinehurst Surgical Clinic
Specialties
- General Surgery
- Bariatric Surgery
Hospital Affiliation
- Moore Regional Hospital
Training
- M.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Fellowship
- Laporoscopic & Advanced Gastroenterology Surgery, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, N.C.
Internship & Residency
- Wake Forest University, N.C.
Board Certified
Alex Bonnecaze, M.D.
Endocrinologist
Pinehurst Medical Clinic
Specialties
- Endocrinology
- Obesity Medicine
Training
- M.D., University of Washington
Internship & Residency
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Christi Embler, BSN, R.N., CBN
Bio
Christi Embler earned a B.S. degree in communication with a minor in marketing from Appalachian State University and worked in the marketing industry before deciding to become a nurse. She earned an associate degree in nursing from Sandhills Community College in 2010 and a bachelor's degree in nursing in 2015 from ASU.
Embler serves as the program manager for the Metabolic & Weight Management Center. She previously worked as the nursing liaison for bariatrics and as a floor nurse on First Surgical, the nursing unit where patients are cared for after bariatric surgery.
Embler recently earned the title of Certified Bariatric Nurse from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
