David Coster Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. David Coster is Iowa's most experienced expert in obesity surgery, with sixteen years of experience in the medical and surgical management of the morbidly obese. His practice includes management of some of the most difficult cases in Iowa and the surrounding states---those who have been turned away by other surgeons as "too difficult" or "too complicated". In addition to first-time open or laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures on low to medium risk patients, Dr. Coster also performs complicated, higher risk revisions and conversions for those who have "failed" with older operations such as gastroplasties and intestinal bypasses. Together with Dr.'s David Kermode and Stephen Sundberg, Dr. Coster provides around-the-clock care for hundreds of obesity patients in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and other states. (Dr. Sundberg is particularly gifted and experienced with laparoscopic bypass procedures, and Dr. Kermode has a particular interest and experience in the lap band procedure.) With over 1500 obesity related surgeries completed at Grinnell Regional Medical Center, the surgeons at Grinnell Bariatrics supervise the safest and most highly qualified team of bariatric specialists in Iowa. Grinnell Regional Medical Center is the only hospital in Iowa to qualify as an American College of Surgeons Bariatric Center of Excellence; the level 1a rating is the highest stamp of approval possible for the overall program and is a testament to the dedication of the staff to provide the safest and most comprehensive bariatric care in Iowa. Grinnell Regional remains the only approved center in Iowa for obesity surgery for Medicare recipients. As Board Certified General Surgeons, Dr's Coster, Kermode, and Sundberg also perform any additionally needed procedures after successful obesity surgery, such as gall bladder surgery, hernia repairs, bladder suspensions, removal of excess lower abdominal skin, and major body reconstructive procedures (Dr. Coster) such as belt lipectomy, thighplasty, and brachioplasty. Surgical specialists in urology, orthopedics, and head and neck surgery are also available in Grinnell when needed. Morbid obesity is a condition that affects all aspects of one's life; it is not just a surgical problem. As a Grinnell Bariatrics patient, one can expect to have access to the full spectrum of treatment provided by the program, including group therapy, personal training, wellness training, smoking cessation, bariataric support group, psychological evaluation and treatment, nutritional counseling, pain clinic, holistic medicine, and other needed services. It is a truly comprehensive program. Please go to our website at www.grinnellsurgeons.com for additional information. Personal Information about Dr. Coster: Dr. Coster was born and grew up in southeast Iowa where his parents farmed. After graduating from high school in New Sharon in 1978, he attended Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology/Chemistry and a concentration in Theology. He subsequently attended Drake University for a year of graduate work in biology before moving on to the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from which he received his M.D. in 1986. He completed his surgical residency at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines in 1991. During residency, Dr. Coster published several papers in various areas of surgery and was awarded The Outstanding Research Award by his mentors on two occasions. Upon completing residency, Dr. Coster settled in Grinnell where he has served on the staff of Grinnell Regional Medical Center, functioning in a variety of capacities including Director of Intensive Care, Chief of Surgery, Chair of the Surgery Department, Medical Director for Trauma, Medical Director for the Ambulance Service, Medical Staff Executive Committee, member of the Board of Directors for Grinnell Regional Medical Center, and Bariatric Medical Director, amongst others. He was instrumental in establishing a formal trauma program in Grinnell, updating critical care, and adding new services such as vascular and thoracic surgery. Dr. Coster pioneered many new applications for minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery in Iowa in the early 1990's, creating the Grinnell Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery and developing an authoritative reputation as Iowa's expert for laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery, an operation which he improved and simplified so that it is now a 20 minute out-patient surgery at Grinnell Regional. Laparoscopic splenectomy, common bile duct exploration, highly selective vagotomy, colon resection, hernia repair and other minimally invasive operations were also "firsts" in Iowa at Grinnell. Dr. Coster's work in laparoscopic surgery placed Grinnell squarely on the map in regard to the innovation and application of new surgical techniques, bringing patients in from all over Iowa, the Midwest, the East Coast, the South, and even Europe. Publications, surgical preceptorships, lectures, teaching videos, and other academic endeavors resulted from Dr. Coster's creative and innovative approaches to surgery. Many surgeons in Iowa and elsewhere have benefited from his experience and teaching. GRMC's Surgery Department regularly hosts visiting surgeons as well as medical students from the University of Iowa and Des Moines University and serves as the "rural" surgery training site for Iowa Health System's surgical residency program. Because of his efforts in improving rural access to state of the art surgical care, Dr. Coster was nominated and awarded the Outstanding Young Iowan designation by the Jaycee's in 1996 and was nominated as Iowa's Representative for Outstanding Young American in the same year. He is frequently sought out by patients who have been turned away by others for problems considered to be "too complicated" to repair surgically. He is an unusally compassionate and creative surgeon, one who is willing to team up with his patients to either find a solution for an "unsolveable" problem or find the best way to mitigate the pain and suffering associated with truly unsolveable problems. He is a surgeon who loves his work and views it as the best way he can use his abilities to lighten the load a little for others who are bearing the burden of life too heavily. Dr. Coster is an advocate for social justice and has been (is) politically quite active on a local and state level. He is the father of three sons. His hobbies include aviculture, botany, prairie restoration, gardening, philosophy, reading extensively, and nurturing a widely diverse circle of friends all over the world.