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    Karen E. Gibbs, MD, MBA, FACS, FASMBS

    Associate Professor of Surgery (Bariatric, Minimally Invasive)
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    Associate Professor of Surgery (Bariatric, Minimally Invasive)

    Biography

    Karen E. Gibbs, MD, MBA, FACS, FASMBS, FABQAURP, DABOM is the current Chair of Surgery at Yale New Haven Health - Bridgeport Hospital — a destination site for fully-integrated digestive health care. Appointed to the position in September of 2021, she is the first black female Chair of Surgery in U.S. history. Dr. Gibbs specializes in laparoscopic, bariatric, and foregut procedures. Her clinical practice and research focuses on advancing the complex and integrated understanding of weight loss for the management and reversal of obesity-related disease and disorders of aging, including diabetes, and sleep apnea.

    Prior to Yale, Dr. Gibbs served as Intermim & Associate Chair for the Department of Surgery; Chief of General, MIS & Bariatric Surgery; Director of the General Surgery Residency Program and the Advanced GI MIS Fellowship; and Director of Performance Improvement & Quality and Associate Medical Director for Quality at Staten Island University Hospital.

    Dr. Gibbs received a bachelor degree from Boston University, attended Tufts University Medical School and completed her postdoctoral training at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a board-certified general surgeon and is fellowship-trained in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery; she is also board-certified in Obesity Medicine.

    Last Updated on September 25, 2026.

    Appointments

    • Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery

      Associate Professor on Term
      Primary

    Other Departments & Organizations

    • Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery
    • Center for Weight Management - Bariatric Surgery
    • Surgery
    • Yale Medicine
    • Yale New Haven Health System

    Education & Training

    MBA
    University of Massachusetts
    Residency
    Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein (2002)
    MD
    Tufts University School of Medicine (1997)
    BS
    Boston University, Applied Anatomy & Physiology (1992)

    Research

    Overview

    My research focuses on improving surgical outcomes, quality, and patient safety, with particular emphasis on metabolic and bariatric surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and foregut disorders. My work integrates clinical outcomes research, quality improvement, and surgical education, with the overarching goal of translating research findings into meaningful improvements in patient care.

    My primary research interests include outcomes following metabolic and bariatric surgery utilizing large national databases, including the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Readmissions Database, to evaluate complications, readmissions, and clinical outcomes. I am particularly interested in the long-term metabolic and nutritional consequences of bariatric surgery, including vitamin D deficiency, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and strategies to improve postoperative nutritional surveillance and bone health.

    My additional academic interests include minimally invasive and foregut surgery, the role of metabolic surgery as a bridge to other surgical interventions, and the management of complex gastrointestinal conditions, including gastroparesis and gastrointestinal dysmotility. My research emphasizes evidence-based patient selection, surgical safety, and the optimization of both short- and long-term outcomes.

    I am actively engaged in national surgical organizations, including ASMBS, SAGES, ACS, AFS, and SSAT, and have longstanding involvement in MBSAQIP quality assessment. Through these activities, I seek to advance surgical knowledge, promote evidence-based practice, and foster multidisciplinary collaboration.

    An equally important component of my academic mission is medical education and mentorship. I particularly enjoy working with medical students and surgical residents, involving them in clinical research, critical appraisal of the literature, and the development of scholarly presentations and publications. I am committed to fostering intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and the development of future academic surgeons and physician leaders.

    Ultimately, my goal is to integrate clinical research, surgical innovation, quality improvement, and education to advance the science of surgery, improve patient outcomes, and support the next generation of physicians and surgeons.

    Medical Research Interests

    Bariatric Surgery; General Surgery; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Karen E. Gibbs's published research.

    Publications

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    Clinical Care

    Overview

    Karen E. Gibbs, MD, is chair of surgery at Yale New Haven Health System’s Bridgeport Hospital. Dr. Gibbs specializes in minimally invasive bariatric, foregut, and endocrine procedures and is board-certified in obesity medicine.

    Dr. Gibbs says she always knew she would pursue a medical career. “It might sound cliché, but I wanted to help people and give back to the community,” she says. “I volunteered as a high school student and had the opportunity to go into an old-fashioned operating theater where you can look down on the surgery from above. It just clicked for me. I went to medical school knowing I’d do surgery.”

    While she enjoys all types of surgery, gastrointestinal (GI) procedures grabbed her attention. “I love the physiology and anatomy of the GI tract, and it’s such an integral part of our everyday lives,” Dr. Gibbs says. “I enjoy doing minimally invasive surgery because of the benefits it offers patients, including smaller incisions, less pain, and earlier return to activities of daily living.”

    She was drawn to bariatric surgery because of its technical challenges. “I love the fact that we, as a team, get to help people take care of a disease and see a significant change in their lives over a reasonable amount of time,” Dr. Gibbs says.

    Weight-loss surgery patients, Dr. Gibbs adds, are some of the most grateful she has encountered. “When you think of the limitations, stigma, and social issues they suffer quietly through, you can understand,” she says. “Somehow, it’s acceptable to disregard and discriminate against people of size, and when they are able to start regaining their health, mobility, and their livelihood, it’s an incredible transformation.”

    Before a bariatric surgery patient meets with her, they are invited to attend an informational session with a surgeon from the bariatric team. The surgeon will spend an hour discussing weight-loss surgery, reviewing the risks and benefits, and answering any questions. “By the time they meet me, they have already learned a lot of and can ask me more specific questions,” she says.

    When she does sit down with a new patient, Dr. Gibbs says she makes sure they understand that a comprehensive team is with them the whole time. “Their journey does not stop with surgery. Weight-loss surgery requires lifelong follow-up, and we are committed to them the whole way,” she says. “It requires a village, and patients aren’t just coming to see one person. It’s a team.”

    Dr. Gibbs research interests involve clinical outcomes in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery.

    Clinical Specialties

    Bariatric Surgery; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Gastrointestinal Surgery

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