Maggie McKay (Host): Deciding to get bariatric surgery is a big decision and one that takes a lot of consideration from the surgery, to recovery, to lifestyle changes. So when you choose your physician, you wanna know that they're both experienced and compassionate. Let's meet Dr. Christopher Manieri, bariatric surgeon at Beebee Healthcare here to tell us more about what his job entails and what he does outside of the hospital during his free time.

Host: Welcome to the VV Healthcare Podcast. I'm Maggie McKay. Dr. Manieri, thank you so much for making the time to be here today. To begin with, can you please introduce yourself.

Dr. Christopher Manieri (Guest): Sure. Thank you, Maggie. My name is Dr. Christopher Manieri. I am one of Beebe's bariatric and general surgeons.

Host: And what's your background? What got you interested in your current career?

Guest: So, my background is I've been, raised in Delaware and trained in Delaware up at Christiana Hospital in Newark. I did my general surgery residency there, and then I did my fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery in Fairfax, Virginia. And from fellowship, I knew that I wanted to calm down here to southern Delaware, and was lucky enough to be in a role to, supply bariatric and to be a bariatric and general surgeon here with Beebe Healthcare.

Host: Was there any life event that inspired your career choice, maybe when you were younger or a person that you knew that you thought, that's what I wanna do?

Guest: Well, I always knew that I wanted to be a surgeon. I wanted to work with my hands, and I really enjoyed, the minimally invasive approach with advanced Laparoscopics. And now with robotic surgery, I always found it fun even as a kid playing video games. And then using those skills to actually do video assisted surgery to help my patients. It's been a great transition and even though it's hard work, it's a lot of fun for me as well.

Host: And what's the most rewarding aspect of what you do?

Guest: With weight loss surgery, unlike with general surgery, we get to follow our patients from months and years afterwards. And when I meet them for the first time, I always remember, this is the first step of a very long journey where they're gonna essentially take back their life and take back their health to lose 50, 100, 200 pounds over many months to years. And really working with that relationship, it's very re rewarding for myself and my team.

Host: And what's the most challenging?

Guest: Well, with any, journey, there's ups and down. And sometimes we hit some stalls or plateaus and, every body is different. Treating obesity is not just one factor, it's multiple factors. And, you really want a personalized approach to treating obesity. And sometimes finding that last piece of the puzzle can be challenging for us.

Host: Dr. Manieri, how do you advise young people coming up in medicine who wanna do what you do?

Guest: Well, if you wanna be a surgeon, first thing that you want to do is spend time with multiple aspects of the healthcare field because you're gonna be doing a little bit of everything, a little bit of medicine, operating to office work. And it's a long road. So be prepared to spend many years dedicating your life to other people because it's gonna take you about 10 years to be trained. And then you gotta use all that training to help people down the road. So you really gotta make that commitment for others is, really important.

Host: And when you do that, how do you balance your work life and your personal life? How do you make time to have a life outside of the hospital?

Guest: Well, I don't do it alone. I have a really good partner. My wife and I have been together for. six years, but we met in high school, so I guess it's been, much longer than that. And really finding someone to go along with you has made my journey, really much of a blessing. So you really need a good social support, good family, good friends, and a from a professional standpoint. You need good mentors to be able to give you advice and follow you along the way.

Host: Dr. Manieri, was there a teacher growing up or someone in your life that inspired you, not necessarily to go into medicine, but who you just remember as being encouraging?

Guest: So I have lots of teachers, throughout all my years of education, I was a classically trained, pianist and organist, and that was what my training was in. And so I had a piano teacher that, watched me from kindergarten through 12th grade in order to progress to the scholarship that got me into a university. And then I really made connections with a chemistry teacher, biology teacher that helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life if I wanted to go to the professional music route or become into medicine and become a surgeon. So there's really, I could count on the top of my head six or half dozen teachers that really got in there.

Host: So when you came to that fork in the road, how did you decide to leave music behind?

Guest: It's kind of a funny story. Again, I was a freshman in college and I was a going down the professional music route and I did graduate with a music major and I was taking the basic science courses and I saw this advertisement flyer to shadow a fourth year medical student at VCU in Richmond. And I wanted to see what life of medicine could be if that's something I wanted to do. So I, I called the number and I got set up to be a volunteer at VCU, hospital in Richmond. And my first day, it was anesthesia. And he said we were putting in IVs in patients and said, well, this is boring. Let's go to the operating room.

I'm like, okay. So, we walk in there with scrubs. I have a badge with like 18 badges on it. So we looked official and he said, introduce ourselves to the nurses. He goes, I'm Jim, I'm the fourth year student and this is Chris. And they said, what year are you? And I said, I'm a first year thinking that I was a freshman in college, but they thought I was a medical student. So he leaves me there and he goes, I'm gonna go, do something else. Why don't you go watch his surgery? And I'm like, okay. So the nurses are like, well, would you like to scrub in?

And I'm like, okay, do you know how to scrub? I'm like, no. And they teach me how to, wash my hands and get sterile. And I'm like, they put on the gown and I'm, they're like, don't touch anything blue. And I'm like, you got it? So I walk up to the patient, introduce myself to the orthopedic surgeon, and of course, asking me questions like, what is this? What is this? What is this? And we're doing hip replacement. I'm like, I don't know. Skin? You know, muscle? About maybe 45 minutes into it, they said I was probably the worst medical student that they've ever seen. And I said, well, I'm gonna stop you right there. I'm actually a freshman music major at the university.

And they finally looked at me for the first time and they told me to, get out of there. And so I scrubbed out and then I had to talk to the med student who left me there. And after all these phone calls of all these things, I eventually went to my mentor and I. How do I become a surgeon? Because I just watched a really interesting hip replacement and I think that's what I wanna do with my life. And from there we went through all the tracks and courses and I graduated with a music major in organ performance with a minor in chemistry. And went out to medical school from there.

Host: That is a great story. I mean, that might have scared a lot of people off, but I love that you told them truth and came clean. Oh, that's, great. Is there a skill you wish you had that you'd like to learn? That has nothing to do with medicine.

Guest: That I wish I had?

Host: Yeah. That you could learn now?

Guest: I mean, I'm doing a lot now being here in Sussex County. So, some things I've never tried before. I got my surf fishing license and I'm able to drive my truck onto the beach and learn how to catch fish. I finally was able to, move into a house. I'm a new homeowner and I'm learning how to do all the lawn and upkeep and handyman work, I'd never had to do before. I was always in an apartment or condo, so I always called 1-800-LANDLORD and now I find out, well, I got no one to help me now. So, I'm doing a lot of, do what your saw projects and things like that on the weekends. So I wouldn't say skill, but I get to enjoy a lot of things that this area has to offer.

Host: Yeah, it sounds like you're right in the middle of it. Wow. What do you do during your free time besides, of course, take care of your house and work, but free time?

Free time,

Guest: Is a little tight. I have two toddlers right now, and so they take up a lot of my time. They're three and 18 months, and actually my first week on the job, my wife wakes me up and says she's in labor. So I had to, get coverage for my patients and coverage from the surgeons. Rush her to Beebe Healthcare. And seven days on the job I had my second child and had to take leave. So we were, all in with Beebe starting with the first week here.

Host: Wow, that is amazing. And you know what? I don't even know how you have any free time with two toddlers right there. Not to mention being a doctor.

Guest: Well, it's great cause we're new to the area. So every weekend that we're free, we're able to go to a different small town go to different parks, check out zoos, animal shows, all those things. And toddlers, they love the outdoors. And this is more of a rural area and there's a lot to do us down here.

Host: That sounds ideal. If you could travel anywhere in the world, Dr. Manieri, that you haven't been, where would that be? And why?

Guest: You mean to live or just to?

Host: No, just a visit vacation.

Guest: I'm a beach goer, so get me to like Bali or the Maldives, get me, a hut on the water where I can relax in the sun and waste the day away. And that's my idea of a vacation. The problem is my wife is the opposite. On vacation, it is not just a routine, but a compacted list of 27 things you have to do in a day. I mean, she'll take me hiking. You gotta go up a mountain for five miles. And then in the evening, we're gonna go on a 10 mile kayak trip, and then we're gonna do like splulinking the next day. Of course she's gonna watch this and say, what are you telling people out there? But so she's exact opposite, but get me on a relaxed like Caribbean or like an Asian, beach. And that's where I'm at.

Host: I'm laughing so hard because that's exactly like my husband and me, last time we went to Hawaii, I had like a schedule, boom, boom, boom, boom, activities every minute and he was like, can we just sit on the beach? And I'm like, no, we can sit on the beach at home because we live in, you know. Near the beach, so that's hilarious. I know, but you work it out, right? So if you weren't a surgeon and you weren't a pianist, what would you be?

Guest: Well, you took my top two there because I love music and, I would definitely be something in the music route. Because I was planned on, becoming a music teacher and playing, music and the organ on the side. So I really like to teach. probably some type of a teacher, some kind would be, something I would like to do. And if not, then, maybe a professional video game player, which my twin brother was very close to becoming. Because he was a little bit better than me. But maybe there was top.

Host: So you're a twin also. That must be fun growing up. What are the advantages to that?

Guest: Well, advantages are having a twin , there's not, there's terrible, I mean, I guess you always have a friend. but you know, growing up you had to share birthdays. We were born right before Christmas, so really your presents were cut in half, cut into a quarter or what everyone else got. Because everyone just doubled up on things. and so, you can only get something where there's two of, so you never got one thing by. So mostly what we got was closed. Cause then they can get two of them. If you wanted some one specific gift, well, you had to have two of them, and if you couldn't do that, then you're outta luck.

Host: You mean people gave you the same present?

Guest: Oh yeah.

Host: No.

Guest: You'd have to like, get two different shirts or two different basketballs and they'd always have to be like the same thing because you gotta make it easy for people. And then Christmas was two days later and they just like, kind of combine it all. Oh, it was terrible.

Host: I know that, my birthday's in December too, and it's like, this is for your birthday and Christmas. I'm like, what?

Guest: Yeah.

Host: I'm gonna change it to June. What in the world?

Guest: I wanted to celebrate my half birthday. Exactly. Yeah, you can skip nine. Let's celebrate nine and a half.

Host: So when you were a little kid, what was your first job or high school? Whatever?

Guest: Well, I did play piano out on the side as for different community events and church and things like that. My first actual job was at the Giant. And I was a cashier and pushing carts and stocking shelves. So I did that for two years. So that was my first job.

Host: What did you learn from that in life as you look back?

Guest: Everyone starts somewhere, right? And great to be able to look back 20 years ago what, my first job was. I remember getting, when school started, there were some shifts where I only worked like two hours. And so I had a paycheck once that was like 9.50 And I remember cashing it at the store, and then Here's your $9. And I go, all right. And you gotta start somewhere. So looking at right now, I'm starting a great career here at Beebe and seeing all the different roles that I've had. And like I like to meet people and talk with people throughout the day.

So when you're a cashier, you get to see people in different phases of life. You have the parents, you have, retired people, a couple celebrities who go in there. I get to meet and bag up their grapes, and I get to tell people who I met today. And you see all different types of people. That was always, fun to see.

Host: So speaking of your first $9 paycheck, was there anything in life that you saved up for, a long time that you bought, like an extravagant, something like a car or?

Guest: So, medical school, and the loans that we had, it's just I haven't gotten to that big purchase yet. My wife and I are very fiscally responsible. It's kind of boring for a podcast. I will say that I'm getting into, with our home, we decided to put in an outdoor kitchen, so it has a grill, but the one thing I added on was a smoker. So now I'm beginning to learn how to smoke, fish, and. Pork and do some, like, I made brisket for my son's birthday, and so I'm taking in a little bit of, extra cooking and things like that. I wouldn't say like, a smoker for a thousand dollars is like the biggest extravagant thing.

Certainly there's more things like, oh, when are you gonna get, like, the Manieri Speedboat Foundation donation that you're going to do. I'm not there yet in my life, but yeah, so we're a little bit of savers paying down debt. Save those questions for the surgeons. I've been here, 15, 20 years.

Host: I hear you also toddlers take up a lot of money. Kids in general.

Guest: Yes.

Host: For the next mm. 20 years, right after that maybe.

Guest: 20. I was 2018.

Host: We'll see. what do you love most about working at Beebe?

Guest: I love working here. So I love the area. I came here as a medical student and I spent four weeks here. And I knew that this was a place I wanted to reach out when I was done training. And lucky for me that when I graduated there was a position opening and it was just the perfect fit. And I kind of felt that when I interviewed. So I also love the people I work with, the nurses and the staff. They're able to talk to you, and because it's a smaller hospital, I'm able to give everyone, like my cell phone number, they're able to reach me in real time to discuss, patient care.

And, my patients are able to call me on the phone, reach me on call service, reached the daytime service, able to reach me almost 24/7. And a lot of that doesn't really happen at other institutions. So that's why I really like working here.

Host: You're not kidding. I don't know how long it would take me to get ahold of my doctor, even though I love him to pieces, in a nutshell, what is your philosophy of life or your mantra?

Guest: Philosophy of life? Well, I guess it changes by the day, but, I always want to say like, Treat others how you'd like to be treated. Life is changing, so make sure that you can change along with it and the challenges of life when you're able to overcome them, it makes you a better person. That's kind of what life is about and seeing where you came from, going through challenges and hurdles, to the other side, and to be able to adapt. this is why we're here. And so, for my patients, I'm trying to be that mentor for them, so they're able to change their lifestyle, change their habits, and really get their life back.

Host: Dr. Manieri, it's been so fun getting to know you and talking and finding out what you do at Beebe Healthcare and what you do on your free time, if you can call it that. If someone would like to make an appointment with you or just find out more, where would they go?

Guest: So, we have a lot of information online at beebehealthcare.org, and you can look up the Beebe Center for weight loss surgery. You can also call to make an appointment in my office in Georgetown, Delaware. Number is 302-260-7360.

Host: Thank you so much for being here.

Guest: Thank you.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Chris Manieri, and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you, this is the Beebe Healthcare Podcast. I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening.