Shahla Ray, PhD.

Dr. Shahla Ray finished her PhD in biochemistry in 1997. She developed an interest in research in the field of obesity from a basic science background. She serves on the faculty of Indiana University and has developed a course on the topic of obesity. She also developed a course on the biochemical adaptation to exercise for graduate students and teaches nutrition related courses at Indiana University. She currently coordinates research at our facility and was involved in developing our dietary training program and the healthy eating page on our website.

Phyllis has been with our program since it started.  She is the Director of Surgical Services, oversees all surgery scheduling and assists with every surgery.  She has been the private scrub for Dr. Ray for the past 10 years.  Phyllis is also a Certified Surgical Technician.

Lorrie Burkhart, CST

Lorrie joined our team in 2011. She has over 25 years experience in the operating room. She assists in surgery, assists our OR administrator and works in the office as well.

Rebecca is our Physician Assistant and Bariatric Coordinator.  She has been a PA since 1997 and joined us in 2008.  She has prior experience in general surgery, burn care and urology and plays a vital role in the practice.  She does one on one nutrition consultations, performs Lap-Band adjustments, facilitates support groups, and provides classes on the topics of diet, exercise, and behavior modification both before and after Lap-Band placement.  She is closely involved in follow up care and is a wonderful resource.

Over the past 5+ years Tara has worked in various capacities including scheduling, surgical center assistance, and general office.  Currently she is pursuing her certification in Billing & Coding through Allied Medical and is primarily responsible for the Center’s billing procedures.

Casey is one of the Center’s medical assistants and assists Dr. Ray and Rebecca in pre- and post-operative care.  She gathers information from patients pertaining to Lap-Band progress, assists in office procedures, scheduling, helps with pre-operative care and post-op care including removal of stitches & staples and clean wounds.  She is currently a student at Ivy Tech and is planning to transfer to Indiana University.

Leslie Miller

Leslie works with insurance approvals and scheduling. She has a degree in medical records. She is a great resource.

Tarah Culbertson

Tarah’s primarily responsible for acquiring new patients for the LAP-BAND® procedure.  In addition, she is responsible for promoting the center through various marketing methods including web related, direct contact, and various media distributed sources.  She graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Graphic Design. 

As the business manager, Kala is responsible for the day to day operations of the center, managing and monitoring of financial systems, and compliance with various state and federal regulations.  She received her BS in Business Administration at Saint Joseph’s College and MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.