Thousands of Procedures. Every One Personal.
General surgery for gallbladder, hernia, appendix, and beyond — performed by a surgeon whose patients remember his name years after discharge.
You’ve been told you need surgery.
That sentence lands differently than most. This page exists for the time between hearing it and understanding it — the hours when you need information more than reassurance, but also need a little of both.
A referral slip changes everything.
One appointment, and suddenly your calendar has a surgery date on it. You have questions no one has answered yet — about what it feels like, what the risks actually are, and whether you'll be okay.
The internet answers the wrong questions.
You've searched your procedure name at 11pm. You've read the worst-case threads. What you actually need is a surgeon who'll sit down, explain what's going to happen to you specifically, and let you ask the same question three times.
You want to feel like a person, not a procedure.
The best surgical outcomes aren't just technical — they come from patients who understand their recovery, trust their surgeon, and feel calm enough to heal. That starts before the OR.
“The patients who do best are the ones who came in with questions.
I’ve never met a question I didn’t want to answer.”
— Dr. Marcus Ellison, MD, FACS
The arc from worry to recovery.
Every patient who walks in with a referral has a story. Here are four of them — in their own words, tracing the same shape: anxiety, clarity, procedure, return to life.
Sandra Morales
52 · Phoenix, AZ
"He explained it like I was the only patient he had that day. I left the consultation room with my shoulders down for the first time in a week."
I'd had gallstone pain for months and kept putting off the appointment. When I finally got the referral, I was convinced something worse was wrong.
Dr. Ellison spent forty minutes with me. He drew a diagram on a notepad. He explained why the laparoscopic approach was right for my anatomy specifically.
I was home the next morning. Sore, but genuinely surprised by how manageable it was. The care team checked in twice the first week.
Three years later, I recommended him to my sister when she needed the same procedure. That says everything.
James Okonkwo
44 · Atlanta, GA
"I was back at my desk in nine days. I had expected three weeks of misery. Nobody told me recovery could actually go that smoothly."
I'd been ignoring the bulge for two years. When it started affecting my work — I stand all day — I finally made the call.
The consultation took twenty minutes but felt unhurried. He told me exactly what the discomfort would feel like the first 48 hours and what would be normal versus what to call about.
Day three was the hardest. By day six I was walking normally. Day nine, back at work with lifting restrictions I actually followed.
The scar is barely visible. I wish I'd done it two years earlier instead of living with the anxiety.
Patricia Chen
61 · Seattle, WA
"Emergency surgery is terrifying. What made it less terrifying was a surgeon who walked into the room calm, introduced himself, and told me exactly what was about to happen."
I came in through the ER at 1am with severe abdominal pain. By 3am I was being prepped for surgery. I was frightened.
He spent five minutes with me before I went under — five minutes that mattered. He was calm, specific, and kind.
I was home in 36 hours. My follow-up was thorough and unhurried. He remembered details about my case at the two-week check.
Emergency surgery is never what you plan for. But I was in the right hands.
Robert Vasquez
58 · Denver, CO
"Waiting for biopsy results is its own kind of hard. Having a surgeon who explains the process, the timeline, and what each outcome means — that made the wait bearable."
The word 'biopsy' had been sitting in my stomach for two weeks before the procedure. I was catastrophizing.
He walked me through the pathology process, what the lab looks for, and what each possible finding would mean for next steps. He didn't minimize — he informed.
The procedure itself took under thirty minutes. Results came back in four days. He called me himself.
The results were benign. But the care I received would have been the same either way.
4.97
340+ verified patient reviews
Across Google Health, Healthgrades, and Vitals
Gallbladder · Hernia · Appendix · Biopsy · Colon
The heart convinces first. The record confirms.
Seventeen years of general surgery. Board certified, FACS designated, and affiliated with three regional hospital systems. The numbers behind the care.
4,200+
Procedures Performed
Since 2007
98.6%
Patient Satisfaction
Verified reviews
17 yrs
Surgical Experience
General & minimally invasive
< 24h
Avg. Hospital Stay
Laparoscopic procedures
Board Certified
American Board of Surgery — recertified 2023
FACS Designation
Fellow, American College of Surgeons
Hospital Affiliations
St. Mary's Medical Center · Desert Valley Hospital · Riverside Surgical Pavilion
Specialty Training
Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery · Robotic-Assisted Procedures · Surgical Oncology
“Every patient I operate on has a life outside that OR. My job is to make the surgery a small part of that life — not the defining event of it.”
Dr. Marcus Ellison, MD, FACS
General & Minimally Invasive Surgery
Find out what to expect.
Five quiet questions. No login, no commitment. At the end, you get a personalized next-step summary — and the option to schedule when you’re ready.
What type of procedure have you been referred for?
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Your answers are not stored or shared. This assessment is for informational guidance only and does not constitute medical advice.