Surgeon saw his
future through a
la~ aroscope
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Meet one of the faces of success
Robert M. Elkus, M.D., is a
board-certified general surgeon
at Henry Ford Medical Center —
West Bloomfield, and a member
of the Henry Ford Medical Group.
He peiforms most of his surgeries
at the West Bloomfield medical
center.
Dr. Robert Elkus decided on his
surgical specialty during his third
year at the University of Michigan
Medical School.
"Once I was out of residency, a
demonstration of the new laparo-
scopic cholecystectomy, or gall-
bladder removal, was scheduled.
I was so excited that I arrived an
hour early to talk to the doctor who
had come to teach it," said Dr.
Elkus.
"Afterward, I told my fiancée,
`Honey, I have seen the future and
it's through a laparoscoper"
Most operations he performs are
gallbladder, hernia and non-cos-
metic breast surgery. Since joining
Henry Ford in 199o, he has
performed over L000 laparoscopic
gallbladder surgeries.
Dr. Elkus' surgical expertise led
him to experiment with improving
medical equipment. In 1995, he
patented an instrument used in
laparoscopic surgery, which allows
a surgeon to place a suture to tie
off a structure or organ.
example from
years ago when
a patient was
scheduled for a
mastectomy. In
the pre-opera-
tive area, she
confided to a
nurse her
worry about
how she would
look after sur-
gery. Pulling
the privacy curtain, the nurse, who
is no longer at Henry Ford, showed
the patient her own scar. Dr. Elkus
had done the same procedure on
her.
"I treat my patients the way I
would want my family members
to be treated," he stresses. "In fact,
I often operate on colleagues and
their family members, which I
consider a great honor."
He also feels its important that he
and his staff try to allay any
concerns the patients may have
about surgery. He cites an
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talk, but to do the walk," he says.
"I ran the Detroit half marathon
last fall and I plan to run the full
marathon this coming October.
I also participate in duathlons,
which are run/bike/run events.
Weather permitting, I like to bike
to work when I can.
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Dr. Elkus and his family live in
Bloomfield Township. They are
affiliated with Congregation Chaye
Olam.
Adult Advisory Board
Chief Operating Officer
"It's important to not only do the
-"My wife surprised me with a piano
for my birthday years ago, and now
we have two," he says. "Both of our •
sons have become quite accom-
plished, and I frequently play
duets with them. It's a tremendous
experience to make music with
your kids."
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Dr. Elkus' focus on a healthy
lifestyle impacts his personal life as
well. That includes running or
biking several times a week.
Dr. Elkus also enjoys music.
In regard to his patients, the doctor
says he always maintains a caring
attitude, which he considers to be
of vital importance.
Officer
Collection Analyst
"My wife, who is a triathlete, and I
stress eating right to our kids. As
parents, we try to set a good exam-
ple for them. Our kids are soccer
players, so they're very active as
well.
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