Dr Stephanie Ulmer of Betterlife Surgery, leading Bariatric & Gastric surgeon
in Auckland

I have been a Registered Dietitian for the past 16 years and started working at Wellington Hospital on the Surgical and ICU wards. I then travelled overseas for 6 years and worked in several hospitals in London in the areas of Bariatrics, Upper/Lower GI Surgery, Gastroenterology, Renal, Diabetes, Haematology, ICU and Hepatology. On returning to NZ I worked as an ACC Dietitian which involved weight management and behaviour change.

Working with people having Bariatric Surgery combines three of my favourite areas of nutrition including surgery, clinical dietetics and behaviour change. I am a non-diet Dietitian and will encourage you to make food choices that support your health while also maintaining your quality of life. I also have three young children and understand the time and energy barriers that can get in the way of good health. I aim to provide evidence based, yet realistic and practical advice to help you throughout the bariatric surgery process.

I love supporting people on this life changing journey and look forward to meeting you at the first appointment!

I am a Registered Nurse with an interest in Bariatric Surgery. Having had a gastric sleeve in 2018 I myself have personal experience on the process around surgery and recovery as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I am passionate about supporting others through this journey emotionally and encouraging good habits to build a healthy lifestyle and long term maintenance of weight loss.

Hi, I'm Nicola, your nutritionist expert... I have been a Consulting Nutritionist in private practice for 14 years. My particular focus with my client consultations is on creating health through intelligent dietary choices. I am a registered Nutritionist with the NZ Society of Nutrition, a registered Medical Herbalist with the NZ association of Medical Herbalists and a registered Naturopath within the NZ society of Naturopaths. I look forward to starting on the journey to a better diet and better life with you!

I have worked as a Bariatric Nurse Specialist for the last four years. In my role at BetterLife Bariatric Surgery I strive to provide a high standard of care and excellence in a warm, caring, professional environment. I am passionate about my work, with an interest in diet, exercise and the psychology of eating behaviours.

My background is based in Surgical Nursing. I have worked as a Theatre Nurse/Surgical Assistant in the Operating Room specialising in ENT, Head & Neck, Gynaecology, Urology, Orthopaedics, Plastics and General Surgery for 35 years and as an Appearance Medicine Nurse providing Botox, Fillers and Laser Therapies for treatment of vessels, pigmentation and hair removal for the last three years.

I believe these three chosen areas of nursing in which I work complement each other. Although in essence they all provide a physical service. I believe they also improve the client’s mental health by increasing their confidence and self-esteem.

I am Carmen, receptionist at BetterLife Surgery. For the previous 17 years, while my two sons were growing up, I have run the office of our family business. This allowed me the flexibility to still be a hands on mum while working full time. In the past I have worked in reception, office administration and accounting within New Zealand and in various other countries. I have also worked with both the elderly and with children in teaching and care roles.

As a larger person myself I hope that my previous job experiences and my own personal journey will help to provide you with a safe and comfortable place to start this new chapter of your life.

I genuinely look forward to meeting you on the phone or in clinic and hope to make your time as a BetterLife Surgery patient an easy, enjoyable experience.