Dr. James "Buddy" Leithead III

04/21/2026

Teaching the next generation of medicine is something I really enjoy and I’m lucky to be able to do. It’s truly a blessing. We are all getting healthier and it feels great.

04/15/2026

Private hospitals are definitely more efficient regarding patient care. I have no doubts about this. Patients get a great outcome and have a smooth process through their hospital stay. I could talk about many more examples of why this simply just makes sense. Feel free to ask questions or comment below.

04/13/2026

Private hospitals offer incredible communication, surgical outcomes, quality of care and an improved overall patient experience. I see this time and time again, and highly recommend private hospitals when available. Yes there will be times when this does not fit your situation, but overall many patients have benefits due to having an OR staff that is not only familiar, but experts at the specific field of surgery being performed. Using the same team leads to knowing the processes and being one step ahead. All of these things can lead to a better patient outcome and experience.

04/06/2026

Here are some tips regarding medications and what to look for when you’re trying to get healthy. There’s much more beyond this, but here’s a brief summary. Questions/Comments leave them below as I’m happy to discuss this more in detail.

04/03/2026

I’m so lucky and blessed to have an incredible group of partners to work with. Supporting each other and working together, as we take care of our community, is something I love. Also working at an unbelievable private hospital is something that I truly value, as it provides many things large corporate hospitals don’t offer. The personalized care goes above and beyond.

04/03/2026

I’m so lucky and blessed to have a wonderful group of partners and an incredible and amazing hospital to take care of patients. 

04/01/2026

IT’S APPROVED! The FDA has officially approved Orforglipron for the management of weight loss. This is something I’ve been waiting for for months. They had a head to head trial comparing to the current oral Wegovy showing that the new ordorglipron had better weight loss and was tolerated very well. This is something I’ve been telling many of my patients about and so excited to start using. It’s great for people that don’t want to use an injectable or maybe for those that want to use it as more of a maintenance dose, rather than taking an injection weekly. It’s at a great price point and produces great weight loss. Very excited about this news.
504-934-3000
985-234-3000

03/31/2026

It’s been too long since I last posted so I thought I put together a little educational video. I get this question asked so many times a day.
In the end, it’s all about what works best for the individual patient. My goal is always to find the right treatment, that is personalized specifically for that person. I want to get great successful upfront weight loss and a better quality of life, the treatment of so many medical problems, AND also I really focus on long-term success. This means options/combinations: medicine, surgery, or BOTH!
504-934-3000
985-234-3000
www.WhyWeight.com
slidell glp1 Bariatricsurgery

02/19/2026

Happy Mardi Gras week everyone! 😜 enjoying the ski suit tradition…

01/08/2026

Honored to be in the spotlight!
I love being able to help ppl get healthier. Let me know if anyone needs anything!

HEALTHFUL NOTES Newsletter from Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group highlighted our own Dr. Leithead in their PROVIDER SPOTLIGHT for the month of December!

What do you enjoy most about your work in St. Tammany Parish?
I like working in St. Tammany Parish because it is a smaller community, which reminds me of my hometown. I grew up in Lake Charles, which is also smaller, compared to New Orleans. I like being able to impact the community in a positive way by helping patients get healthier.

What is something unique about the scope of your practice?
In my practice, I am able to care for patients for their entire lives. This may start with helping them lose weight and get healthier, but it can also include the treatment of gallbladder disease, hernias, acid reflux/heartburn, colorectal disease and many other types of general surgery. Also, the treatment of obesity is a lifelong experience, so that people may remain healthy.

What led you to a career in surgery?
I have always loved anatomy, which is what led me to become a surgeon. Following general surgery, I furthered my training by focusing in minimally invasive surgery and bariatrics. I enjoy the ability to help people feel healthier and become more confident and keep this long term. Many improve their overall quality of life and have lifelong success. I am so lucky to be able to do this for a living.

What in-clinic procedures do you perform most often?
Most of my operations, if not all, are performed at private hospitals. These range from small operations to complex and revisional cases. I enjoy private facilities because I believe these facilities and staff are well trained in the advanced type of surgery that I perform. From the preop team to the operating and hospital floor team, everyone is in sync and well versed of the plan for the patient. This is very important for the complex operations I perform, but I believe is a must for everyone. In the office I am able perform live X-rays to see a real-time image of a patient’s stomach. This allows me to further evaluate symptoms of gastric reflux or any difficulties they may be experiencing. Also, while the lap band procedure is now performed less frequently, I still help those patients in the office with adjustments of their bands.

Anything else you would like people to know about you?
I love being able to help patients with any surgical difficulty. Using small incisions to do this helps patients have less pain, recover quicker and be back up on their feet almost instantly. It is truly amazing what is accomplishable with extremely small incisions. The technology continues to advance, and my field of obesity/minimally invasive surgery is growing rapidly.

DR. JAMES "BUDDY" LEITHEAD III
Advanced Laparoscopic General & Bariatric Surgeon

12/13/2025

Making this post made me smile. I love helping people get healthy. Keep livin and feeling great! Having fun and changing lives…
504–934-300
985–234-3000