Meet the Doctors

 

 

Dr. Robert Cywes

 

Dr. Robert Cywes is a board certified pediatric and general adult surgeon, specializing in bariatric surgery.  He was the first surgeon in Northeast Florida to be certified to perform the LAP-BAND® surgery.   His medical training began in Cape Town, South Africa where he received his medical degree from The University of Cape Town.  

In 1989, Dr. Cywes moved to North America and completed a year-long residency in pediatric surgery at Ohio State University’s Columbus Children’s Hospital before moving to Canada where he completed his general surgery residency and specialized in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Toronto.  Dr. Cywes also earned a Ph.D. in liver transplant immunology.

After completing his pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Dr. Cywes spent four years as a pediatric surgeon and Assistant Professor of Pediatric and Fetal Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Cywes then relocated to Jacksonville, Florida where he joined the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Nemours Children’s Clinic and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. During this time, Dr. Cywes became increasingly interested in adolescent obesity and the impact of the metabolic syndrome on young patients.  This led to a national meeting in Jacksonville where guidelines for adolescent obesity surgery were established.

In 2004, Dr. Cywes established Jacksonville Surgical Associates to continue his work in both adolescent and adult obesity treatment and surgery.  He now works with a highly experienced team of professionals from a variety of medical subspecialties to better care for obese patients.  He has developed the practice into a nationally recognized Center of Excellence for obesity surgery.

Dr. Cywes is a member of ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) and is a member of the ASMBS Childhood Obesity Committee.   He has earned a Centers of Excellence designation by the Surgical Review Corporation.  Dr. Cywes is a Key Opinion Leader with Allergan Medical, the makers of the LAP-BAND® as well as a proctor for the LAP-BAND® system, training other surgeons to perform the operation.

Dr. Cywes and his team are active in obesity research, including an ongoing Adolescent LAP-BAND® trial. He has become one of the foremost authorities in the treatment and management of obesity in adolescents.  Dr. Cywes’ vast experience in pediatric and general surgery serves him well in using bariatric surgery to treat obesity in both adults and children.

Learn more about Dr. Cywes' practice at obesityresolved.com.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Michael Baptista

 

Dr. Michael Baptista is a highly specialized laparoscopic obesity surgeon.  He began his medical career in Brazil where he was born to Brazilian and American parents.  Dr. Baptista received his medical degree at the Barbacena Medical School in Barbacena, Brazil. He went on to complete his general surgery training at the College of Medical Science in Belo Horizonte and earned the award of Most Distinguished Fellow in Thoracic Surgery.

In 1992, Dr. Baptista relocated to the United States to complete an externship in surgery at the Brainerd Medical Center in Brainerd, Minnesota and then spent several years as a surgical research fellow at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

From 1999 to 2004, Dr. Baptista continued his surgical training with a residency that included training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Rush University in Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.  

After finishing his residency and fellowship, Dr. Baptista became a Clinical Instructor in Surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he earned a commendation for outstanding teaching of surgical students at Rush-Presbyterian-St.Luke’s Medical Center.  While at the University of Illinois, he also completed a laparoscopic / robotic surgical fellowship.

During his fellowship, Dr. Baptista developed an interest in obesity and decided to commit his professional career to obesity surgery and helping patients overcome obesity.  In 2006, Dr. Baptista moved to Jacksonville, Florida to join Jacksonville Surgical Associates, specializing in obesity surgery and the treatment and management of obese patients.  Dr. Baptista has been certified by Allergan Medical and Ethicon Endo-Surgery to perform gastric banding surgery.

Dr. Baptista has published numerous research articles in the field of laparoscopic gastric banding and regularly contributes abstracts and posters to SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons).  SAGES has recognized Dr. Baptista with a Distinction Award for his work at the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center in Chicago.  

Learn more about Dr. Baptista's practice at obesityresolved.com.