1992
A.H. Robbins Prize for Academic Excellence
Premio A.H. Robbins a la Excelencia Académica, presented by President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
Biography
Dr. Ariel Ortiz® Lagardere, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Bariatric & Metabolic Surgeon · Educator · Innovator · Medical Media Producer. Medical Director of the Obesity Control Center® and Professor of Surgery and Clinical Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California.
For more than three decades, Dr. Ortiz has practiced, taught, and advanced bariatric and metabolic surgery — proctoring surgeons across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; publishing peer-reviewed research; developing devices and techniques; and producing medical media that has reached patients and clinicians worldwide.
Credentials
Board certifications & fellowships
Board Certified
Mexican Council of General Surgery
Board Certified
Mexican College of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery
Fellow
American College of Surgeons (FACS)
Fellow
American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS)
SRC Designation
Surgeon / Master Surgeon of Excellence in Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery
Academic & Leadership Appointments
Teaching, leading, and serving the field.
Medical Director / Director of Bariatric Surgery Obesity Control Center® | 2003–present |
Professor of General Surgery Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) | 2000–present |
Professor of Clinical Medicine UABC | 2000–present |
Professor of Surgical Nursing Universidad Iberoamericana | 2000–present |
Professor of Bariatric Surgery Hospital CYNTAR® | 2002–present |
President, Global Communications International Bariatric Club / IBC-TV | 2013–present |
Co-Director IBC–Oxford University Congress | 2017–present |
Board of Directors Mexican College of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery | 2001–present |
Career timeline
Training, practice, and leadership.
1967
Born in Tijuana
Born June 5, 1967, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
1980–1983
Pre-medical education
Preparatoria Federal Lázaro Cárdenas, Tijuana.
1984–1990
Medical degree
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California — graduated with highest honors.
1991
Internship
Hospital Fray Junípero Serra, ISSSTE, Tijuana.
1992
A.H. Robbins Prize for Academic Excellence
Presented by President Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
1993
General surgery residency
IMSS Clínica No. 20, Tijuana.
1994–1997
Surgical training
Hospital Regional de Zona No. 1, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste, Ciudad Obregón.
1997
Minimally invasive surgery fellowship
Advanced minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery training.
1999
Bariatric certification
Certification in bariatric surgery.
2001
Mexican College of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery
Joins the Board of Directors.
2002–2003
President, CMCOEM
President of the Colegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la Obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas.
2003
Founds Obesity Control Center®
Establishes OCC in Tijuana, later associated with Hospital CYNTAR®.
2010
OCC named SRC Center of Excellence
Surgical Review Corporation accreditation in Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.
2013
International Bariatric Club
Co-founder of the IBC; directs IBC-TV global broadcasting (Obesity Surgery, PMID 24122697).
2014
Obalon swallowable balloon
Profiled by Fox News, ABC News, and Harper's Bazaar as primary clinical investigator.
2016
Paseo de la Fama
Inducted by Tijuana Innovadora among the city's distinguished personalities in science and medicine.
2022
OCC–UCSD academic partnership
IIMM signs partnership with UCSD Department of Surgery (San Diego Union-Tribune, CBS8). 19,801-patient OCC–UCSD study presented at ASMBS 2022 — 1.2% 30-day morbidity, zero mortalities.
2022
Ciudadano del Año
Awarded Citizen of the Year by Grupo Salinas Consejos Consultivos.
Today
Authority, education, and the GLP-1 era
Continues clinical practice, surgeon training, research, broadcasting, and international keynotes.
Awards & Recognition
Independently verified honors.
2016
Paseo de la Fama, Tijuana Innovadora
Inducted as one of Tijuana's distinguished personalities in science and medicine.
2022
Ciudadano del Año — Grupo Salinas
Citizen of the Year, awarded by the Consejos Consultivos of Grupo Salinas at the sixth annual ceremony (February 2023).
For Patients
Patient inquiries — procedures, travel, and scheduling — are handled by the Obesity Control Center®. This site is the academic and professional home of Dr. Ortiz.