Press Kit

Short Bio · 75 words

Dr. Ariel Ortiz® Lagardere is an internationally recognized bariatric and metabolic surgeon, educator, and innovator. He is the founder and director of the Obesity Control Center® (OCC) in Tijuana, Mexico — a Joint Commission International–accredited Center of Excellence — and a professor of surgery at the UABC School of Medicine. He has performed more than 28,000 bariatric procedures, holds Master Surgeon status with the Surgical Review Corporation, and has appeared on Discovery Health, NBC Dateline, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC's Good Morning America, and The Doctors. He is the developer of the Stomach Sparing Gastric Sleeve® and was the primary clinical investigator for the Obalon Swallowable Balloon.

Medium Bio · 200 words

Dr. Ariel Ortiz® Lagardere, MD, FACS, FASMBS, has dedicated more than three decades to advancing bariatric and metabolic surgery as a clinician, educator, researcher, and institution-builder. Trained in general surgery in Mexico and in advanced laparoscopy under the pioneers of the field, he was among the first surgeons in Latin America to perform laparoscopic gastric banding, and one of a small group worldwide proctored personally by Professor Mitiku Belachew, the inventor of the Lap-Band system. In 2003 he founded the Obesity Control Center® in Tijuana — today an internationally accredited Center of Excellence serving patients from across North America and Europe, with multidisciplinary care, telemedicine follow-up, and outcomes published in peer-reviewed journals. He is the developer of the Stomach Sparing Gastric Sleeve®, the primary clinical investigator for the Obalon Swallowable Balloon, a co-founder of Hospital CYNTAR®, and a professor at UABC. His teaching reaches surgeons worldwide through ASMBS, SAGES, IFSO, Oxford congresses, the IBC-TV / Academy SI educational network, and his ongoing fellowship program in Tijuana.

Long Bio

A full-length biography — including education, academic appointments, innovations, publications, media history, and recognitions — is published in two places on this site: the About page (narrative) and the Curriculum Vitae (structured, with verified citations). The Legacy section presents the same story in chapter form for documentary and editorial use.