The BayCare weight loss surgeons all share a desire to help you achieve weight loss
success. Each surgeon will work with you to design a comprehensive, multidisciplinary
approach to help you find the best options. You can rely on the expertise of the
team at BayCare Health System.
Robyn Ache, D.O.
Dr. Robyn Ache was born and raised in Tampa, FL. She graduated from Nova Southeastern
University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Dr. Ache completed
a one year traditional rotating internship as well as her four year General Surgery
Residency at Largo Medical Center, Indian Rocks Campus, under the training of Dr.
Tiffany Jessee. Dr. Ache specializes in General Surgery as well as Bariatric Surgery
and has privileges at Carillon Surgery Center.
Stephen Butler, MD
Dr. Butler is a board-certified surgeon who has been affiliated with South Florida
Baptist Hospital since 1992. He has been a past-president of the hospital medical
staff and has served on every major medical staff committee. Dr. Butler practices
general and vascular surgery with a special interest in laparoscopic surgery and
minimal access surgery. He is a consultant surgeon for Ethicon Endosurgery and a
faculty member of Nova-Southeastern University. Dr. Butler received medical and
surgical training at University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine and
served his general surgical residency at St. Luke’s Hospital. He received an Endoscopy
Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Currently Dr. Butler
performs adjustable gastric banding at South Florida Baptist Hospital.
Richard L. DiCicco, MD, FACS
Dr. Richard DiCicco received his medical degree from the American University of
the Caribbean, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, where he lived during the first
two years of medical school. His third and fourth years of medical school were completed
in teaching hospitals in Detroit, Michigan. He completed his residency at St. Agnes
Healthcare in Baltimore, Maryland, which is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital.
He also completed extensive training in laparoscopic bariatric surgery under the
supervision of two of Maryland’s leading bariatric surgeons. Dr. DiCicco is board
certified in general surgery and his focus is on the total care of the bariatric
patient. He has been in private practice since 2004, and has performed hundreds
of gastric bypass operations and laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands. Currently
his practice is limited to laparoscopic adjustable gastric band
surgery and uses both the Allergan Lap Band® and Ethicon Realize
Band®. He is privileged at Carillon Surgery Center and St Anthony’s
Hospital.
David Echevarria, MD
Dr. David F. Echevarria was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, and attended Tulane
University where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He received
his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and after graduating
medical school, returned to Tampa to complete a five-year surgical training program
at Tampa General Hospital, The Veterans Administration and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer
Center. Dr. Echevarria specializes in advanced laparoscopic surgery, bariatric surgery,
general surgery and surgical oncology. He has been in surgical practice for over
17 years, working alongside his father for ten of them. Dr. Echevarria has extensive
experience with bariatric surgery for morbid obesity and is a member of the American
College of Bariatric Surgeons as well as the American College of General Surgeons.
Dr. Echevarria performs gastric bypass and adjustable gastric
band procedures. He enjoys performing bariatric surgery because the
surgeries are an effective and life-changing tool for his patients. He states, “Watching
a post-op patient transform emotionally and physically has been one of the most
rewarding aspects of my practice.” Dr. Echevarria has privileges at St. Joseph’s
Hospital.
John Paul Gonzalvo, DO
Dr. John Paul Gonzalvo is a native of the Tampa Bay area and attended medical
school at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He performed
a general surgical residency at University of South Florida, rotating at Tampa General
Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center, All Children's Hospital, James Hailey VA and Bay
Pines VA. While at Bay Pines, he became interested in weight loss surgery and started
performing open gastric bypass surgery. He took an interest in the advantages of
laparoscopic surgery and did a minimally invasive surgery fellowship in advanced
laparoscopic bariatric and laparoscopic general surgery at the Cleveland Clinic
Florida. Dr. Gonzalvo is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is
a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He performs laparoscopic gastric
bypass, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and laparoscopic sleeve
surgery, as well as revisional bariatric surgery. Dr. Gonzalvo
has privileges at Mease Countryside Hospital, Mease Dunedin Hospital, Morton Plant
Hospital, Bardmoor Outpatient Center and Carillon Surgery Center.
Richard Gordon, MD
Dr. Richard Gordon is a fellowship-trained weight loss and laparoscopic surgeon,
one of only a few fellowship-trained weight loss surgeons in the Tampa Bay area.
He graduated medical school and completed his general surgical residency in Ottawa,
Canada, and came to Florida to complete his fellowship training year at the Cleveland
Clinic Florida in weight loss and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Gordon is fully
trained in gastric banding, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy
and is board certified by both the American College of Surgeons and Royal College
of Canada. He is a member of the Society for Advanced Endoscopic Gastrointestinal
Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Gordon has privileges
at Mease Countryside Hospital, Mease Dunedin Hospital, Morton Plant Hospital and
Bardmoor Outpatient Center.
Lee J. Grossbard, MD
Dr. Lee J. Grossbard is board-certified general surgeon and an International Speaker
and Proctor for the LAP-BAND Surgical Procedure. He graduated from University of
Guadalajara and completed both his internship and residency in New York at Lutheran
Medical Center and Bay State Medical Center. Dr. Grossbard has been involved with
Bariatric Surgery for twenty years. He is the President of Florida Surgical Obesity
Associates. Dr. Grossbard is one of a few physicians that not only performs the
LAP-BAND Procedure, but has had the procedure performed on himself. Since October
2002 he has lost over 100 pounds! He currently performs laparoscopic adjustable
gastric banding at the Carillon Surgery Center.
Clinton Hall, MD
Dr. Hall was born at South Florida Baptist Hospital and graduated from Plant City
High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology, graduating Suma Cum Laude,
from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and his Doctor of Medicine from
the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Hall
served his internship and completed his residency as Chief Administrative Resident
at the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He continued there
as Assistant Professor of Surgery and completed a Fellowship in minimally invasive,
bariatric and robotic-assisted surgery. Dr. Hall’s clinical interests include laparoscopic
bariatric surgery, application of the da Vinci robotic system in anti-reflux procedures,
and laparoscopic complex abdominal hernia repair. Currently Dr. Hall performs adjustable
gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy. He has privileges at St. Joseph’s
Hospital and South Florida Baptist Hospital.
Kevin Huguet, MD
Dr. Huguet was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, and completed his undergraduate
studies at Florida State University. He received his Master's in public health at
the University of South Florida College of Public Health in infectious disease and
immunology and received his medical degree from the University of South Florida
College of Medicine, where he graduated in the top ten percent of his class. His
internship and residency in general surgery were served at the Mayo Clinic College
of Medicine and he is board certified in general surgery. Additionally, Dr. Huguet
completed a post-graduate fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at the Mayo Clinic
College of Medicine and his fellowship training included advanced laparoscopic surgery
techniques such as bariatric surgery. Dr. Huguet has presented at multiple national
and international meetings and published numerous articles in prestigious journals
and book chapters. He is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric
Surgery, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, American College
of Surgeons, Southeastern Surgical Congress and the Pinellas County Medical Association.
Dr. Huguet performs adjustable gastric banding and has privileges
at St. Anthony’s Hospital, Carillon Surgery Center and Physicians Surgery
Center.
Tiffany Jessee, DO
Dr. Tiffany Jessee is a board-certified general surgeon who has devoted her bariatric
practice to laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. She is one of only a few fellowship-trained
surgeons in the Tampa Bay area who has been invited to place the Johnson & Johnson
REALIZE™ banding system. She has performed over 700 bariatric procedures.
She performed
the first laparoscopic adjustable gastric band in Pinellas County and in March 2010,
she was the first in the world to perform a single incision LAP-BAND® with the
SPIDER platform. Dr. Jessee is Bariatric Medical Director at Carillon Surgery Center.
She has privileges at Carillon Surgery Center and St. Anthony's Hospital.
Theodore Small, MD
Dr. Theodore Small received his medical degree from the Medical University of
South Carolina. He is a board-certified general surgeon with a special interest
in teaching and performing advanced laparoscopic surgery and general surgical care
for all age groups. Dr. Small is the Medical Director of the Morton Plant Mease
Health Care Bariatric Center, Surgical Director of the Mease Heartburn Center and
is also a consultant surgeon for Ethicon Endo Surgery and Bard- Davol, acting as
a course director for advanced laparoscopic procedures and instructing surgeons
from across the country on the newest techniques. Dr. Small performs adjustable
gastric banding, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy
as well as all varieties of laparoscopic procedures including hernia, adrenal, spleen
and colon resections. Dr. Small is a member of the American Society for Metabolic
and Bariatric Surgery, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons
and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Small has privileges at
Mease Countryside Hospital, Mease Dunedin Hospital and Morton Plant Hospital.
Donald Straub, DO, FACS
Dr. Straub earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of
Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and his Doctor of Osteopathy, cum laude, from Nova
Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dr. Straub completed an internship through Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
and did his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center McKeesport
and Pinnacle Polyclinic Medical Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is a Fellow
of the American College of Surgeons and is board certified in general surgery. Prior
to joining HealthPoint Medical Group, Dr. Straub was in private practice. His clinical
interests include advanced laparoscopy, endoscopy, breast disease and LAP-BAND®
surgery. Currently Dr. Straub performs adjustable gastric banding at St. Joseph's
Hospital.
Dr. Straub shares: “I believe LAP-BAND surgery can prolong the lives of
morbidly obese patients who cannot lose their excess weight by conventional means.
I was forced to make lifestyle changes several years ago when I underwent coronary
bypass at a young age. I realized that I must control my cholesterol and thus my
diet and exercise patterns to prolong my life and watch my children grow. I can
relate to the lifestyle changes necessary to prolong the lives of the morbidly obese
patients in our practice through this experience.”
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