Mega Doctor News
The prevalence of obesity across the United States remains a serious public health concern, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with Texas and 22 other states having a 35% prevalence rate of obesity.
Locally, the McAllen-Mission-Edinburg metropolitan area has been named the fattest city in the United States by WalletHub for several years, with the obesity rate at 44.9% for adults in the tri-city area and only 36.9% of adults considered physically active, according to the personal finance company’s website (information source: https://wallethub.com/edu/fattest-cities-in-america/10532)
As the prevalence of obesity increases globally, so does the number of people undergoing weight loss surgeryprocedures. Worldwide, nearly 580,000 people undergo bariatric procedures annually, a 154% increase since 2017, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
The South Texas Health System Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery Center has been helping Valley residents struggling with obesity get the long-term weight loss necessary to lead a healthier life through its team of board-certified surgeons. Recently, the center welcomed Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, a board-certified general surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery who joined STHS Clinics last month.
Following his graduation from Sharyland High School in 2009, Dr. Rodriguez completed his undergraduate studies at Baylor University in 2013. He attended medical school at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth before moving to Nevada to complete his general surgery residency with the Sunrise Health GME Consortium in Las Vegas.
This July, Dr. Rodriguez completed a fellowship in Advanced Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic before joining STHS Clinics in September.
“I’m honored to be back home in the Rio Grande Valley and working in the community that helped raise me,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “In the month that I’ve been practicing here, I have witnessed the great need for general surgery, as well as specialty surgical services like bariatrics. I’m proud to be a part of STHS Clinics and be able to help treat patients in my community at South Texas Health System’s hospitals. It’s an honor to work for such an integral healthcare system in our community.”
In addition to bariatric surgery, Dr. Rodriguez can perform procedures for a wide range of common ailments, including appendicitis, diverticulitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease and hernia repair.
“Performing operations to produce tangible results that improve a patient’s condition or alleviate their illness is what I enjoy most about what I do,” says Dr. Rodriguez, whose passion for medicine began when he was in high school.“For two summers, I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Jose Farias-Jimenez. Seeing him at work treating patients really inspired me to go into medicine, particularly general surgery.”
As a general surgeon, Dr. Rodriguez is adept at performing minimally invasive and robotic procedures on a patient’s foregut, which involves the esophagus, stomach and upper small intestines.
Whether performing a hernia repair or helping a patient transform their life through weight loss surgery, he’s grateful to be helping Valley residents get the healthcare they need right at home.
“The Rio Grande Valley has long been a medically underserved community, and I’m just glad to be part of the progress in ensuring residents don’t have to leave the region to get the care they need,” says Dr. Rodiguez.
Dr. Rodriguez’s practice at the STHS Clinics Trauma Surgery Clinic is located at 1801 S. 5th St., Suite 120, in McAllen. For more information or to make an appointment, call (956) 631-0393 or visit the STHS Clinics website at www.sthsclinics.com.
To learn more about weight loss surgery, contact the STHS Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery Center, located at 416 Lindberg Ave, Suite B, McAllen, at (956) 664-1616 or visit www.southtexashealthsystemheart.com/services/weight-loss-surgery.
