San Antonio, October 3, 2018 – The Bariatric Medical Institute of Texas (BMI of Texas), which provides innovative and comprehensive medical and surgical care to patients with obesity and metabolic disease, today announced the 10-year anniversary of its minimally invasive bariatric surgery fellowship program.
Offering one of the only accredited bariatric surgery fellowships in South Texas, surgeons nationwide apply and compete for the opportunity to train at BMI of Texas in San Antonio. The BMI of Texas fellowship program, which is a year-long training program for surgeons who have recently finished their 5-year surgical residency, is affiliated with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and part of the Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas (MIST) program. The goal of the MIST fellowship consortium is to provide the best training opportunity for fellows in the country. Fellows receive broad bariatric surgical experience including robotics surgical experience with flexible endoscopy and advanced laparoscopic operative skills.
“Conducting my fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic was invaluable. I had the opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s premier surgeons and the knowledge I gained from them is irreplaceable,” said Dr. Terive Duperier, co-founder of BMI of Texas. “Dr.Seger had a similar experience at the UT Health Science Center in Houston under the guidance of Dr. Leggett, which compelled us to launch a bariatric surgery fellowship program in San Antonio. We are incredibly proud of the 11 surgeons who have participated in our fellowship program and it’s been our pleasure to watch them launch their own careers.”
Since the fellowship program began, the BMI of Texas surgeons have worked with 11 fellows, who credit the practice for helping them advance their surgical skills as well as patient care and business strategy.
“The year I spent at BMI of Texas as part of its fellowship program provided me with the opportunity to learn more than just surgery. Drs. Seger and Duperier guided me through the pitfalls of private practice, giving me the understanding of how to create and run a Bariatric Center of Excellence,” said Dr. Asahel Gridley, who is now a surgeon with Ochsner Health System in Slidell, Louisiana. “I learned the importance of leading healthcare providers and being a voice for the patient. Their compassion for patients reminded me of why a caring physician was the most valuable part of medicine. I’m extremely grateful to Dr. Duperier and Dr. Seger for their wisdom and hands-on attention. They treated me as a family member and shaped the physician I am today. They are well-known and respected for their surgical skills and commitment to their patients, but the investment they’ve made to train bariatric surgeons like myself over the past decade should be lauded as well. As a practicing surgeon in the New Orleans area, I am reminded daily of my fortune in doing my bariatric surgery fellowship at BMI of Texas.”
The physicians and staff at BMI of Texas are dedicated to creating an enduring partnership with patients in order to ensure their long-term success by providing care in a supportive, compassionate, and guilt-free environment. BMI of Texas helps patients achieve their weight loss goals and improved health through various surgical procedures including gastric bypass, Obalon Balloon System, LAP-BAND, duodenal switch and gastric sleeve, as well as a comprehensive medical weight management program.
BMI of Texas weight loss surgeons Terive Duperier, MD, FACS, Richard Englehardt, MD, FACS, and Michael Seger, MD, FACS, have been repeatedly recognized by San Antonio Scene in the magazine’s annual listing of the city’s top physicians. Dr. Jennifer Seger, who heads up the practice’s medical weight loss program, is recognized in the Bariatric Medicine category. The BMI of Texas doctors have repeatedly been recognized by their peers dating back the awards’ inception in 2005.
Dr. Englehardt and Dr. Punam Patel both completed the fellowship training program at BMI of Texas prior to joining the practice. Dr. Englehardt recently established a comprehensive Reflux Center of Excellence in San Antonio which offers a full line of options for reflux management including the LINX Reflux Management System. Dr. Patel, who is one of San Antonio’s only female fellowship-trained advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgeons, offers complex, minimally invasive surgeries of the abdomen as well as a wide variety of weight loss procedures including sleeve gastrectomy and roux-en-y gastric bypass.
About BMI of Texas:
Founded in 2008, the Bariatric Medical Institute of Texas is focused on helping patients achieve their long-term weight loss goals. More information on the practice can be found online at bmioftexas.com.
For more information, please contact:
Melinda Hart
PR for BMI of Texas
P: 2102404669
melinda@melindahartprcom