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Start Your Journey
Start Your Journey

OCC’s epidemiologist is closely monitoring the COVID-19 status and is actively issuing updates as they are available. The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization are the most trusted sources online. While the CDC has announced new mask protocols for vaccinated individuals, there will be no changes for our office protocols for patients, guests, and staff members as the announcement does not apply to hospitals or medical facilities. Masks are still a requirement for all patients, guests and staff at our facility.

As we reinitiate weight loss surgery, we are constantly adapting and installing new and updated safety measures.

Weight loss surgery is medically necessary.

Bariatric Surgery and the clash of two pandemics.

Major metabolic and bariatric surgery Societies and colleges globally are now calling for the safe resumption of bariatric and metabolic surgery before the COVID-19 pandemic is declared over.

The sooner bariatric surgery can be safely performed, the quicker obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases can be reduced or resolved as they are not only chronic they are also progressive. Obesity is also linked to more than 40 diseases including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and at least 13 different types of cancer.

A recent statement from the ASMBS says “Before COVID-19 began, it was clear that patients with obesity were ‘safer through surgery.’ In the era of COVID-19, ‘safer through surgery’ for patients with obesity may prove to be even more important than before.” Obesity and Metabolic syndrome have been identified as an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes including death among COVID-19 patients.

See here for full COVID-19 update.

BMI Calculator

Use the sliders to determine your Body Mass Index (BMI), and whether or not you should contact OCC to schedule a weight loss surgery consultation.

BMI Categories

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Normal weight 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight 25 - 29.9
Obesity BMI of 30 or greater

Your Weight: 184 pounds

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HOMEPAGE / Arturo Martinez, MD

Arturo Martinez, MD

Bariatric Surgeon Chief of Surgery

“As surgeons, we have a great responsibility to our patients and to ourselves; be better with every procedure, be critical about every decision, continue learning, and above all, never stop caring for the people we want to help.” – Arturo Martinez

  • 15000+

    satisfied patients

  • 19+

    years of experience

About
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About

Dr. Martínez received his professional postgraduate, or specialty training, as General Surgeon at Centro Médico Nacional de Especialidades “La Raza” of the Mexican Social Security Institute, recognized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has 20 years of experience performing weight loss surgery.

He is board certified by the Mexican Council of General Surgery (Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General, AC) and by the Mexican College of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (Colegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas, AC). Dr. Martinez is also an Assistant Professor of General Surgery at the Medical Faculty Autonomous University of Baja California – UABC. He has been recognized as a Surgeon of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery by Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), this being one of his most outstanding designations. SRC certifies hospitals and doctors dedicated to bariatric surgery with the highest quality and safety standards in the United States and in different countries.

Dr. Martínez has a postgraduate degree in Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery from the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, Spain. He has been affiliated with the Obesity Control Center since 2001. Dr. Martínez has also participated as a speaker in both regional and national medical conferences. He has published bariatric scientific articles, been invited to give lectures in medical meetings, and participated in surgical procedures performed live showcased in international bariatric surgery congresses.

Education
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Education

Medical and Surgical Training:

  • Obesity and Lapband Training: Grupo Laparoscopico de Baja California 2002.
  • Advance Laparoscopic Training, Ramon y Cajal Hospital, INSALUD, Madrid, Spain 2000-2001
  • Laparoscopic Surgery Fellowship: Hospital General de Zona No. 24, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, Distrito Federal, 1999-2000.
  • Residency in General Surgery at Centro Medico Nacional De Especialidades “La Raza”, Instituto Mexicano Del Seguro Social (IMSS), México DF. Reconocimiento de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Certification and Licensure

  • Certified Surgeon by Inamed/Allergan since September 2002
  • Board Certified in General Surgery 1999, México, Distrito Federal. Consejo Mexicano de Cirugia general No 99031.
  • General Surgery License, Direccion General de Profesiiones Numero AECEM 28333, Issued by the Secretaria de Educacion Publica (Federal Government).
  • General Medicine license, Direccion General de Profesiones 2264946, Issued by the Secretaria de Educacion Publica.

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Basic and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, North-Western Training Center, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Tijuana, Baja California, México. 2002-2003.
  • Assistant Professor for Adjustable Gastric Band Placement Surgery and follow-up training at Obesity Control Center 2004- Current.
  • Invited as Assistant Professor for LapBand Work Shops for US Surgeons on many occasions. LapBand surgical Technique. Tijuana, México.

Medical Studies:

Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Medical Faculty. Baja California México 1988-1992.

Internship:

Hospital General de Tijuana, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California 1993.

Awards
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Awards

Licensures and Certifications

Master Surgeon in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MSMBS) – Designation by Surgical Review Corporation since 2016

Surgeon of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (SOEBMS)

Board-certified Bariatric Surgeon (CMCOEM)

Mexican Medical License: Available Upon Request

Specialist License: Available Upon Request

Honors

Honors Academic and Service Award of Excellence and 1st Place Academic Rank Internship Year, Hospital General de Tijuana. Consejal Universitario 1990, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.

Publications

A New Bariatric Procedure: The Stomach Sparing Gastric Sleeve

Abstracts In Adverted Lesions of the Diaphragm, J.P. Amezcua, A. Martinez, J. Resendiz. Revista Médica del IMSS, 2000; 38(4), 267-273.

Fills – Getting the Band Adjusted. p.103-120, Chapter published in the Lap-Band for Life Book, Author: Ariel Ortiz Lagardere, MD. IBSN 1-879136-66-X.

Lerning Curve, Laparoscopic Inguinal Repair. JA Lopez, A Martinez, F Guzman. Revista De La Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugia General, 2003, Julio.

Gastroesophageal Reflux, Cirujano General, Consula Rapida De Tecnicas Quirurgicas, Editor Independiente, Mexicali BC 2002.
Nesidioblastosis Pancreatica, A Martinez, J Arenas .Revista Médica del IMSS, 1998.

Preoperative Management of the LapBand Patient, LapBand For Life, Book. Author A Ortiz 2004.

Surgical Technology International XXVII, Nov 2015 – ISSN:1090-3941.

Department and Hospital Appointments and Committees

2002-present – Attending Surgeon at Obesity Control Center, Tijuana México.

2003-2006 – Bariatric Surgeon, Sanoviv Medical Institution, Rosarito Baja California.

2001-2002 – Associate Surgeon Grupo Laparoscopico de Baja California, Tijuana, México.

2001-2005 – Attending Surgeon, Instituto Méxicano Del Seguro Social (IMSS), Hospital General de Zona No 20 and Hospital Regional No. 1, Baja California, México.

1999 Hospital Voceadores de Mexico, Mexico DF.

1999 Attending Surgeon , Hospital General de Zona 24, IMSS, México DF.

Presentations and Invited Talks

Lap Band Over Failed Bypass Surgery. Congreso de la Asociación Médica de Baja California. Abril 2007.

The Ideal Method of Lap Band Adjustment. And the importance of fluoroscopy for adjustable gastric band follow-up care. Seattle Bandster Group Meeting, 2007.

Follow-up care and fluoroscopy for LapBand Patients, Seattle Bandster Group meeting 2006.

Perioperative Management of the obese patient. V International Congress, Sociedad Mexicana de Cirugía Para la Obesidad, Junio de 2003, Cancún, México.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment, July 2003, Instituto Mexicano Del Seguro Social, IMSS, Hospital regional No 1.
Prosthetic Mesh Material for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, XI International Congress of General Surgery, Colegio de Cirujanos de Tijuana AC.

Abdominal Pain Management, Jornadas del Colegio Médico de Tijuana AC.

Traumatic lesions of the Diaphragm, Late Presentation, XXIII National Surgery Congress, Veracruz México, 1999. Asociación Mexicana de Cirugía General AC.

Nesidioblastosis pancreatica, surgical Management, XXIII National Surgery Congress, Veracruz, México, 1999.

Preoperative Evaluation. Hospital De Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional “la Raza”. XIX Jornadas de Residentes Medicos, 1998.

Acute Pancreatitis, Hospital General de Zona 57, Mexico DF.

ASBS National Meeting 2007, June 2007, San Diego California, USA.

Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium 2007 Annual Meeting. Utah, February 2007.

Presentations and Invited Talks (cont.)

International Bariatric Surgery Meeting of the Colegio Nacional de Cirugia de la Obesidad, June 2006.

XV International General Surgery Congress, Colegio de Cirujanos Generales de Tijuana AC, Marzo 2007.

XIV International General Surgery Congress, Colegio de Cirujanos Generales de Tijuana AC, Marzo 2006.

Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium 2005 Annual Meeting. Whistler, Canada.

XIII International General Surgery Congress, Colegio de Cirujanos Generales de Tijuana AC, Marzo 2005.

8th World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) and 5th International Symposium of Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery (ISLOS). Salamanca, Spain. September 2003.

V International Bariatric Metting of the Colegio Nacional De Cirugia de la Obesidad, Cancun, México. June 2003.

XII International General Surgery Congress, Colegio de Cirujanos Generales de Tijuana AC, Marzo 2003 Gastro esophageal Disease Surgical Management Curse , Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Hospital General de Zona 1, Baja California México, July 2003.

XI International General Surgery Congress, Colegio de Cirujanos Generales de Tijuena AC, March 2002.

Advance Laparoscopic Curse. Asociación Méxicana de Cirugía Laparoscopica. Hospital General de Zona 20, México. February-April 2002.

Diabetes and Complications Management Curse, Colegio De Cirujanos Generales de Tijuana AC. October 2002.

Advance Laparoscopic Training, Asociación Mexicana de Cirugia Laparoscópica Hospital General de Zona 20, Tijuana, Baja California, México. July-August 2001.

Morbid Obesity Surgery Curse, Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain, March 2001.

Presentations and Invited Talks (cont.)

New Technologies in Colon Surgery, Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain, February 2001.

XIII International Congress of Surgery, Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugía General AC. Veracruz, México. November 1999.

International Reunion of Experts in Gastroesophageal Reflux Surgery. Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugia Laparoscopica. Tijuana, México. June 1999.

Fellowship Curse in Basic Laparoscopic Training . Instituto Méxicano Del Seguro Social. Hospital General de Zona 24, Distrito Federal, México.

XXII International Congress of Surgery, Asociación Méxicana de Cirugía General AC. Guanajuato, México, November 1998.

Post Graduate Curse in Pancreas, Liver, and Biliary Tract Surgery. Guanajuato, Mexico. November 1998.

Pacreatitis, Centro Medico La Raza, Distrito Federal México. April 1997.

Advanced Trauma Life Support, American College of Surgeons. Capitulo Mexicano, Distrito Federal, México. Agosto 1996.

Life Support Course, American Heart Association of North America, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA. May 2004.

XXII Congreso Medico Estatal de Baja California. October 1992.

III Jornadas Medicas del Hospital General de Tijuana , Tijuana México. June 2003. II Jornadas Medicas del Hospital General de Tijuana, Tijuana, México. June 2003.

XVIII Estate Medical Congress, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, México. October 1989.

XVII Estate Medical Congress, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico. September 1988.

SANTIAGO HORGAN, MD, FACS, FASMBS

Santiago Horgan, MD, FACS, FASMBS

U.S. Based Bariatric and Metabolic, Esophageal & Robotics Surgeon.
Lucia-Chavez-NC

Lucía Chávez, CN, IFNCP

Chief Nutritionist

Arturo Martinez, MD

Bariatric Surgeon Chief of Surgery
bariatric surgeon dr. ariel ortiz in tijuana, mexico

Ariel Ortiz MD, FACS, FASMBS

Medical Director / Director of Bariatric Surgery
MEET OUR TEAM

Comparing OCC to Other Weight Loss Surgeons

OCC

  • 50 Years combined experience

  • Proven/published safety track record

  • Trademark innovations & techniques

  • Safest Most effective procedures

  • No brokers / middlemen

Others

  • New to the industry

  • Hearsay

  • Conventional

  • Unverified claims

  • Brokers fee up to 30%, low budget surgical team

Learn Why OCC is your clear choice

Obesity Control Center is considered one of the best facilities for weight loss surgery — not only in Mexico, but the world. Our award-winning team of bariatric surgeons have a combined 50 years of experience with over 25,000 successful bariatric surgery procedures to our credit. We were one of the first centers to perform bariatric surgery anywhere in the world.

Because Obesity Control Center holds itself to the most rigorous medical and safety standards found anywhere in the world, patients from Mexico, the United States and every corner of the globe seek care from our weight loss surgeons. We are fully accredited as a Center of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. We also have been awarded the Golden Seal by Joint Commission International, a distinction recognizing our highest standards of safety: a complication rate of less than 1%.

Three master bariatric surgeons — Dr. Ariel Ortiz, Dr. Arturo Martinez and Dr. Santiago Horgan — care for every patient. That means that Obesity Control Center patients are always in the hands of a world-renowned and highly trained surgeon. Our surgeons are pioneers in the field, with accomplishments that include being the first to provide teenage obesity treatments and creating the IGS Improve Gastric Sleeve®, the Stomach Sparing Gastric Sleeve® and the Double-Buttress Sewing Technique.

At our state-of-the-art facility, our surgeons offer several types of weight loss surgery, including gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, lap band surgery and gastric plication. During the consultation phase, the weight loss surgeons will evaluate each patient individually to create a customized surgical plan that considers the patient’s goals, concerns, preferences and medical history.

Dr. Ortiz, Dr. Martinez and Dr. Horgan received their advanced education in bariatric surgery at elite educational institutions and have been invited to instruct the next generation of weight loss surgeons as professors and guest lecturers. In addition to changing their patients’ lives with bariatric surgery, they are innovators in their field who have developed safer and more efficient ways to perform weight loss surgery.

The entirety of Obesity Control Center’s staff in Tijuana is just as beloved by patients. We offer five-star accommodations to our medical tourism patients, with round-the-clock concierge service. It is our pleasure to ensure that you travel to and from our weight loss center safely and comfortably.

Another reason patients choose Obesity Control Center is because our surgeons and staff care about our patients’ well-being well after they return home from bariatric surgery. We commit to providing five years of postoperative care, including a personalized nutrition and exercise plan, so that patients meet their goals and feel adequately supported during their weight loss journey.

Obesity Control Center Exterior in Tijuana, Mexico

Medical Tourism

Travel for Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, Mexico

It is completely safe to travel to Mexico and have surgery with us at OCC. Over 100 people from the USA come to Mexico every single month to have surgery with Dr. Ortiz or Dr. Martinez and achieve optimal results. We even take care of patients by shuttling them between the hotel and hospital, as well as across the border.

We have passed the most rigorous accreditations and now display a List of Awards and Designations of Quality bestowed upon the Hospital and the Surgeons. In order for the Obesity Control Center to be awarded the various distinctions and designations by third party quality accreditation organizations, we had to go through rigorous year-long reviews that examined every aspect of our practice, including the staff, surgeons, and facilities. We are one of only a few international hospitals to be awarded these designations. We are fully accredited as a Center of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery and our Surgeons have been designated Surgeons of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, and have also obtained the Golden Seal awarded by the Joint Commission International that signifies that we have met the highest standards in patient safety and quality available in healthcare.

If you have any questions or concerns about traveling to Mexico for bariatric surgery, please contact The Obesity Control Center. A member of our team would be happy to speak to you about what you can expect during your weight-loss surgery process.

Learn More

Obesity Control Center

The OCC Difference: OCC Patients Lose More Weight & Keep It Off

An innovative, and industry-leading metabolic weight loss center of excellence that helps people from around the world achieve their weight loss goals using lifestyle changes and the most modern and safe techniques in bariatric surgery.

  1. Highest Safety Standards

    Fully Accredited and follow the highest US medical safety standards. Lowest complication and infection rate with a 20+ year track record of successful surgeries.

  2. Cutting-Edge Innovation & Experience

    Pioneered multiple techniques used around the world, such as the IGS Improved Gastric Sleeve®. Co-developed the gastric balloon & The OCC Double Buttress Technique™. Performed over 25,000 successful procedures.

  3. Comprehensive 5 Year Post-Op Care

    OCC guides you through five years of post-op care through our app, online support groups, and US-based on-call patient coordinators. You become part of the #OCCFamily for life.

  4. All-Inclusive Concierge Service

    Includes service to and from the airport, guidance over the border, and five-star accommodations. OCC is your partner from initial consultation to five years of post-surgery follow-up.

  5. Fast Track Surgery

    Work with patients to get them safely prepared from consultation to surgery in as fast as 4-6 weeks.

Learn More About OCC Download Our Brochure