surgeons

curve shape
Surgeons text

Meet Our Featured Bariatric Surgeons

Bariatric Surgery Specialists has partnered with some of the most experienced Bariatric surgeons. All of our surgeons have performed hundreds of primary bariatric procedures and are all Board Certified and members of The American Society of Bariatric Surgery.

Hadar Spivak, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Spivak completed General Surgery residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. After completing two exclusive fellowships – one in Surgical Endoscopy at Beth Israel Medical Center and the other in Laparoscopic Surgery at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta –he went on to direct the Advanced Laparoscopy Unit at Rabin Medical Center, Israel. He moved to Houston, Texas in 1999 and established a practice dedicated to the surgical treatment of obesity.

Board certified by the American Board of Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Spivak’s work has been recognized internationally. He has received awards and distinctions for his contributions in furthering the field of minimally invasive surgery. He teaches advanced surgery to surgeons from the US and abroad. He also participates in several professional societies such as the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), the American Society of Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).


Robert G. Marvin, M.D.

A Board Certified General Surgeon, Dr. Robert Marvin also has additional certification in Surgical Critical Care and is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons. Dr. Marvin completed his surgical training at the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center from 1989 through 1994 and was Administrative Chief Resident during his last year. In 1996, he came to Houston where he completed a Fellowship in Surgical Critical Care. After his Fellowship, he was asked to stay on the faculty at the University of Texas at Houston Medical School where he attended in General and Trauma surgery from 1996 until 2000.

Dr. Marvin can be seen on The Discovery Health Channel in the story of Brandon Bennett….'Obese at 16, a Life in the Balance', which airs periodically on Discovery Health.


Clifton Thomas, M.D.

Dr. Thomas shares his time between his Nacogdoches office and the office is Houston. We have partnered with Dr. Thomas in the East Texas region so that we may provide more accessible and convenient follow up care for patients living in that area. Bariatric Surgery Specialists conducts educational seminars in multiple locations and has a Bariatric Coordinator and Licensed Dietitian as well as a support group in the East Texas office.

He served as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Marshall University School of Medicine before going into private practice in Nacogdoches. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Society of General Surgeons as an Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon. His practice is primarily Bariatric Surgery, performing both the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y and the LAP-BAND® and procedures.


Wade Barker, M.D.

Dr. Barker began his undergraduate studies at Southwest Texas State University and completed them at Eastern New Mexico University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He also received a Loan Star scholarship and was named an outstanding biology student. Dr. Barker completed his medical education, internship, and general surgery residency at Texas Tech University School of Medicine.

Dr. Barker is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is affiliated with the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Dallas County Medical Association, and American Bariatric Society. He is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and completed a preceptorship sponsored by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Wade Barker is one of a select few weight loss surgeons to perform the Lap Band®, Realize Band®, laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, and laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Dr. Barker has performed more than 3,000 weight loss surgeries and continues to work to improve patient’s health and quality of life.


James Davidson, M.D.

Dr. Davidson has been involved in bariatric surgery since the early 1980’s and returned to the field with the development of laparoscopic techniques. Dr. Davidson finds the field of bariatrics to be very effective in reducing and eliminating many of the disease processes associated with obesity.

Dr. Davidson is a former major in the US Army Medical Corps. Dr. Davidson graduated from the University of Wisconsin medical school, completed his residency at the University of New Mexico in general surgery, and did a fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of Tennessee.

James Davidson is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is affiliated with the American Medical Association Texas Medical Association, Dallas County Medical Association, and a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Dr. Davidson is skilled in the Lap Band®, Realize Band®, laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, and laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. He has performed approximately 1500 weight loss surgeries and has been awarded D Magazine’s “Top Docs in Dallas” each year since 1992.


Nirmal Jayaseelan, M.D.

Dr. Jayaseelan grew up in Lubbock, Texas. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University. After a short career as a systems engineer, he went to medical school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Jay then completed his General Surgery Residency at Oregon Health Sciences University and has been trained by world famous surgeons.

Dr. Jay is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Texas Medical Association and Dallas County Medical Society. He is also a member of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Nirmal Jayaseelan is a leader in gastric banding surgery. Dr. Jay also performs the laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy and has done more than 3,000 total weight loss surgeries. Dr. Jayaseelan has been a D Magazine “Top Docs in Dallas” each year since 2005.


Sherman C. Yu, M.D.

Dr. Sherman Yu is a native Houstonian who grew up in the Southwest part of the city. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated with High Honors in Chemical Engineering, and then returned to Houston where he received his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine, with honors in his surgical rotations.

After finishing his studies, Dr. Yu performed his surgical training at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. It was there that he developed a special interest in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgical techniques, especially in the field of obesity surgery. While still a resident physician, he authored many research articles and presented at national conferences.

Dr. Yu is also the Bariatric Medical Director at Park Plaza Hospital in Houston, Texas and performs single incision bariatric procedures.


Kenneth W. Hollis, M.D.

Dr. Hollis has practiced laparoscopic surgery for nearly 20 years, beginning in 1989 as one of the early surgeons in the U.S. performing the new minimally invasive art.

Dr. Hollis received his medical degree in 1979 from the University of Kansas and entered training in General, Thoracic, & Vascular Surgery, becoming Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1985. After this initial training, he pursued a passion he’d always had - that of being a Trauma Surgeon. He trained with America’s foremost Trauma Surgeons at the acclaimed Maryland Shock-Trauma Center. Thereafter, as a surgical professor with the University of Kansas surgical Faculty, he practiced as a General & Trauma Surgeon , critical care specialist, and surgical laparoscopist for nearly a decade before relocating to Houston, with thousands of major operative procedures to his credit. Since in Houston, Dr. Hollis has always been on the leading edge of minimally invasive surgery. He has trained many other surgeons in various advanced laparoscopic procedures, and has himself performed well over 5000 such operations in his surgical career


Victor Gonzalez, M.D.

Dr. Gonzalez received his Medical Degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City. His post-graduate training included a surgical internship and residency at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in El Paso, Texas, a five year General Surgery Residency program. After graduating from residency he built a successful General Surgery practice. After five years, he developed a yearning to learn more and decided to undergo further training by completing a one year Fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopic (minimally invasive surgery) and Bariatric Surgery.

Dr. Gonzalez is a Board Certified surgeon and performs several different weight loss surgery procedures including gastric banding, laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass surgery, laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, and endoscopic Stomaphyx®.


Nick Nicholson, M.D.

A native of Texas, Dr. Nicholson began undergraduate studies at the University of Texas in Austin and pursued his MD at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston before completing his residency at UT Southwestern at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. It was here that Dr. Nicholson became interested in advanced laparoscopic and weight loss surgery procedures.

Dr. Nicholson is active in several organizations, including the American Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscope Surgeons, and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Nick Nicholson is Board Certified in General Surgery by the American Board of Surgery and is a member of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Nicholson has been performing weight loss surgery for more than seven years. He continues to expand his expertise in multiple advanced procedures in the belief that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss surgery.

  • BMI Calculator
    click here
  • What does it cost?
    click here
  • Quick help
    click here