Natan Zundel, MD, FACS, FASMBS

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Get to know General & Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Natan Zunel, who serves patients throughout the State of Florida & New York.

Dr. Zundel is an internationally recognized thought leader, lecturer, professor, trainer, and innovator in metabolic and bariatric surgery.  

Among his many titles, he is a Clinical Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University at Buffalo in New York; functions as a Consultant in the Department of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery of the Foundation Program in Santa Fe de Bogota, Columbia; serves as the Medical Director of the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at Jackson North Medical Center in Miami; is a bariatric surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital; and serves as a Clinical Professor of Surgery and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University.

He has lectured extensively all over the world on minimally invasive and bariatric topics. He has also trained and proctored hundreds of surgeons, fellows, and surgical residents on bariatric and minimally invasive procedures. 

In regards to his educational background, Dr. Zundel graduated with his medical degree from Pontifical Xavierian University in Colombia in 1982. He then performed his residency in surgery at the said establishment in 1988, after which he relocated to the United States to perform an additional residency in general surgery at West Penn Hospital in 2007.

With extensive experience with minimally invasive and bariatric surgical procedures, he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training, and knowledge.

A world class leader in laparoscopic and bariatric surgery, Dr. Zundel currently serves as President and Governor for the ACS South Florida Chapter. 

Previously, he was president of several international surgical societies and meetings, including the World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery (2012), the International Federation for Obesity Surgery (IFSO) (2015-2016), the Latin-American Chapter of IFSO (2013-2015), the VI IFSO LAC Congress in Los Cabos, Mexico, (July 8-11,2015), and the IFSES (2019-2021). 

In 44 countries around the world, Dr. Zundel has served as a founder, active or/and honorary member of surgical, laparoscopic and/or bariatric societies. He is an active member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery, the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders, the International Federation of Societies of Endoscopic Surgeons, the Latin American Federation of Surgeons, and Asociación Latinoamericana de Cirujanos Endoscopistas.

General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland. A general surgeon performs a wide range of abdominal surgeries for many forms of intestinal and abdominal wall neoplasms, gallbladder disease, gastric and pancreatic disease. They follow the patient through critical care and surgical recovery all the way to outpatient care.

Bariatric surgery (or weight loss surgery) includes a variety of procedures performed on people who are obese. Long-term weight loss through Standard of Care procedures (Roux en Y Bypass, Sleeve Gastrectomy, and Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch) is largely achieved by altering gut hormone levels that are responsible for hunger and satiety, thereby leading to a new hormonal weight set point. A doctor who specializes in this type of surgery is known as a bariatric surgeon. 

In October of 2018, Dr Zundel was voted by his peers and elected as a new member of the ASMBS Executive Council.

His research has received more than 22 awards, both nationally and internationally. He received the SAGES International Ambassador Award in 2015, the ASMBS Master Educator Award in 2017, the ASMBS Surgical Innovation Award in 2018, and Masters of Colombian Surgery in August of 2020.

Throughout his line of work, Dr. Zundel has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, books chapters, and other educational platforms. He is editor/co-editor of 7 books, and currently serves on several editorial boards including: Bariatric Times, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD), Obesity Surgery, Surgical Laparoscopy, Endoscopy, Percutaneous Techniques, Surgical Endoscopy, Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care in the US, along with 6 other international publications. He is also an Ad-hoc reviewer for JACS, World Journal of Surgery, and Annals of Surgery.

Living in South Florida, Dr. Zundel has 3 children. His favorite hobbies include reading, going to the theater, listening to music, and watching sports.

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