Robert Cywes, MD, PhD

Jacksonville Weight Loss Center

Dr. Robert Cywes is a board certified pediatric and general adult surgeon, specializing in bariatric surgery. He was the first surgeon in Northeast Florida to be certified to perform the LAP-BAND® surgery. Dr. Cywes is one of the foremost authorities in the treatment and management of obesity in adolescents, and earned his PhD as well as MD degree.
Pioneer
As the first surgeon to perform a laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding with the LAP-BAND® in his region, Dr. Robert Cywes is a pioneer in bariatric surgery. His vast work with adolescent obesity led to a national meeting in Jacksonville where the guidelines for adolescent obesity surgery were established.

Successful Leader
In 2004, Robert Cywes, MD established Jacksonville Surgical Associates and now leads a team of highly experienced weight loss professionals from a variety of speciality areas such as endocrinology, psychology, and nutrition. He led his program to it’s current status as a nationally recognized Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.

Well Published
Dr Cywes has published more than 100 journal articles, abstracts and book chapters including several recent publications on GERD, quality of life after adolescent bariatric surgery, and advanced topics in weight loss surgery. His publication sources include Annals of Surgery, Canadian Journal of Surgery, and Pediatric Surgery International.

Nationally Recognized
Dr. Robert Cywes is a member of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and serves on their Childhood Obesity Committee. He is a Key Opinion Leader for Allergan, makers of the LAP-BAND®, and trains surgeons around the country on their behalf.

Highly Experienced
With more than 10 years of experience and over 4,000 bariatric surgeries, Dr Robert Cywes is a nationally recognized expert in the Lap-Band procedure. His extensive experience in pediatric and general surgery serves him well in using bariatric surgery to treat obesity in both adults and children.

Innovative Researcher
Since his time in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Nemours Children’s Clinic and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Dr. Cywes has been passionate about further investigating the impact of the metabolic syndrome on young patients. He is active in national obesity research, including an ongoing Adolescent LAP-BAND trial.

Professionally Connected
Aside from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Dr. Cywes is a member of the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, the American Pediatric Surgery Association, as well as several associations in Canada and South Africa.

Award Winning
Dr. Robert Cywes has received the JH Louw prizes for both General and Pediatric Surgery, Best Research Presentation and Best Clinical Poster awards, Physicians Services Incorporated Awards, and multiple teaching awards.