Dr. Jaime Ponce, MD, FACS, FASMBS

Bariatric Surgery

Dr. Ponce received his medical degree in Monterrey, Mexico and completed General Surgery residency at East Tennessee State University in 1997. During residency he was recognized by medical students with a Membership to the Delta Chapter of Tennessee of  Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society and was also giving the Resident of the Year award during his Chief Resident year. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, also obtained the certification by the Mexican Board of General Surgery in 1998, is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds memberships with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT). Also, he is a Diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) and American Board of Surgery (ABS) with Focused Practice Designation (FPD) in Metabolic Bariatric Surgery (MBS).

Dr. Ponce started his career establishing a private practice bariatric surgery program at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, Georgia and Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Both institutions became ASMBS Centers of Excellence under his directorship, and later MBSAQIP (Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accredited and Quality Improvement Program) accredited centers. Multidisciplinary care and data collection were important aspects of his early program development. Presently, he is the Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery and Obesity Medicine at CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, TN. Participation in the MBSAQIP has enabled him to be a Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS).

Dr. Ponce got early interest in participating in new bariatric devices FDA clinical trials. He has been a principal investigator in twelve FDA clinical studies, and has been the lead national investigator in five of them. These studies included different adjustable gastric bands, intragastric balloons, endoscopic plication procedures, and other bariatric devices. His interest in research extended to his practice and has been able to be part of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, authored twelve book chapters and be part of the editorial board for the ASMBS Textbook of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 1st, 2nd and 3rd Edition.

Dr. Ponce also has been interested in teaching, has proctored or supervised more than 250 surgeons for different procedures during their first cases, has lectured in different meetings, been a guest speaker in international congresses and courses and performed live surgical cases remotely or during courses internationally. His early interest in the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band allowed him to published one of the largest early experiences in the US, standardized technique, and invented the Ponce Band Introducer, a surgical instrument used to introduce the band in the abdomen before the larger blunt trocars were developed. During his career has been in many advisory boards and has worked with start-up companies in the early development of devices and tools for bariatric patients.

Dr. Ponce became member of the ASMBS and IFSO in 2001 and his direct involvement with the ASMBS started with an invitation to present in the first ASMBS Consensus meeting in 2004. Has been a member of the Executive Council of the ASMBS from 2009-2016, served as Chair of the Bariatric Surgical Review Committee for the ASMBS Centers of Excellence program (2007-2009), Chair of the ASMBS Insurance Committee (2009-2011), Chair of the ASMBS Nomination Committee (2014-2015), member of the Program, Professional Education, Emerging Technologies, Flexible Endoscopy, Independent Practice and Bariatric Training Committees from the ASMBS, Vice-President and Founding Member of the ASMBS Tennessee State Chapter, and in 2012 was honored to be President of the ASMBS to be followed with being President of the IFSO North American Chapter from 2021 to 2014.  Presently, he serves as the chair of the ASMBS Bariatric Certification Committee awarded best Committee of the year in 2022 after working with the ABS to develop the FPD in MBS.

During the seventeen months he served as President of the ASMBS, a comprehensive review of the Accreditation/Center of Excellence concept was done by making a detailed evaluation of the proposed new standards, reviewing the input from the public, enabling a more open process to establish clarity and support from the majority, discussing with private payers and CMS, and adopting a difficult consensus among all parties involved including the leadership in the Executive Council and the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Ponce is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases journal, Obesity Surgery journal, Bariatric Surgical Practice and Patient Care Journal, Bariatrica & Metabolica Ibero-americana journal, and Bariatric Times periodical. 

Dr. Ponce was recognized by the ASMBS and voted by peers in 2013 as one of 30 ASMBS members that have made a difference in Bariatric Surgery, and also has been giving Honorary Membership by the Brazilian Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery in 2006, the Spanish Society of Obesity Surgery and Metabolic Diseases in March 2017 and the Mexican College for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders in March 2023.  Was recognized with the ASMBS Foundation Master Educator Award (2018), Mason Lecture during ASMBS annual meeting in 2021, Distinguished Citizen and Physician by the Medical Community of his native city of Juarez, Mexico and most recently in June 2023, was honored with the TREO Foundation (Treatment, Research and Education to end Obesity, former ASMBS Foundation) Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award. This recognition honors an ASMBS member who supports the goals and vision of the Foundation, has displayed a lasting impression and selfless commitment to the ASMBS organization and has made significant contributions to the field of Metabolic and Bariatric surgery.

Dr. Ponce has been a steadfast advocate for patients suffering from obesity, tirelessly working to improve access to high-quality care and ensuring the best possible outcomes for his patients.