Dr. Guillermo Higa, MD

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Get to know General & Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Guillermo Higa, who serves patients in Tucson, Arizona.

A well respected general & bariatric surgeon, Dr. Higa practices at Tucson Weight Loss Surgery, a division of Saguaro Surgical in Tucson, Arizona. He is also the Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery for Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital and Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital.

With more than 20 years of surgical experience performing bariatric surgeries, Dr. Higa is committed to providing exceptional care to his patients with a team dedicated to providing education, surgery, medical care, and ongoing support throughout the weight-loss journey. In addition to his extensive clinical and procedural expertise, he is experienced in research and education in regards to bariatric surgery and weight loss. 

In direct affiliation with his industry, he holds professional memberships with the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons.

With a broad educational background, Dr. Higa attended medical school at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in Argentina. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Arizona and moved to Florida for a medical research fellowship in bariatric and minimally invasive surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in 2003. He later returned to the Cleveland Clinic for a fellowship in minimally invasive bariatric surgery in 2010.

Attributing his success to personalized patient care, the doctor is board-certified in general surgery by 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.

Throughout his extensive career, Dr. Higa has received numerous awards and has written numerous medical papers, peer-reviewed research publications, and book chapters on weight loss and bariatric surgery. He is often asked to give presentations and lectures for the Argentine Congress of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery.

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 his spare time, Dr Higa likes spending quality time with his wife, Helen, and four children. He enjoys sports including soccer, golf, and tennis. His favorite hobby is playing the Spanish guitar, and his favorite place to vacation is in Barcelona, Spain. He is fluent in Spanish and English.

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