Dr. Villanueva is a board-certified surgeon whose clinical interests include advanced laparoscopic and DaVinci surgical robot-assisted techniques in all areas of gastrointestinal surgery, bariatric weight loss surgery, and minimally invasive hernia surgery. Dr. Villanueva specializes in minimally invasive surgery as it is potentially less painful and often allows for a faster recovery than traditional surgical techniques. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas – Medical School at Houston and did his general surgery training at Loyola University Medical Center. He then completed advanced fellowship training in Minimally Invasive Bariatric and Gastrointestinal Surgery at Carolinas Medical Center. He is a member of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as well as a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery.