Jaime Ponce, MD FACS FIFSO DABOM FASMBS

President and Medical Director of The Weight Loss Center of Chattanooga PLLC. Former Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery and Obesity Medicine at CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga Tennessee, USA. Past-President (2012-2013) of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and current President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) North American Chapter (2021-2024). Dr. Ponce has been actively involved in many ASMBS and IFSO committees, former Chair of the ASMBS Insurance committee, member of the Executive Council of the ASMBS (2009-2016), served as Chair of the Bariatric Surgical Review Committee for the ASMBS Centers of Excellence program (2007-2009), member of the Program, Professional Education, Emerging Technologies, Flexible Endoscopy, Community/Independent Practice, Bariatric Training and Bariatric Certification Committees from the ASMBS, Member of the IFSO Executive Board (2013-2016/2021-2024), former Vice-President and Founding Member of the ASMBS Tennessee State Chapter, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the ASMBS and IFSO, maintains memberships with SAGES, SSAT, AOA, Diplomat of the ABOM and American Board of Surgery (ABS) with Focused Practice Designation (FPD) in Metabolic Bariatric Surgery (MBS) and has been given Honorary Membership by the Brazilian Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Spanish Society for Surgery of Obesity, the Mexican College for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders and others. Has been distinguished as one of 30 ASMBS members that made a difference (2013), 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. Dr. Ponce has published articles in peer reviewed surgical journals, lectured in different meetings, been a guest speaker in international congresses and courses and has been Principal Investigator (PI) in eleven FDA clinical trials including Overall/Lead PI in four of these trials. Dr. Ponce is a member of the Editorial Board of the Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases and Obesity Surgery journals, co-editor of the ASMBS Textbook of Bariatric Surgery 1st and 2nd Editions, and chair of the Bariatric Certification Committee (2023-2025) awarded best Committee of the year in 2022 after working with the ABS to develop the FPD in MBS. In June 2023, was honored with the TREO Foundation (Treatment, Research and Education to end Obesity, former ASMBS Foundation) Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award.