Surgical and Clinical Expertise:

General surgery, advanced laparoscopy, reflux disease, foregut disease, endoscopy, bariatric surgery procedures to include the gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric balloon.

Bariatric Procedures Performed:

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (Gastric Sleeve), Gastric Balloon, and Revisions and conversions of previous bariatric procedures.

Credentials:

Board Certified by the American Board of Surgeons, professional member of the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Bariatric Surgery, and the Society of American Gastrointestinal & Endoscopic Surgeons. Dr. Higa is the Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery for the Carondelet Health Network and the Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery Medical Director for St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Tucson, AZ.

Training Institutes:

Dr. Higa graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, in Cordoba, Argentina with a medical degree. He completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Dr. Higa entered bariatric surgery after a bariatric and minimally invasive surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida.

Work Experience:

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Higa joined the research team at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida in 2003 to complete a research fellowship in bariatric surgery. In 2010, Dr. Higa returned to the Cleveland Clinic for a surgical fellowship in bariatric and minimally invasive surgery. Upon completing his fellowship, he moved back to Arizona, where he became the Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery for the Carondelet Health Network. He later joined the St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Tucson, AZ, as their Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery Medical Director. Dr. Higa is proud to have given research and educational lectures about bariatric surgery for the Argentinian Congress of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, SAGES, AAST, and the World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery.

Outside of the Operating Room:

You can find me spending time with my wife, Helen, and four kids. I also enjoy being active in sports, including soccer, golf, and tennis. But one of my favorite hobbies is playing the Spanish guitar. I am fluent in English and Spanish.