Experienced Tennessee Bariatric Surgeons Serving Atlanta and Knoxville Patients

Jaime Ponce, MD, FACS

Dr. Ponce is the Medical Director for the Bariatric Surgery program at Hamilton Medical Center, in Dalton, Georgia, and Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He completed a General Surgery Residency at East Tennessee State University and has published numerous articles in peer reviewed surgical journals, lectured in different meetings and been a guest speaker in international congresses and courses. During the latest Bariatric Surgery consensus, Dr. Ponce presented the gastric banding supportive data.

Dr. Ponce has been practicing bariatric surgery since 1998 and has extensive experience with the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure. He was the principal investigator for the “C” trial with the Lap-Band® and the Swedish (Realize™) Band trial. He is a consultant for the makers of gastric banding devices (Allergan and Ethicon), has been the co-director of several gastric banding courses, has trained hundreds of surgeons and allied health staff, has proctored hundreds of surgeons during their first gastric banding cases, and has one of the largest experiences with both gastric bands available in the U.S.  In October 2000, Dr. Ponce developed a multidisciplinary comprehensive Bariatric Surgical Center of Excellence in Dalton, GA, which is now one of the largest outpatient gastric banding centers in the U.S.

Dr. Ponce is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Maintains membership in the ASMBS, IFSO, SAGES and AOA. Additionally, he served as the Chair of the Bariatric Surgical Review Committee for the Surgical Review Corporation, which establishes guidelines for Bariatric Centers of Excellence and since 2009 is a Councilman-At-Large of the ASMBS Executive Council. On a local level, Dr. Ponce has responsibilities as Vice President of the newly formed ASMBS Tennessee State Chapter.  Dr. Ponce has treated thousands of morbidly obese patients and has dedicated his career to advocate and support obesity care by working with insurance companies and lawmakers to establish better policies for the surgical treatment of obesity.

Steve W. Paynter, MD, FACS

Dr. Paynter, a Bariatric Surgeon, received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1983, and completed his residency in General Surgery in 1988 at East Tennessee State University. He has a special interest and training in the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band procedure. He has been an active participant in the LAP-BAND® program at Hamilton Medical Center since its inception in 2000. Dr Paynter is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Member of the AMA, American Society of General Surgeons, the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Paynter is proud to be a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® Surgeon.

 Richard F. Fromm, MD, FACS

Dr. Fromm is a Bariatric Surgeon particularly interested in the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band procedure. He graduated with Honors from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his General Surgery Residency at East Tennessee State University. Dr. Fromm is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Attend a weight loss seminar today to learn more about our bariatric surgeons at the Gastric Band Institute in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We have performed bariatric surgery for patients in and between Atlanta GA and Knoxville TN.