Dr. Abdullah Sultan

Bariatric, Laparoscopic, Robotic Surgeon

Dr. Carlos Abril

Staff Physician, General Surgery

Carlos M. Abril Vega, MD, PhD is a Consultant Staff Physician at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in the Digestive Disease Institute, specializing in general and bariatric surgery. With a PhD from the University of Valladolid, Spain, Dr. Abril is also a Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve University. He has extensive expertise in minimally invasive and robotic surgery, leading innovation in complex digestive procedures. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Abril has contributed to numerous international publications and conferences in the field of digestive and bariatric surgery.

Dr. Daniel Guerron

Consultant general and bariatric surgeon

Consultant general and bariatric surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE.

He completed his medical school at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and his surgical training at Cleveland Clinic and a fellowship in MIS gastrointestinal and bariatric surgery at Duke University.

He is the director of the Hernia and Core Health Center at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

As international speaker, He has published several original scientific articles and texts on hernia, laparoscopic, robotic and bariatric surgery.

Dr. John H. Rodriguez

Chief of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's Digestive Disease Institute

Dr. John H. Rodriguez, MD, is Interim Institute Chief of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's Digestive Disease Institute.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Rodriguez spent 13 years at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Cleveland, Ohio, US. Here, his work experience included Section Head of Surgical Endoscopy and Foregut Surgery, Director of the Center for Advanced Skills Training, and Surgical Director of the Gastroparesis Center.

Dr. Rodriguez obtained his medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. He received his medical training in the US, including a Research Fellowship at Emory University, where he focused on studying transplant virology. He joined Cleveland Clinic for General Surgery residency training as well as a fellowship in Flexible Surgical Endoscopy and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery.

Dr. Sandy Van

Obesity Physician & Psychotherapist, Founder, Haven Weight Management

Dr. Sandy Van is a licensed Family Physician, Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and GP Psychotherapist. She is the founder and Medical Director of Haven Weight Management, a virtual medical clinic dedicated to comprehensive obesity care. She also serves as an Obesity Physician at MEDCAN, an executive health clinic in Toronto, Ontario.

Her practice blends medical management with psychotherapy tools, helping individuals achieve sustainable weight loss and long-term health. Dr. Van is recognized as a leading voice in behavioural and medical treatment for obesity, with a career that includes global speaking engagements, professional consultation for healthcare providers, and frequent appearances on national television and radio.

Her mission is to advance the field of obesity medicine by integrating evidence-based pharmacotherapy with psychological strategies—shaping a model of care that reduces stigma and creates lasting change for patients.

Prof. Donna Ryan

Professor Emeritus Clinical Science

Donna Ryan MD is Professor Emerita at Pennington Biomedical in Baton Rouge, LA, USA, where she oversaw Clinical Research for 25 years. Her research interests included lifestyle intervention and diet for weight loss, and she was an investigator on NIH studies including POUNDS Lost, Look AHEAD, DPP, and DASH. She was Principal Investigator for the US Department of Defence for a series of awards which targeted military nutrition approaches to improve soldier readiness and performance. A particular research interest was improving primary care management of obesity and evaluating commercial approaches to weight management. She also studies the use of medications and devices to aid weight management. She was President of The Obesity Society and was designated Master of Obesity Medicine by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She received The Obesity Society’s George Bray Founder’s Award (2013) and the George Blackburn Award (2019), was named Obesity Action Coalition Health Care Provider of the Year (2017) and was invited to give the Francisco Balmis Lecture (2019).

Prof. Carel Le Roux

Obesity and Metabolic Medicine

Professor Carel le Roux graduated from medical school in Pretoria South Africa, completed his specialist training in metabolic medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospitals and the Hammersmith Hospitals. He obtained his PhD from Imperial College London where he later took up a faculty position. He moved to University College Dublin for the Chair in Experimental Pathology and he is now the Director of the Metabolic Medicine Group. He is the coordinator of the Innovative Medicine Initiative SOPHIA project and previously received a President of Ireland Young Researcher Award, Irish Research Council Laurate Award, Clinician Scientist Award from the National Institute Health Research in the UK, and a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellowship for his work on how the gut talks to the brain.