About Dr. Ariel Ortiz
Dr. Ariel Ortiz is the medical director and director of bariatric surgery at Obesity Control Center in Tijuana (OCC profile). According to OCC, he is a general surgeon specializing in bariatric surgery and is also CEO and founder of Hospital Cyntar Tijuana.
Clinical Focus
OCC describes his work in gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, Lap-Band and revision surgery, including the trademarked Stomach Sparing Gastric Sleeve and the "banding" of a failing gastric bypass.
Experience
According to his OCC profile, he graduated in medicine from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (1984–1990), completed his general surgery residency at IMSS hospitals in Tijuana and Ciudad Obregón (1993–1997) and minimally invasive surgery fellowships at IMSS Hospital No. 20, and began practicing bariatric surgery in 1997. OCC says he teaches surgery and clinical medicine at UABC and was national president of the Mexican bariatric and metabolic surgery association in 2002.
Credentials
OCC lists board certification in general surgery and in bariatric surgery (2024–2029), Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons and of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the SRC Surgeon of Excellence (2011) and Master Surgeon designations. OCC publishes his general medicine cédula as 2526822 and his general surgery cédula as 3181627 (one paragraph of the profile gives these two numbers the other way round). OCC states he is not licensed to practice outside Mexico.
Facts you can check
- Licence2526822 · Dirección General de Profesiones, SEP (Mexico) — cédula profesional
- Certifications listedGeneral surgery cédula No. 3181627 (per OCC); Board certified in General Surgery, Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General, 2024–2029 (per OCC); Board certified in Bariatric Surgery, CMCOEM, 2024–2029 (per OCC) +1 more
- MembershipsAmerican Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS); Colegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la Obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas (CMCOEM); International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) +1 more
- Works atObesity Control Center
Certifications, licenses & patents
- QualificationGeneral surgery cédula No. 3181627 (per OCC)
- Board certificationBoard certified in General Surgery, Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General, 2024–2029 (per OCC)
- Board certificationBoard certified in Bariatric Surgery, CMCOEM, 2024–2029 (per OCC)
- QualificationSurgeon of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery; Master Surgeon in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (per OCC)
The only body that certifies plastic surgeons in Mexico, and it requires periodic recertification rather than certifying once for life.
Closest U.S. counterpartAmerican Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) certification.
Check the issuing bodyMedical licensing differs by country. These notes describe each authority so you can judge it yourself — they are not a statement that a foreign credential grants the right to practise in the United States.
Procedures performed
Specialties
Education & training
- TrainingIMSS Clínica No. 20, Tijuana; Hospital Regional de Zona No. 1, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste, Ciudad Obregón
- TrainingIMSS Hospital No. 20, Tijuana
- DegreeUniversidad Autónoma de Baja California, Facultad de Medicina
Professional memberships
- MembershipAmerican Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS)
- MembershipColegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la Obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas (CMCOEM)
- MembershipInternational Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO)
- MembershipAmerican College of Surgeons (FACS)
Membership reflects participation in a professional body — not an endorsement of this doctor by that organization.
Getting to Mexico from the U.S.
Visa. U.S. passport holders travel without a visa for up to 180 days. A passport book is required for air travel, and a tourist permit (FMM, issued digitally at airports) is required on arrival.
Flights. The shortest trip of any destination we work with. Nonstop flights to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Cancun from most large U.S. hubs, 2 to 5 hours; Tijuana is reachable on foot from San Diego.
U.S. State Department advisory. The advisory is set state by state. Baja California, where Tijuana and Ensenada are, is at Level 3 – Reconsider Travel, because of crime and kidnapping; U.S. government employees face no extra restrictions in Tijuana, Ensenada or Rosarito, and most violence happens outside tourist areas.Read the advisory.
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Frequently asked questions about Dr. Ariel Ortiz
Where does Dr. Ariel Ortiz practice?
Dr. Ariel Ortiz works at Obesity Control Center in Tijuana, Mexico.
What are Dr. Ariel Ortiz's qualifications?
Dr. Ariel Ortiz has trained at IMSS Clínica No. 20, Tijuana; Hospital Regional de Zona No. 1, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste, Ciudad Obregón and IMSS Hospital No. 20, Tijuana, credentials and memberships include General surgery cédula No. 3181627 (per OCC); Board certified in General Surgery, Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General, 2024–2029 (per OCC); Board certified in Bariatric Surgery, CMCOEM, 2024–2029 (per OCC); American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS); Colegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la Obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas (CMCOEM); International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO). Details and sources are listed on this page.
What procedures does Dr. Ariel Ortiz perform?
Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y), Gastric Sleeve (Sleeve Gastrectomy).
How do I get to Dr. Ariel Ortiz's clinic from the U.S.?
U.S. passport holders travel without a visa for up to 180 days. A passport book is required for air travel, and a tourist permit (FMM, issued digitally at airports) is required on arrival. The shortest trip of any destination we work with. Nonstop flights to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Cancun from most large U.S. hubs, 2 to 5 hours; Tijuana is reachable on foot from San Diego.
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About the clinic
Tijuana weight-loss surgery center at Hospital Cyntar in Zona Río led by Dr. Ariel Ortiz, with SRC Master Surgeons on staff, a five-year follow-up program and stated JCI accreditation, per the center.
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