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Dr. Raul Rosenthal is one of the world’s most accomplished Bariatric/MIS Surgeons. His influence can be felt in all corners of the world. Additionally, he is a natural leader. He has risen to the pinnacle of leadership in nearly every endeavor that he has entered from surgical societies to editorship. In short, he is a master surgeon, leading educator, journal editor in chief, hospital administrator, and societal executive. Dr. Rosenthal has succeeded in all of these endeavors. It is amazing that he could accomplish so much in less than a human lifetime.

Dr. Rosenthal completed his medical school and surgical residency in Rosario, Argentina. In 1982, he emigrated to Frankfurt, Germany, where he repeated the general surgery residency and became an attending surgeon at the Northwest Hospital. In 1993, Dr. Rosenthal emigrated to the USA. Three years of a minimally invasive surgery fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles were followed by a third general surgery residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Rosenthal is currently Chief of MIS and Bariatric Surgery and the Director of Fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida. He has held that position since 1999. In 2011, he became the Director of the General Surgery Residency Program. In 2012, he was appointed the Chairman of the Department of General Surgery. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Rosenthal served as the Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Medical Executive Committee at Cleveland Clinic Florida. He has performed well over 10,000 general surgery and bariatric procedures and trained over 50 fellows in advanced gastrointestinal, minimally invasive, and bariatric surgery.

Dr. Rosenthal has also been a leader of several surgical societies. He was appointed for a 6-year term to the Board of Governors of SAGES and served for equal amount of time in the SAGES Foundation. Dr. Rosenthal is a Founding Member and immediate Past President of the Fellowship Council. He also served on multiple societal committees and is currently the President of the American Chapter of the International Federation of Societies of Obesity Surgery. He is Past President of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the ASMBS Foundation, the South Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and the Fellowship Council.

Dr. Rosenthal has also left his mark on medical publications. He is the founding Clinical Editor of Bariatric Times and Co-Editor in Chief of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. He also serves as an associate editor of Obesity Surgery. Additionally, he is on the Editorial Board of the Annals of Surgery, Selected Readings in General Surgery, Langennbeck’s Archive, ACS Case Reviews in Surgery, and Surgical Endoscopy. He is an author or co-author in over 400 abstracts and peer-reviewed publications, more than 40 book chapters, and over 200 educational videos. He has contributed over 90 book chapters and is the Co-Editor of several books including the ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Book, Globesity, Netter’s Gastroenterology, The Pathophysiology of Pneumoperitoneum, Fluorescent Imaging for Surgeons, Operative Strategies in Laparoscopic Surgery, Weight Loss Surgery, and Mental Conditioning for Common Operations in Surgical Training.

Dr. Rosenthal is also an international celebrity. He is the immediate Past President of the South Florida Chapter of the ACS and Governor at the ACS. Dr. Rosenthal is an honorary member of several surgical societies, including the Federation of Latin-American Surgeons, Argentinian, Indian, Peruvian, Bolivian, German, and Israeli Societies of Surgery. He is invited to perform surgery and participate in surgical conferences in all corners of the world.

Dr. Rosenthal has been married to Simona Rosenthal for 31 years; Simona is an interior designer and speech therapist. They have two wonderful children Dana and Noam. Dana is married to Saba Moreh (a dream come true as a son in law) and has an organizing company in Los Angeles. Noam is an environmental engineer who graduated from Stanford and is currently complating a PhD on urban planning at UCLA.

Raul is a die-hard Rugby fan. He played Rugby from age 10 until age 24. He was an accomplished forward, team captain, coach, and referee. He played for the regional team for 5 years and was also the captain of the team. Raul became a regional and national rugby champion in Argentina. He broke many bones and was hospitalized a couple of times with concussions.

After his family, friends, and Rugby, surgery has been the most wonderful passion in his life.