Dr. Snyder is a board-certified, general surgeon in Denver, CO.  He first became interested in Bariatric Surgery during his residency in Portland, OR, at Oregon Health Sciences University. Since establishing his practice in Colorado, he has further pursued this interest.  He is an active member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS.org).

His bariatric training has been comprehensive and methodical.  He sought out and attended an ASBS certified preceptorship in Eugene, OR, in August 2000, in order to learn from one of the giants in the field Dr. Latham Flanagan, Jr.  He returned to Colorado to establish the Denver Center for Bariatric Surgery, PC.  After becoming established and gaining considerable experience in the field of open gastric bypass surgery, he then went to Jupiter, FL, to train with Dr. Jefferson Vaughan, Jr., and start developing his expertise and knowledge in laparoscopic (minimally invasive) bariatric procedures.  Already an accomplished, advanced laparoscopic, general surgeon and a member of SAGES (the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons), Dr. Snyder felt that his bariatric program was prepared to take the next step.

When Dr. Snyder was ready to start the advanced laparoscopic branch of his bariatric practice, after completing more than 3 times (!!) the number of recommended, open procedures, he went to San Diego, CA, where he trained with the recognized leader of the field of laparoscopic bariatric surgery, Dr. Alan Wittgrove, who essentially invented the laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure.  Dr. Snyder also trained with his associate, Dr. Jill Endress, who had already made an internationally-recognized name for herself as an expert in the advanced laparoscopic realm.

The next advance made in the bariatric realm, after the laparoscopic bypass program was in place and successful, was the addition of the Lap-Band to his armamentarium in the treatment of morbid obesity.  He was educated on this process in the summer of 2001 at the ASBS conference in Las Vegas, NV.  Then, after passing the strict selection criteria set forth by the Inamed Corporation, he completed his Lap-Band training under Dr. Robert Snow and Dr. Juan Antonio Lopez in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  He selected this center because it was the North American center with the most experience in Lap-Band placement and management.  At present, Dr. Snyder is a national trainer for the Allergan Corporation and teaches other surgeons how to place and maximize use of the Lap-Band. He also works on the Regional Advisory Board for the Allergan Corporation's Bariatric division.

After placing more than 700 Lap-Bands, Dr. Snyder was trained (in June 2007) in the use of the new Realize Band.  The Realize Band was FDA-approved early in 2008, and Dr. Snyder has studied the Realize Band and its safety, efficacy, and utility.  He has embraced the use of this Band as a reasonable option for select patients.  He is now offering his patients a choice of which band to use-- feeling comfortable with the safety and efficacy of both the Realize Band and Lap-Band.

Also in 2008, Dr. Snyder has completed his Gastric Sleeve training through the Ethicon Corporation and brought this on as yet another safe and effective option for his patients who desire a restrictive, weight-loss option.  His training in this newer, surgical technique is in the wake of the recent ASMBS position paper that recognized the Sleeve Gastrectomy as an acceptable, bariatric, surgical option.

In summary, Dr. Snyder provides all of the essential, bariatric, surgical options for his patients. He has this broad, procedural base in the hopes of surgically providing them with what they personally need and want in a safe and effective weight-loss practice.

Dr. Snyder's interest in Bariatric Surgery is based on his knowledge that morbid obesity is one of the essential, yet greatly ignored, diseases that physicians are exposed to every day. He believes that, in the appropriate patient, the surgical treatment of morbid obesity is the essential therapy that can cure and/or improve a myriad of ills. He has found that in his patients the results are dramatic-- ranging from life-changing to life-saving. He appreciates and is humbled by the honor and responsibility of caring for his patients, who struggle with this most debilitating condition.