Alvaro Garcia, MD
+ Specialty | General, Minimally Invasive, & Robotic Surgery and Colorectal Surgery
+ Experience | 15+ Years & Over 9000 Surgeries
+ Languages | English, Spanish, Italian
General & Colorectal & Robotic Surgery Work Experience
+ Solo Practice | Solo Practice Pembroke Pines, Florida at Memorial Health System & Broward Health System | 2009 – Present
Medical Education
+ Universidad Central de Venezuela Caracas, Venezuela MD Degree | 9/1990-6/1997
Medical School Universidad Central of Venezuela , Caracas Venezuela
+ General Surgery Residency Yale University and Georgetown University
+ Fellowship Minimally Invasive Surgery MD Anderson Cancer Center/Orlando Regional Medical Center
Social Media
Doctor's Profile
Since opening his Pembroke Pines practice in 2009, Dr. Alvaro Garcia has become a trusted leader in bariatrics and colorectal surgery. Dr. Garcia has treated thousands of patients—and built a unique relationship with each one.
Dr. Garcia has long incorporated the most advanced technology into his practice. He is widely regarded as a top expert in robotic surgeries using the DaVinci system, which allows for minimally invasive, highly precise procedures with quick recovery times. He started the Robotic Program in Colorectal Surgery at the Robotic Institute of South Florida at Memorial Hospital Pembroke Pines, which facilitates hundreds of robotic surgeries each year.
Dr. Garcia’s expertise spans across various fields, allowing him to tailor his practice to patients’ needs. Using state of the art robotic technology, he regularly performs minimally invasive colon surgeries, hernia repairs, and breast surgeries; he has ample experience providing patients with gastric sleeves. Dr. Garcia has built a weight-loss program alongside a team of doctors to focus on patient health and sustainable outcomes. The program draws on Dr. Garcia’s expertise in robotics and minimally invasive surgeries to deliver lasting, sustainable results. Patients in Dr. Garcia’s weight-loss program also receive one-on-one care with specialists in nutrition, psychology and support groups.
The best care comes when patients have access to the best medical communities and the best facilities. For that reason, Dr. Garcia has partnered with Broward Health Coral Spring, which boasts state-of-the art robotics technology and a dedicated team of nurses, physicians’ assistants, anesthesiologist. His patients recover in newly renovated, individual rooms designed for comfort, privacy, and relaxation.
Dr. Alvaro Garcia M.D. F.A.C.S. attended medical school at the Universidad Central of Venezuela in Caracas, where he graduated as an MD in 1997. As a resident, Dr. Garcia trained in general surgery at both Yale University and Georgetown University. He completed fellowships in minimal invasive surgery and colorectal surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Orlando Regional Medical Center, respectively. Dr. Garcia has continued to take advanced training for the DaVinci robotic system at Intuitive Headquarters in California; he has also completed mini fellowships in advanced robotic bariatric surgery at Columbia University in New York City and Memorial Hospital of Tampa.
In a personal note Dr Garcia plays the piano his favorite pieces to play are from Billy Joel and Elton John. Dr Garcia loves to bike and he enjoys bike rides in mountain and gravel routes around south Florida. He has been scuba diving since Medical school. He loves and plays soccer his favorite team is Barcelona from Spain.
Curriculum Vitae | CV
Residency
+ Orlando Regional Medical Center Colon and Rectal Clinic of Orlando. Orlando, Florida.
+ Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Fellowship in Colorectal Surgery 7/2005 – 6/2006
+ Georgetown University Washington, DC General Surgery Residency 7/2002– 7/2005
+ University of Miami, Miami Florida General Surgery Residency 7/2001-6/2002
+ Yale University New Haven, Connecticut. Internship in General Surgery 7/2000-6/2001
Additional Training
+ Advance Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Columbia University, New York , 10/2020
+ Tumescent liposuction fellowship 9/2013-10/2013
+ Advanced Rectal Robotic Surgery 6/2011-7/2011
Certifications
+ Fellow of American College of Surgeons (FACS) since 2007
+ American Board of Surgery since 2006 to 2026
+ Licensed in the state Florida since 2005
+ SAGES (Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons) member since 2003
+ Yale Surgical Society member since 2002
Awards
+ 4th Place award to poster presented at the Abdominal Wall Reconstruction conference http://awrconference.com/ Washington DC. June 2013
+ Marie J. Simonian award for outstanding clinical presentation, as chief resident.
June 18, 2004 Georgetown University Hospital.
+ Second place award for presentation at the Meeting of the Society of Colon and rectal Surgeons of Florida Nov 2005
Publications
+ Evaluating the Impact of Technique and Mesh Type in Complicated Ventral Hernia Repair: A Prospective Randomized Multicenter Controlled Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
J Am Coll Surg
2019 Apr;228(4):377-390.
+ Complex Ventral Hernia Repair with Human Acellular Dermal Matrix and Component Separation : A case Series Annals of Medicine and Surgery 4 (2015) 271-278.
+ What can Hand assisted laparoscopy can offer to experience laparoscopic Surgeons Accepted for poster presentation Surg Endosc (2006) 20: S319.
+ Staple Hemorrhoidectomy. Outcomes of the first 100 patients. Surg Endosc (2006) 20: S319
How to do it: Safer percutaneous gastrostomy placement in patients with carcinomatosis. American Surgeon Aug 2004; 8: 740-741
+ Performing laparoscopic adrenalectomy safely, Archives of Surgery Nov 2004; Vol 139: 1243-47
+ Diabetic muscle infarction after kidney transplant. Clinical Transplantation, Volume: 16: 295-300 March 2002. Simultaneous Kidney-Pancreas transplants in the Hispanic population at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Revista de Cirugia de Venezuela Nov 2001.
Posters Presentations
+ Complex Ventral Hernia Repair with an Acellular Dermal Matrix and Component Separation in a Small Cohort of High Risk Patients with Complex Hernias: A Case Series. Presented at the Abdominal Wall Reconstruction conference in Washington DC June 6 -8, 2013
+ Clinical use of a newly designed diamond shape biologic mesh improves mesh deployment and decreases OR time and cost. Presented at Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Summit held in Breckenridge, Colorado, on January 18 – 20, 2013.
+ Oncologic Outcomes of Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Treatment Over a Period of 14 Years Single Center Experience/ Case Matched with Open Procedures. Presented as the ACS in Chicago August 9-12 2006
+ What Can Hand Assisted Laparoscopy (HALS) Offer To Experienced Laparoscopic Surgeons?. Presented at SAGES Dallas April 2006 Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy. Outcome of the first 100 patients. Presented at SAGES Dallas April 2006
+ Unusual causes of Vomiting after Gastric Bypass. Presented in SAGES Dallas April 2006
+ Complete pathologic response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Locally Aggressive Rectal Cancer. A single institution 13-year prospective study. Presented at the Society of Colon and Rectal surgeons meeting, Seattle Dec 2005
+ Safer percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in patients with carcinomatosis. Poster presented at Southeastern Surgical congress, Atlanta, GA, Alvaro Garcia, MD. Harry Marshall, M.D. 02 / 2004
Research
+ A Randomized, Prospective, Double-blind, Multi-Center Study To Examine And Compare The Outcomes Associated With The Use Of Flex HD®, A Human Acellular Dermal Matrix, And Strattice’TM, A Porcine Acellular Dermal Matrix Allograft, When Used As A Reinforcing Material In The Repair Of Large Abdominal Wall Hernias By A Component Separation Technique. See details at clinicaltrial.gov Ongoing since January 2013
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01987700?term=flex+hd&rank=2
+ University of Miami Dr. G. Sfakianakis. Director of the Nuclear Medicine Department. University of Miami. Research assistant in the prospective study of MAG3 Scintirenography as diagnostic tool in the Transplanted Kidney patients. July1999- July2000.
+ Orlando Regional Medical Center Research in the role of the hand assisted surgery in the progression of cancer in an animal model December 2005 to June 2006
Abstracts
+ Abstract submitted to Eastern Vascular association, Carotid Endarderectomy “The Georgetown experience in the high risk patient”, Richard Neville, M.D. Alvaro Garcia, MD
Presentations
+ Ground Rounds presentation at Orlando regional Medical Center, Surgical management of Diverticular disease Dec 2 2005.
+ Faculty in the practical course in Hand Assisted laparoscopic Surgery Colon and rectal Clinic of Orlando, and Lehigh Clinic, Peter Marcello M.D. and Andrea Ferrara M.D. Directors December 10 -11 2005 , Orlando Florida.
+ 14 year follow up of laparoscopic resection for Colon and Rectal cancer. Presented at the Northeastern Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, West Palm Beach Florida Nov 7 2005
+ Faculty in the Course of Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery given in Orlando Regional Medical Center Sep 28- 29 and October 25- 26 2005 Director Andrea Ferrara, M.D. Orlando Florida
+ Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy The Colon and Rectal Clinic of Orlando Experience in 100 consecutive cases. Presented at the Society of Colon and Rectal Society of Florida. Sep 17 2005
+ Ground Rounds, presented at Georgetown University, Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy how to avoid pitfalls, Washington DC. May 4 2004
+ Presented at the Simmonian Clinical competition: Carotid Endarderectomy in the high-risk patient, Washington DC. May 7 2004
Hobbies
+ Soccer, Bicycle, Racquetball, Piano Playing , Scuba Diving
Experience
Doctors Achievements
Behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts the word.
Patient Testimonials
Insurances Accepted
General & Bariatric Surgery of South Florida accepts a wide range of health insurances.
