Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez

Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez (Tijuana, Baja California, 1978) is an internationally recognized bariatric surgeon from Tijuana, Mexico, distinguished by being the first women, and youngest professional, awarded with the Surgeon of Excellence distinction (2012), granted by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC),Surgical Review Corporation, "SRC Recognizing & Refining Superior Surgical Care," [Online]. Available: https://www.surgicalreview.org/. and the first Hispanic women to be recognized as a Fellow surgeon by the American College of Surgeons (2013). She currently holds the distinction of Master Surgeon in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery by the SRC. She is the founder and director of LIMARP International Center of Excellence, located at Tijuana, and of the LIMARP Foundationhttps://www.limarp.com/en/limarp-foundation/. She specializes on Bariatric surgery with Laparoscopy techniques, such as the Adjustable gastric band, Gastric bypass surgery, Gastric balloon, and duodenal switch. 
Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez studied Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine of the Autonomous University of Baja California. She graduated on 2002, with the highest score from her generation, for which she obtained the School Merit distinction for academic excellence. She later obtained the highest score on the national test of medical residencies in Mexico and she chose to specialize in general surgery at General Hospital of Tijuana. During her years of residency, she entered a program that allowed her to rotate to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, as a visiting resident, where she gained expertise in Laparoscopy procedures. She furthered her knowledge and expertise in bariatric surgery in a special training program in the European Institute of Remote surgery. 
Dr. Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez founded LIMARP in 2008, in what started as a surgical unit of 5 beds. In the year 2012, she decided to re-purpose and re-design her clinic, located at the 6th floor of the East Tower of the twin skyscrapers of the Grand Hotel Tijuana, to function as a bariatric surgery center for treating patients with obesity. It is the first clinic of its kind in Mexico that was specially designed for the needs of obese patients. On that same year, the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) recognized LIMARP as a Center of Excellence, and Dr. Liza María Pompa Gonzalez as a Surgeon of ExcellenceSurgical Review Corporation, "Dr. Liza María Pompa Gonzalez," [Online]. Available: https://www.surgicalreview.org/news/8906/.. With this, LIMARP became one of the first clinics outside United States to be awarded with that distinction, and Dr. Liza María Pompa became the first woman and the youngest surgeon to be certified as a bariatric surgeon of excellence. Today, Dr. Pompa is recognized as a Master Surgeon by the SRC. She’s also certified by the General Health Council of Mexico.
LIMARP International Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery is headed by Dr. Pompa as director and lead surgeon. At the clinic, a team of experts in bariatric surgery, nutrition, psychology, plastic surgery, anesthesiology and general medicine work together to offer surgical and non-invasive treatments to patients dealing with obesity. Dr. Pompa has developed an integrative approach for treating obesity. Her clinic offers an integrative program that includes a personalized nutrition plan and physical activities routine for each patient. This program requires a long-term follow-up of the patients’ conditions, to make sure they get the most out of their treatment and obtain results that last for a lifetime. To meet this purpose, Dr. Pompa has designed a remote follow-up digital platform and mobile application, called LIMARP Follow-Up, that allows her medical team to closely monitor and assess her patients’ conditions even if they live far away and can’t visit the clinic as often as they would like. The patients can receive constant guidance and care through this technology, as a mediator between patient and medical team. 
Since 2012, Dr. Pompa has been a member of the advisory council for the Ethicon Inc.-Endosurgery division of Johnson & Johnson, where she participated in the creation of staplers and medical instruments for bariatric surgery, and for the bariatric surgery division at Medtronic. She’s also the lead preceptor for the Johnson & Johnson Integral Care for the Bariatric Patient Program. 
As a medical entrepreneur, she has designed and launched a line of surgical instruments that were specially made for female doctors, as they have smaller hands than male doctors. She also designed and merchandised a line of bariatric products that include vitamin and protein supplements for post-surgical bariatric patients. 
In 2015, she was a speaker at the Masters in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery World Forum held at Harvard. She’s a frequent speaker and participant in conferences, including the International Bariatric Club Congress of the University of Oxford in EnglandInternational Bariatric Club, "Hot Topics in Surgery," [Online]. Available: https://www.ibcclub.org/.. She’s also a frequent participant on the Hot Topics Surgery Webinar organized by the International Bariatric Club of Oxford University . 
Dr. Pompa has also worked as a teacher and mentor at the European Institute of Telesurgery in Strasburg, France, and at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. 
Most recently, in 2019, Dr. Pompa graduated from the postgraduate certificate program Surgical Leadership of Harvard’s Medical School, with honors.
Dr. Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez is a currently an active member of:
* the Mexican Association of General Surgery
* Mexican College of Surgery for Obesity and Metabolic Diseases
* American Association for Obesity and Metabolic Surgery, as an international member
* International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO)IFSO, "Liza María Pompa González," [Online]. Available: https://www.ifso.com/Liza-Mar%C3%ADa--Pompa-Gonz%C3%A1lez-1571/.
* French Society for Digestive Surgery
* Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
* International Bariatric Club
* Harvard Alumni Association
She is also certified by the Mexican College of Surgery, by the American Heart Association in Assisted Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), by the General Health Council of Mexico, and by the Surgical Review Corporation as a Master Surgeon.
Dr. Pompa is a published author, having released her debut book "How Much Does Your Life Weigh?,” in 2009. The book aimed to educate individuals about obesity and the importance of seeking medical help. 
Recently, in September 2020, her clinic became the first certified COVID-free medical center in Tijuana. The Baja California Sustainable Economy and Tourism Secretary awarded LIMARP with a 5 star Health & Wellness Tourism Accreditation. 
* School Merit, from the Autonomous University of Baja California
* Surgeon of Excellence, from the Surgical Review Corporation
* Fellow surgeon, at the American College of Surgeons
* Master Surgeon, from the Surgical Review Corporation
* Latin America’s most influential bariatric surgeon, by Newsweek
* Obesity Awareness Leader, by Time magazine
* Tijuana’s Hall of Fame recognition
* Honor graduate of Harvard’s Medical School
Dr. Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez created the LIMARP Foundation, a non-profit organization destined to support low-income, obese patients so they can get the treatment they need at a low cost. The LIMARP Foundation seeks to create awareness about the health risks of obesity and overweight within the community of Tijuana. 
Dr. Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez is often interviewed by different media outlets including magazines such as Newsweek, which named her one of Latin America’s most influential bariatric surgeons and a top surgeon worldwide, and Time (magazine), which placed her on its Obesity Awareness Leaders list. She was a special guest, along with 10 of her patients, in the Oprah Winfrey Show, where her patients talked about their experience with obesity and their transformation after their bariatric surgery performed by Dr. Pompa. On 2014, Dr. Pompa made it to the Hall of Fame of Tijuana Tijuana Innovadora, "Liza María Pompa González," 31 July 2014. [Online]. Available: https://tijuanainnovadora.com/dr-liza-maria-pompa/.Paseo de la Fama de Tijuana, "Dra. Liza Maria Pompa," [Online]. Available: https://www.paseodelafamatijuana.com/2014/11/06/dr-liza-maria-pompa, a distinction awarded to the most influential people of Tijuana. 
On March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, most of the hospitals of Tijuana were unprepared for the sanitary contingency and were lacking proper medical equipment. The nurses and doctors of the General Hospital of Tijuana, and other Mexican Institute of Social Security clinics that were repurposed to treat COVID patients couldn’t get access to face shields due to the sudden rise of demand. Dr. Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez was the first doctor in the city to come across a temporary but practical solution for the problem. She designed the first prototype of a face shield, made out of plastic and fabric, meant to protect front line medical personnel battling the pandemic at COVID hospitals. The face shield was a Do It Yourself prototype, that people could easily do at home. Dr. Pompa and her team created 250 face shields, which they donated to the General Hospital of Tijuana. Her instructions on how to do the face shield were helpful for health personnel across Latin America, in countries like Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Her proposal was covered by Los Angeles TimesY. Morales, " Escudos faciales DIY para combatir el coronavirus," Los Angeles Times, 28 March 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.latimes.com/espanol/mexico/articulo/2020-03-28/escudos-faciales-diy-para-combatir-el-coronavirus. and The San Diego Union TribuneY. Morales, " Escudos faciales DIY para combatir el coronavirus," The San Diego Union Tribune en Español, 28 March 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/en-espanol/primera-plana/articulo/2020-03-28/escudos-faciales-diy-para-combatir-el-coronavirus., Telemundo 20F. Berriozábal, " Doctora de Tijuana muestra cómo crear un escudo facial para COVID-19," Telemundo20, 31 March 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.telemundo20.com/noticias/local/doctora-de-tijuana-muestra-como-crear-un-escudo-facial-para-covid-19/2005462/., El MexicanoF. Glez, "Creatividad e ingenio sale a flote en Tijuanense ante época de crisis y pandemia COVID19," El mexicano Gran Diario Regional, 4 April 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.el-mexicano.com.mx/estatal/creatividad-e-ingenio-sale-a-flote-en-tijuanense-ante-epoca-de-crisis-y-pandemia-covid19/2053852., and San Diego RedA. Camarena, "Doctora tijuanense crea escudo facial para evitar contagios de coronavirus," San Diego Red, 30 March 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.sandiegored.com/es/noticias/182964/Doctora-tijuanense-crea-escudo-facial-para-evitar-contagios-de-coronavirus..
* How Much Does your Life Weigh?, 2009, self-published book
* Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve, Revista de la Facultad de Medicina de la UNAM, review article, 2014L. M. Pompa González, M. Lepe, G. López Espinosa and J. Torres Chávez, "Manga gástrica laparoscópica: Revisión detallada," Revista de la Facultad de Medicina de la UNAM, vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 17-26, 2014. .
==References==
==External link==
* LIMARP website
* Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez on Instagram
* Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez on LinkedIn
* Liza Maria Pompa Gonzalez on Twitter
Category:1978 births
Category:People from Tijuana
Category:Bariatric surgeon
Category:Mexican surgeons
Category:Autonomous University of Baja California alumni