John W. Baker, MD, FACS, is a past president of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric
Surgery (ASMBS), the largest association in the world dedicated to this particular specialty. He is
a past board member and past president of the ASMBS Foundation.
Dr. Baker is a leading expert in the surgical treatment of obesity with over 30 years of experience. He
has performed more than 5,000 weight loss surgical procedures during his career. He is also an
active member of several other professional associations and societies including the American
College of Surgeons, the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO), Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).
Currently, he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of MIS and Bariatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine. He is the Assoicate Program director for the Advanced MIS and Bariatric Fellowship at TUSOM. He also works at University Medical Center New Orleans in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He is a site reviewer for MBSAQIP, Metabolic and Bariatric Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and ASMBS.
He has an interest in surgical simulation and teaching advanced laparoscopic surgical techniques. He has worked with Operation New Life on mission trips to Honduras helping teach advanced laparoscopic techniques with the attending surgeons and surgical residents at Hospital Escuela affiliated with Honduras medical school in Tegucigalpa.
Dr. Baker has co-authored numerous studies and has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Trauma, Obesity Surgery and Surgical Forum, Surgery, and Surgery of Obesity and Related Diseases. He has also made numerous presentations on trauma and obesity surgery topics. Dr. Baker has worked with the Arkansas State Medical Board and was asked to lead a committee to establish a list of complications for mandated informed patient consent for gastric bypass surgery pursuant to Act 1356 of the 84th Arkansas General Assembly in 2003.
Dr. Baker graduated from Louisiana State University-Shreveport in a six-year accelerated M.D. program, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1981 and a medical degree from LSU Medical Center-Shreveport in 1983. He completed both his internship and residency at LSU Hospital in 1983 and 1988, and also served as chief resident of general surgery.
He has an interest on endurance cycling, having completed several sub 5-hour century rides as well as 10 Triathlons in the past including an Ironman. He has worked with Hagen Berman Supermint Women’s professional cycling team serving as a UCI team physician in the past.
He lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, with his wife Melissa.