Dr. John H. Rodriguez

Dr. John H. Rodriguez is Institute Chief of the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He brings 18 years of surgical experience, including 13 years at Cleveland Clinic's main campus in Ohio, where he held leadership roles as Section Head of Surgical Endoscopy and Foregut Surgery, Director of the Center for Advanced Skills Training, and Surgical Director of the Gastroparesis Center. He trained in general surgery at Cleveland Clinic and completed fellowships in flexible surgical endoscopy and advanced laparoscopic surgery, with additional research training at Emory University.

Dr. Rodriguez specializes in minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery, including laparoscopic and robotic approaches to conditions of the stomach, esophagus, and abdominal wall. He has performed over 2,000 advanced laparoscopic foregut and bariatric operations and was among the first to perform robotic abdominal wall reconstruction. His research focuses on endoscopic and surgical treatments for gastroparesis (stomach paralysis), revisional bariatric surgery, and minimally invasive hernia repair. He received a prestigious National Institutes of Health R01 grant to study endoscopic therapies for gastroparesis.

Dr. Rodriguez is passionate about surgical education and has trained the next generation as Associate Program Director of the General Surgery residency and Fellowship Director of the Advanced GI and Bariatric Surgery fellowship. He is fluent in English and Spanish and actively serves underserved Hispanic communities.