Robert Cywes, MD PhD

Dr. Robert Cywes is a board certified pediatric and general adult surgeon, specializing in bariatric surgery. He was the first surgeon in Northeast Florida to be certified to perform the LAP-BAND® surgery. His medical training began in Cape Town, South Africa where he received his medical degree from The University of Cape Town.

In 1989, Dr. Cywes moved to North America and completed a year-long residency in pediatric surgery at Ohio State University’s Columbus Children’s Hospital before moving to Canada where he completed his general surgery residency and specialized in minimally invasive surgery at the University of Toronto. Dr. Cywes also earned a Ph.D. in liver transplant immunology.

After completing his pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Dr. Cywes spent four years as a pediatric surgeon and Assistant Professor of Pediatric and Fetal Surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Cywes then relocated to Jacksonville, Florida where he joined the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the Nemours Children’s Clinic and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. During this time, Dr. Cywes became increasingly interested in adolescent obesity and the impact of the metabolic syndrome on young patients. This led to a national meeting in Jacksonville where guidelines for adolescent obesity surgery were established.

In 2004, Dr. Cywes established Jacksonville Surgical Associates to continue his work in both adolescent and adult obesity treatment and surgery. He now works with a highly experienced team of professionals from a variety of medical subspecialties to better care for obese patients. He has developed the practice into a nationally recognized Center of Excellence for obesity surgery.

Dr. Cywes is a member of ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) and is a member of the ASMBS Childhood Obesity Committee. He has earned a Centers of Excellence designation by the Surgical Review Corporation. Dr. Cywes is a Key Opinion Leader with Allergan Medical, the makers of the LAP-BAND® as well as a proctor for the LAP-BAND® system, training other surgeons to perform the operation.

Dr. Cywes and his team are active in obesity research, including an ongoing Adolescent LAP-BAND® trial. He has become one of the foremost authorities in the treatment and management of obesity in adolescents. Dr. Cywes’ vast experience in pediatric and general surgery serves him well in using bariatric surgery to treat obesity in both adults and children.


Robert Cywes was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa where he completed medical school and general surgery training. In 1989, he spent a year at Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio before moving to Toronto, Canada to complete his surgical training. In Toronto, Dr. Cywes specialized in minimally invasive surgery. He also obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. He completed his Pediatric Surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. He was recruited to VUCM in Nashville, Tennessee.



As Dr. Cywes continued to consult with obese patients and to operate for conditions related to obesity, he found himself taking a special interest in preventing obesity rather than repairing the damage it caused. He began to realize that no one wants to address obesity and that ignoring a complete disease process is not sound medicine.



Dr. Cywes performs the Lap Band procedure because he feels it is the safest and best form of bariatric surgery. With some of the weight loss procedures, your body does not absorb vital nutrients as a means to weight loss which can be very dramatic and the negative outcomes can be life-altering.