Metabolic, Endocrine and Minimally Invasive Surgery (MEMIS)

With the formation of the Division of Laparoscopic Surgery in 1992, Mount Sinai was one of the first medical schools in the United States to recognize laparoscopy as a distinct specialty within general surgery. Under the leadership of pioneers such as Michel Gagner and Barry Salky, Mount Sinai’s laparoscopic faculty has been at the forefront of surgical innovation and now boasts one of the nation's most clinically active laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery programs.

In 2009, with the recruitment of Dr. William B. Inabnet, the Division of Laparoscopic Surgery evolved into the Division of Metabolic, Endocrine and Minimally Invasive Surgery (MEMIS). The Division merges two unique disciplines into one entity: Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery and Endocrine Surgery. This interdisciplinary division was formed to recognize the increasing importance of metabolic surgery and to capitalize on the educational and research opportunities presented by the synergy of these two rapidly evolving fields.

The Division’s mission is threefold: to advance clinical excellence, education and translational research. The MEMIS Division will serve as the backbone for several disease-specific multidisciplinary programs including:

• The Mount Sinai Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery Program which will focus on bariatric surgery and surgery for type 2 diabetes (“metabolic surgery”)
• The Endocrine Surgery Center which will bring multiple specialists together to treat thyroid, parathyroid, neuroendocrine pancreas and adrenal disorders
• The Minimally Invasive Surgery Center which will drive surgical innovation through bioengineering and the introduction of new technology into the surgical arena

Weight loss surgical procedures such as gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastric banding and duodenal switch have been shown to be the most efficacious treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes leading to the highest remission rate compared to nonsurgical therapies. Given the worldwide obesity and diabetes epidemic, the translational research opportunities before us are great, especially since the mechanism of action of these procedures is poorly understood.

The Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery Program, Endocrine Surgery Center and the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center each interface with the Metabolism Institute to engage in interdisciplinary research to advance the science of this unique specialty. Our team of seven fellowship-trained surgeons, numerous allied specialists and ancillary staff are committed to our mission of clinical excellence, education and the advancement of science.