Centro de Medicina Avanzada Dr. Abel González — About Our Practice
Dr. Abel González is an experienced bariatric surgeon with a cutting-edge surgical facility in the Dominican Republic. He specializes in the most advanced forms of laparoscopic bariatric surgery to provide patients with high-quality service for a quick and successful recovery. The staff at Centro de Medicina Avanzada Dr. Abel González works to provide each and every patient with the best care through all stages of bariatric surgery, from the initial consultation before surgery to the follow-up exams after the procedure.
Our Elegant Surgical Facility
Centro de Medicina Avanzada is a state-of-the-art surgical center that utilizes the most advanced technology offered in the bariatric weight-loss surgery field. The technology we use enables us to provide patients with high-quality surgical and non-surgical bariatric services such as sleeve gastrectomy, intragastric balloon treatment, the LAP-BAND® System, and gastric bypass surgery. Our technology also allows us to perform surgical procedures laparoscopically, resulting in minimal scarring and a faster recovery time.
Patient comfort is a top priority at Centro de Medicina Avanzada. The moment you arrive at our practice, you are surrounded by a magnificent lobby with soft, comfortable couches and chairs. In addition, patients and family members traveling from outside the Dominican Republic can take advantage of the luxurious suite accommodations available at our practice. As for the procedure itself, we are proud to feature comfortable treatment rooms that allow for the ultimate in physical and emotional recovery. In this relaxing atmosphere, we offer care of the highest quality. Patients from all over the world have put their trust in Dr. González and his excellent staff, knowing that we follow the highest American standards regarding quality and care.
About Dr. Abel González
Dr. Abel Ricardo González Canalda is considered an innovator of surgery in the Dominican Republic. He is well known for introducing laparoscopic surgery to the country, having performed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1990. His efforts in other bariatric surgery procedures, such as open incision bariatric surgery, laparoscopic gastric banding, vertical gastroplasty, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and loop gastric bypass, have also earned him recognition as the pioneering bariatric weight-loss surgeon in the Dominican Republic.
In addition to his contributions to laparoscopic and bariatric surgery, Dr. González was the first to perform other standard surgeries in the Dominican Republic. These range from procedures involving the hernia, the colon, the appendix, the spleen, and ectopic pregnancy to nephrectomies, adrenalectomies, hysterectomies, oopheroctomies, and surgery for endometriosis. He also made medical history in Latin America by participating in the first telesurgery between the United States and the Dominican Republic in a documentary for the Discovery Channel called Cybersurgery.
Dr. González earned his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He continued his education at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, and received residency training in general surgery at Hospital Municipal Centro Médico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has also received extensive bariatric surgery training in Florida.
He has held many prestigious positions, serving as director of surgery and noninvasive minimum surgery at Clínica Abel González, general surgeon at Hospital Dr. Moscoso Puello, and medical director at Centro de Medicina Avanzada Dr. Abel González.
He was also a professor of surgery at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo, and assistant professor of surgery at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo.
He is a frequent lecturer at numerous business conventions, as well as a regular contributor to several medical journals and other publications.
Memberships and Associations
- President of the Dominican Republic School of Surgeons, Inc.
- American College of Surgeons
- American Society of Bariatric Surgeons
- Dominican Republic Medical Association
- Dominican Republic Society for the Study of Obesity
- Mexican Society for Emergency Medicine
- Dominican Republic Society for Endoscopic Surgery
Honors and Awards
- 1975 – Perdue-Frederick Award, Medical Association of Puerto Rico
- 1996 – Pioneer of Laparoscopic Surgery in the Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic School of Surgeons, Inc.
- 1998 – Pioneer of Endoscopic Surgery in the Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic Medical Association
- 1999 – Honorary Cybernetic Surgeon and Gentleman of Surgical Healthcare, Yale
- 2001– Prominent Dominican, Catamaran Productions, Dominican Republic
The González Family
Dr. Abel González comes from a family of prominent doctors in Latin America who have paved the way for progress in medicine for four generations. Many of them were pioneers in their respective fields, bringing medical and technological advances to the Dominican Republic. Below are some of the accomplishments of members of the well-known González family.
- Abel González Quezada — introduced X-ray technology to the Dominican Republic and opened his first hospital, Clínica Dr. Abel González, in La Vega, Dominican Republic in 1924 to work with his sons, Abel and Rafael.
- Abel González Massenet — first to perform endoscopic urology surgery in the Dominican Republic, and recognized as the father of Dominican urology.
- Rafel González Massenet — introduced nuclear medicine and ultrasound to the Dominican Republic.
- Franklin González Massenet — first to use mechanical ventilation for anesthesia in the Dominican Republic.
- Nelson González Canalda — first to perform extracorporeal lithotripsy in the Dominican Republic.
- Angela Inés González Canalda — first to introduce laser eye surgery to the Dominican Republic, and the first retina specialist in the region.
Financing Options
Dr. González understands that many patients come to him for weight-loss surgery so that they can experience a better quality of life for years to come. To make sure that surgical costs do not prevent them from undergoing an operation that could save their lives he offers a variety of financing options to help make treatment more affordable, allowing them to get the care they deserve. For more information on the financing options available to you, contact our practice today.
Travel Accommodations
Patients from all over the world travel to the Dominican Republic for the excellent bariatric surgery and outstanding patient services available at our practice. To learn more about travel accommodations and the tourist package Dr. González offers to patients living outside the Dominican Republic, contact our practice today.
Contact Centro de Medicina Avanzada Dr. Abel González
Contact Dr. González to experience high-quality bariatric weight-loss surgery at our state-of-the-art practice. Our staff makes it a priority to provide you with the best possible care.
Dr. Abel R. Gonzalez
Abraham Lincoln #953
Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic
Toll Free: 1.866.410.3533
Direct: 1.809.540.2278
Fx: 1.809.541.2303
Before and after photos of Dr. Abel R. Gonzalez’s patients.