Dr. John H. Rodriguez

Dr. John H. Rodriguez, MD, is Interim Chair of the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Rodriguez spent 13 years at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in Cleveland, Ohio, US. Here, his work experience included Section Head of Surgical Endoscopy and Foregut Surgery, Director of the Center for Advanced Skills Training, and Surgical Director of the Gastroparesis Center.

Dr. Rodriguez obtained his medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. He received his medical training in the US, including a Research Fellowship at Emory University, where he focused on studying transplant virology. He joined Cleveland Clinic for General Surgery residency training as well as a fellowship in Flexible Surgical Endoscopy and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery.

Dr. Rodriguez has a passion for surgical education, and he has served as Associate Program Director for the General Surgery residency program, as well as Fellowship Director for the Advanced GI/Surgical Endoscopy/Bariatric fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, US.

Dr. Rodriguez’s specialty interests include minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery, surgical endoscopy, bariatric surgery, and robotic surgery. He has co-authored many articles and book chapters that have been published in leading medical journals and he has participated in multiple national meetings. He was the recipient of an R-01 grant from the National Institute of Health to study the impact of endoscopic therapies for patients with gastroparesis. Some of his areas of research include revisional bariatric surgery, minimally invasive abdominal wall reconstruction, surgical and endoscopic management of gastroparesis, among other topics.

Dr. Rodriguez actively participates in community outreach programs for underserved Hispanic populations in the Cleveland area. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.