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Mathias Fobi, M. D. F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S., F.A.C.N
Dr. Mathias A.L. Fobi, is an internationally
recognized bariatric surgeon, who has changed the
shape of Hollywood heavyweights such as Etta James and
American Idol’s Randy Jackson.
MAL, as he is known among friends, was born in
Nkwen, a small village in Cameroon, West Africa. He is
a member of the first batch, class of 1965, 0f Sacred
Heart College in Mankon Bamenda in Cameroon. He
came to the USA through the African Scholarship
Program for American Universities (ASPAU) in 1966.
This was a scholarship program that was inaugurated by
President Kennedy along with the Peace Corps Program.
Mathias Fobi, M. D. F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S., F.A.C.N received his Pharmacy degree from the
University of Michigan and received his medical degree from University of Cincinnati. Dr.
Fobi completed a General Surgical Residency at the King Drew Medical Center in Los
Angeles Where he was Chief Resident and later becoming a professor at the school. He is
a Board Certified General Surgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
In 1977, he experienced a life-changing encounter while teaching at Drew Medical
Center. He met a woman who feared emergency surgery to repair complications from
intestinal bypass surgery she was willing to die rather than regain the weight she had lost.
Her story of physical incapacity and ridicule struck a cord of compassion, and after some
research, he developed a procedure that helped her. That experience eventually led him to
shift the focus of his surgical career from trauma and oncology to the fledging field of
bariatric (obesity) surgery.
In 1981, he opened the Center for Surgical Treatment of Obesity in Los Angeles and
has treated more than 12,000 patients through The Center.
In November 2005, Mathias A. L. Fobi, was named the Medical Director for the
Bariatric Surgery Program at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach California where he
has developed an accredited Center of Excellence. He is also the Medical Director of Tri-
City Regional Medical Center Bariatric Program in Hawaiian Gardens, CA.
Currently Dr. Fobi is the President Elect of the International Federation for Surgery of
Obesity, the President of the California Chapter of the American Society for Bariatric
Surgery, the immediate past President of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric
Surgery Foundation, is a fellow of the International College of Surgeons and the American
College of Nutrition. He is the past president of the ASBS Foundation. He is a member of
the over two dozen medical associations, including the Los Angeles County Medical
Association, North American Association for the Study of Obesity, American College of
Nutrition, Los Angeles Surgical Society, Southwestern Surgical Association, the National
Medical Association and the American Medical Association. He sits on the Board of the
International Visitors Council of Los Angeles, is a lifetime member of the NAACP and is
on the editorial board of publications Obesity Help and WLS Magazine.
Dr. Fobi lectures worldwide and has published numerous articles on obesity and surgical
treatment for obesity. His research has appeared in Journal of the American Medical
Association, Update: Surgery for the Morbidly Obese, Obesity Surgery, and the Journal of
the National Medical Association and in several medical school textbooks related to obesity
and bariatric surgery.
Dr Fobi, a well recognized name in Cameroon for his support for the change for
democracy in Cameroon, was one of the pioneer immigrants from Cameroon to the United
States of America in the 60s. He has contributed both to the welfare of Cameroonians in
the USA and in Cameroon.
Dr Fobi and his wife Helen funded a foundation through which he has helped many in
Cameroon and here in the USA, the Bobe Ngwebifor Foundation. The Foundation
provides financial support to students who without support cannot obtain an education.
This financial support may entail tuition fees, books and lodging fees and in some cases
other living expenses. More than 150 students have benefited from the scholarships. The
Foundation support schools which meet a special need such as for the deaf and mute, the
blind or otherwise mentally gifted in Cameroon and also sponsors teachers from the USA
or any other developed country with the special skills to initiate and/or work at such
schools. As a part of the Foundation’s Mama Africa Program, the Fobi’s collect books,
medical supplies, clothing, computers and other goods, ship them to Cameroon and
distribute to local hospitals, schools and orphanages.
Dr Fobi is married to Helen Jean Newton Fobi of Blackshear, Georgia and has four
daughters and two grandchildren.
General Information
| Percentage of Practice is Bariatrics: |
98 |
| Minimum Age for Patients: |
11 |
| Maximum Age for Patients: |
76 |
| Surgery Types Performed: |
RNY (Lap), RNY (Open), Fobi Pouch GB, Revision |
| Gall Bladder Removal: |
Always. Recommended |
Memberships
Clinical Experience
| Bariatric Surgery: |
25 Years Experience |
| Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: |
2 Years Experience |
Education and Training
| Medical School: |
University of Cincinnati – Cincinnati, OH (graduated 1974) |
| Residency: |
Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital – Los Angeles, CA (finished 1978) |
Specialized Training:
| Name: | H. Joseph Naim |
| Date: | Apr 2007 |
| Training Covered: | Laparoscopy, Bariatric Surgery |
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Reference Check
Some preliminary effort was made to check
information supplied by or about this surgeon, the results of which are
relayed below, as-is, for information purposes only.
Medical Board of California
Accurate as of: 6/2/03 (Verified – 6/2/03)
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Licensee Name: Mathias Lawrence As Fobi
License Status: Active
License Number: G30361
License Type: MD
Address: 21520 South Pioneer Boulevard, Suite #204
City, State, Zip: Hawaiian Gardens, California 90716
Orig. License Date: 7/25/75 (issue date)
Education: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Cincinnati, Ohio
Residency: Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital -Los Angeles, CA
Fellowship: Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital -Los Angeles, CA
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Key Professional Achievements , Appointments and Awards:
. Fellow, American College of Surgeons
. Member, Los Angeles Medical Association
. Member, California Medical Association
. Member, National Medical Association
. Member, Charles R. Drew Society
. Member, Los Angeles Surgical Society
. Member, N. American Assoc. for the study of Obesity
. Member, American College of Clinical Nutrition
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ASBS Member
(Verified – 6/2/03)
ABS Member
(Verified. Spoke with Terri H., on 6/2/03.)
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