Santiago Horgan, MD, is an internationally recognized expert in esophageal disease, weight-loss surgery, minimally invasive surgery and new technologies and approaches for surgery. He performs a variety of weight-loss procedures including gastric sleeve, gastric plication, gastric bypass, and revisional weight-loss surgeries. As a specialist in esophageal disorders, Dr. Horgan treats gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), achalasia, esophageal cancer and Barrett's esophagus. Dr. Horgan was the first surgeon in the U.S. to implant the FDA-approved LINX device in a patient suffering from GERD. Dr. Horgan has expertise in minimally invasive surgical techniques, providing patients with a faster recovery time and less scarring than open surgical methods. He is skilled in the use of surgical robotics including the da Vinci system, which enables surgeons to perform complex and delicate procedures through small incisions. He is also a pioneer in the field of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), in which surgical instruments are passed through a natural orifice such as the mouth to reach the desired organ. As the director of the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Horgan is working with colleagues to investigate, develop, test and teach procedures that are revolutionizing the field of surgery. Dr. Horgan trains surgeons during their fellowship as well as established surgeons from medical centers across the country on minimally invasive surgical techniques. Before joining the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine in 2006, Dr. Horgan was director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery and Robotic Surgery Department and co-director of the Swallowing Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was also director of the Minimally Invasive Bariatric Center in Chicago. Dr. Horgan completed his fellowship at University of Washington School of Medicine and his residency at University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine in Argentina, where he also received his medical degree. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Horgan serves on the board of the American Diabetes Association.
Selected publications from PubMed
Proton density fat fraction for diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
Panagiotopoulos N, Wolfson T, Harris DT, Batakis D, Agni R, Ceriani L, Covarrubias Y, Hamilton G, Middleton MS, Martins VF, Gamst AC, Oechtering TH, Sappenfield R, Horgan S, Grunvald E, Funk LM, Jacobsen GR, Lidor AO, Goodman JA, Khoury SB, Sirlin CB, Reeder SB
Hepatology. 2026 Jan 1;83(1):127-141 doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000001318.
Getting more than what you pay for? Managing complications of bariatric tourism at an academic center near the US-Mexico border.
Spurzem GJ, Ruiz-Cota P, Rocha A, Fontaine-Nicola A, Reyes E, Gabaldon K, Altolaguirre A, Hollandsworth HM, Sandler BJ, Horgan S, Jacobsen GR, Broderick RC
Surg Endosc. 2025 Jul;39(7):4525-4532 doi: 10.1007/s00464-025-11850-x.
Robotic sleeve gastrectomy has higher complication rates compared to laparoscopic: 8-year analysis of robotic versus laparoscopic primary bariatric surgery.
Spurzem GJ, Broderick RC, Kunkel EK, Hollandsworth HM, Sandler BJ, Jacobsen GR, Horgan S
Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2025 Apr;21(4):372-381 doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2024.11.014.
Robotic bariatric surgery reduces morbidity for revisional gastric bypass when compared to laparoscopic: outcome of 8-year MBSAQIP analysis of over 40,000 cases.
Spurzem GJ, Broderick RC, Kunkel EK, Hollandsworth HM, Sandler BJ, Jacobsen GR, Horgan S
Surg Endosc. 2024 Nov;38(11):6294-6304 doi: 10.1007/s00464-024-11192-0.
Endoscopic approach for the management of a gastrogastric fistula, eroded band, and outlet stenosis after a vertical banded gastroplasty.
Ruiz-Cota P, Galvao M, Ortiz-Gomez E, Márquez-González SM, Principe J, Horgan S
VideoGIE. 2024 Aug;9(8):362-364 doi: 10.1016/j.vgie.2024.04.001.
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