Center for Bariatric Surgery

Our Dedicated Team

I.M. Sonpal, M.D., FACS

Program Surgeon, Center for Bariatric Surgery
General Surgeon, St. Vincent Charity Hospital

Dr. I.M. Sonpal is a Program Surgeon in the Center for Bariatric Surgery. Having performed more than 1,500 open bariatric surgeries, Dr. Sonpal is a leader in this surgical procedure.

Dr. Sonpal has been a part of the St. Vincent Charity Hospital medical team since 1971 when he began his residency program at Saint Luke’s Hospital. He is a graduate of Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital University of Bombay, India. He performed his internship at St. Margaret Memorial Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He completed his internship in general surgery at Saint Luke’s Hospital and has been in private practice of surgery since 1975.

Dr. Sonpal is board certified in General Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Sonpal Receives Cornerstone Award

---

Aviv Ben-Meir, M.D.

Co-Director, Center for Bariatric Surgery
Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery, St. Vincent Charity Hospital

Dr. Aviv Ben-Meir joined the Hospital’s surgical team as the Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery, introducing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery to the Center. He has performed more than 1,100 laparoscopic bariatric procedures.

A Cleveland native, Dr. Ben-Meir received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine with honors and then completed his General Surgery residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland. He completed his advanced laparoscopy and bariatric surgery training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Dr. Ben-Meir is an active member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgeons and the Society for American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and has been involved in educating surgeons on a variety of laparoscopic procedures.

---