The surgeons affiliated with our weight loss surgery program are independent practitioners who have medical staff privileges at Palms of Pasadena Hospital. The procedures performed by these surgeons, and their protocols for weight loss surgery patients, can vary. To learn more about a surgeon’s approach to weight loss surgery, you should attend a seminar or support group affiliated with that physician.

If you have any questions about our hospital, the surgeons, or the treatment options available to you, please contact us through our web form, by email, or by phone at 1-866-297-4576. We will be happy to give you any information you need.

Please meet the team of surgeons:

Dr. Ernest Rehnke

Dr. Ernest Rehnke, originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, attended medical school at St. George University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He then completed his five-year training in General Surgery at Methodist Hospital in New York, which included a Pediatric Surgery rotation at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. and a Transplantation rotation at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Following this training, Dr. Rehnke completed a one-year fellowship in Cardiovascular Surgery at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. Rehnke established his surgical practice in General/Peripheral Vascular Surgery in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1987. He has been a member of the Active Medical Staff at Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL, since January 1988. Dr. Rehnke began performing the Gastric Bypass procedure for weight reduction in 1998 and added the LAP-BAND® procedure to his comprehensive program in 2004. Dr. Rehnke is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) who has recognized him and Palms of Pasadena Hospital as a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Care.

Dr. Tiffany Jessee

Dr. Tiffany Jessee is a fellowship trained Bariatric Surgeon and Board Certified General Surgeon. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. She received her medical degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in her native state of West Virgina. She completed her general surgery residency training at SunCoast Hospital in Largo, Florida. She then traveled to Coral Gables, Florida where she completed a one year fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopy and Bariatric Surgery. She is one of the few fellowship trained Bariatric surgeons in Florida. Dr. Jessee has been performing Bariatric surgery, including the LAP-BAND® and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass since 2002. She serves on the faculty of Nova Southeastern University and provides clinical training for general surgery Residents.

Dr. Lee J. Grossbard

Dr. Lee J. Grossbard started in private practice in 1984 in the Tampa Bay area. After attending Lafayette College in Easton PA, he graduated from Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico. He completed his internship at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY and his residency at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. He completed his fellowship in general surgery and surgical critical care at James A. Haley, VA Hospital in Tampa, FL. Dr. Grossbard is a Board Certified Surgeon and a full member of the ASMBS, (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)), as well as a proctor and member of the Medical Advisory Board for Inamed. Dr. Grossbard received his own LAP-BAND® in October of 2002 and now dedicates his surgical practice exclusively to LAP-BAND® surgery.

Dr. John Paul Gonzalvo

Dr. John Paul Gonzalvo is a native of the Tampa Bay area and an alumnus of Jesuit High School. He attended medical school at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in 1996. He did a 1-year Osteopathic internship at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He then went on to a general surgical residency at University of South Florida, rotating at Tampa General Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center, All Children's Hospital, James Hailey VA and Bay Pines VA. After graduating from his residency training, he took an attending position at the Bay Pines VA in 2001 teaching surgical residents of the University of South Florida and Sun Coast Medical Center. While at the Bay Pines VA he became interested in weight loss surgery and started performing open gastric bypass surgery. He took an interest in the advantages of laparoscopic surgery and did a Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowship in advanced laparoscopic bariatric and laparoscopic general surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Florida in 2004 - 2005. He was recruited to the Clearwater area in 2005 and has practiced here since that time. Dr. Gonzalvo is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He performs Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, and Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, as well as revisional bariatric surgery.

Dr. Richard Gordon

Dr. Richard Gordon, M.D. is a fully fellowship trained Weight Loss and Laparoscopic surgeon. Originally from Toronto, Canada he graduated medical school and completed his general surgical residency in Ottawa, Canada. He came to Florida and completed his fellowship training year at the Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weight Loss and Minimally Invasive Surgery. He is fully trained in Gastric Banding, Gastric Bypass, and Sleeve Gastrectomy and has been performing these surgeries since 2005. Dr. Gordon is Board Certified by both the American College of Surgeons and Royal College of Canada. He is a member of the Society for Advanced Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Gordon decided to stay in Florida with his family and pursue a career in general/weight-loss surgery after realizing the impact of weight loss surgery on his patients. He is one of only few fellowship trained weight-loss surgeons in this area.