89S10742 TBO-D     By: Menéndez S.R. No. 94       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Dr. Richard M. Peterson of The University of Texas   Health Science Center at San Antonio has been elected the 39th   president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric   Surgery; and          WHEREAS, ASMBS is the nation's largest professional   organization of metabolic and bariatric surgeons and integrated   health professionals focused on obesity treatment; Dr. Peterson   has been involved in the group for nearly two decades, and he has   been a member of its board since 2019; over the years, he has   chaired the program, public education, and communications   committees, and he has distinguished himself as a contributing   author to the accreditation standards for bariatric surgery; he   also serves as social media editor for the organization's official   journal, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases; in addition, he   co-chairs the Standards and Verification Advisory Council of the   American College of Surgeons' Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery   Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program; and          WHEREAS, Dr. Peterson is currently the chief bariatric and   metabolic surgery director at UT Health San Antonio, where he also   serves as a professor and the assistant director of surgery student   clerkship, and he oversees CHRISTUS Weight Loss Institute in   Westover Hills as medical director; a respected leader in his   field, he is a past president of the Texas Association for Bariatric   Surgery; he holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the   University of California, Riverside, a master's degree in public   health from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, and a   doctoral degree from the American University of the Caribbean   School of Medicine; he completed his residency at Saint Agnes   Hospital in Baltimore and his fellowship in advanced laparoscopic   and bariatric surgery at the University of Southern California; and          WHEREAS, A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Peterson served   two combat tours of duty and attained the rank of major; during his   military career, he led the expansion of the largest U.S.   Department of Defense bariatric surgery program at the air force's   military flagship hospital, where he established the DOD's first   laparoscopic surgery fellowship; his honors include the   Meritorious Service Medal and two Air Force Commendation Medals;   and          WHEREAS, The dedication, expertise, and commitment to   excellence demonstrated by Dr. Richard Peterson make him an   invaluable asset to ASMBS, and he may reflect with pride on his many   achievements; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature, 1st   Called Session, hereby congratulate Dr. Richard M. Peterson on his   election as president of the American Society for Metabolic and   Bariatric Surgery and extend to him sincere best wishes for   continued success; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for Dr. Peterson as an expression of high regard by the   Texas Senate.