Meet the Team

Let the Flagler Health+ Surgical Specialists Bariatric team help you overcome your obstacles. With world-renowned bariatric surgeon Dr. Robert T. Marema serving as medical director, we can help you defeat obesity once and for all. We can help you determine if surgery is right for you, and which procedure best suits your specific needs. We will also guide you through the process of preparing for surgery, recovering from surgery, and reshaping your everyday routine to include healthier habits. Our nutritional and exercise programs, spiritual counseling and support groups are all vital components of your post-operative success. We'll help you make them part of your new winning lifestyle.

Our comprehensive program includes access to Nutritionists, Exercise Physiologists, Psychologists, GI Specialists, Pulmonologists, Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Plastic Surgeons plus spiritual and emotional support groups.

Robert Marema, MD, FACS

Dr. Marema is one of the most respected surgeons in bariatric medicine. His practice has performed over 13,000 bariatric procedures and is nationally recognized as a leader in treating obesity. Currently, Dr. Marema serves as the Director of Bariatric Surgery at Flagler Hospital. Not only has Dr. Marema transformed thousands of lives through bariatric surgery…he is a successful bariatric patient as well.

As a bariatric surgeon, Dr. Marema has changed the lives of thousands of formerly obese individuals, and, as an innovator and pioneer, he has helped in the development of new medical devices and the refinement of several bariatric procedures. The bariatric program created by Dr. Marema at U.S. Bariatric is considered by many to be one of the best in the world.

As a lecturer, moderator, and instructor, Dr. Robert Marema has been instrumental in the training of hundreds of bariatric surgeons. He has facilitated numerous courses and programs presented by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), Cleveland Clinic, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (a Johnson & Johnson company), the European Surgical Institute (ESI), The Association of Latin American Endoscopic Surgeons (ALACE), and USBMI, among others.

Whitney Marema, APRN

Whitney Marema, APRN is a family nurse practitioner who practices in the specialty of bariatric medicine. She has been a bariatric nurse for 21 years, achieving the first-ever certification for bariatric nurses. Since becoming a nurse practitioner in 2018, she remained in this specialty field, which is her passion. She believes in treating the "whole person" in her approach to wellness and health, understanding that the physical aspect is only one piece of the puzzle. In addition to counseling patients before and after weight loss surgery, she is involved with non-surgical weightloss and has trained other health professionals and bariatric programs in the field of obesity and its management.