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Obesity is a chronic disease that demands supportive, stigma-free care, as well as options that go beyond lifestyle and medication. In this Q&A, Sydney bariatric surgeon Dr John Jorgensen explains where surgery fits into the treatment pathway.

What motivated you to specialise in obesity treatment, and what do you find most rewarding about this work?

I trained as a general and upper gastrointestinal surgeon, focusing on pancreas and biliary work. About 25 years ago, during a sabbatical in southern Sweden, I was asked to spend time in a bariatric surgery unit. I was struck by the profound improvements in patients’ quality of life after surgery. That experience inspired me to return home and establish a bariatric service at St George Hospital in Sydney.