Dr. Brian R. Smith is a UCI Health gastrointestinal surgeon who specializes in advanced laparoscopic, robot-assisted and open surgeries of the gastrointestinal tract, including bariatric procedures. His expertise includes gastrointestinal malignancies, including esophageal cancer. He also is highly skilled in the repair of ventral, incisional, hiatal and inguinal hernias, as well as treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Smith, a professor with the UCI School of Medicine's Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, also serves as chief of general surgery at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System. His research interests include metabolic surgery and the role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric pathology and foregut oncology. He is associate residency program director for UC Irvine's general surgical residency program and has a passion for resident education. He began his medical training at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara and completed his Fifth Pathway certification at New York Medical College.