SURGERY | TECHNOLOGY | ACCESS
MARIA ILIAKOVA, MD, FACS, MSc
I'm a bariatric surgeon.
I help people reach goals through weight loss - like healthy pregnancy, better sleep, better sex, and quitting medications.
You can catch me in my practice, Kova Clinic, on the Core Bariatrics podcast, check out AI assistant BariBuddy or read more about surgery & technology on Iliakova Insights.
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SURGERY
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS)
Board Certification, General Surgery: American Board of Surgery
Minimally Invasive & Bariatric Surgery Fellowship: Hackensack University Medical Center
Medical Director Robotic Surgery, Bariatric & General Surgeon: Mercy Iowa City
General Surgery Residency: UMKC Surgery
Internship: Carle Foundation Hospital
MD: University of Kansas
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AI/ ML & INFORMATICS
Fulbright Fellow, Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain
AI tool: BariBuddy, bariatric patient assistant
Patent: (63/ 603,410): System For Storage and Sorting of Surgical Instruments
MSc Biochemistry & Bioinformatics: Georgetown
BS Biology, BA Chemistry, BA Spanish: UMKC
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BUSINESS
MBA: NYU Stern - Andre Koo Tech MBA
CEO, Innovation Surgical
Professional organizations: ACS, SAGES (Robotics, SDS), ASMBS (Insurance Co-Chair), AMA, AMWA, AWS, OMA
Book: Exploring Better Quality of Life: The Patient's Guide to Bariatric Surgery

Select interviews and publications
Books
Exploring better quality of life: The patient’s guide to bariatric surgery, 2022
Podcasts
Robotic surgery increases access - GRASP podcast
What to know about weight management - KevinMD podcast
My story as a surgeon - KevinMD podcast
Lower narcotic use means safer surgery recovery - KCRG
Podcast co-host: Core Bariatrics
Articles
Using AI for better healthcare staffing
Artificial intelligence in healthcare
The costs and profits of surgery
An overview of robotic surgical systems in 2023
Select Presentations
State of AI in bariatric medicine and surgery, IFSO 2024
Emerging technology in bariatric medicine & surgery, IFSO 2024
Building your reflux center: Ensuring quality in your practice. SAGES 2024
Weight regain after bariatric surgery: Using your team support to treat weight gain. SAGES 2024
Select research publications
ASMBS Ideal Insurance Policy - 2024