24 years in the United States Navy
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Dr. Rodriguez is a decorated veteran of the United States Navy, with 24 years of active duty service (1991–2018). As a junior officer, he spent four and a half years in the nuclear Navy, serving as a division officer aboard the USS Maryland (SSBN 738), a Trident-class submarine based in Kings Bay, GA.
After his first tour, he left active duty as a Lieutenant to attend medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (1995–1999). He then returned to active duty for residency in general surgery at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, followed by a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at the University of Maryland's R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore (2006–2008).
Over his career, Dr. Rodriguez deployed on combat surgical missions to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2014. Between deployments, he was based at what's now known as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and from 2012 until retiring in 2018, he held leadership roles including Trauma Medical Director and Chief of Emergency General Surgery.
Fort Worth is home now
After retiring as a Navy Captain, Dr. Rodriguez settled in Fort Worth in 2018. He served as Director of Emergency General Surgery and Surgical Research at John Peter Smith Hospital before joining Texas Health Physicians Group in March 2022. He now serves as Chair of Surgery and Medical Director for Acute Care Surgery at Texas Health Fort Worth, focusing on trauma care and surgical critical care.
He's board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care, and holds an MBA in healthcare administration from George Washington University. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has edited two textbooks, and he remains active in research and resident education.
His clinical focus includes care for acutely injured and surgically ill patients, abdominal wall reconstruction, complex hernia repair, and robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST).
Read more about his transition from the Navy to Fort Worth →
Surgeon of Excellence — in two specialties
Dr. Rodriguez has earned the Surgeon of Excellence credential in both Robotic Surgery and Hernia Surgery from the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an independent, non-profit organization focused on patient safety. Very few surgeons nationally hold both credentials at once.
Outside the office
Most weekends, you'll find Dr. Rodriguez in the kitchen making the family's pizzas, or out back manning his 900°F Ooni. He even made a YouTube video about it. When he's not making pizza, he enjoys biking or spending time at one of the many DFW natatoriums with his wife, Sarah, cheering on their son, Eli, as he competes around the Metroplex.