Specialties Offered
David Vargas was born in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. He was raised in the coastal region of Virginia known as Hampton Roads and he attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia graduating with distinction with a major in Religious Studies. He stayed at the University of Virginia and graduated from the School of Medicine. He completed a residency in General Surgery and served as Chief Surgical Resident at the Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown Pennsylvania. Dr. Vargas then pursued additional training here in New Orleans performing a fellowship at the Ochsner Clinic in the specialty of Colon Rectal Surgery. He became board certified (and has been re-certified) by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon Rectal Surgery. Of note, Dr. Vargas distinguished himself by attaining the highest score on the written examination administered by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
After completing his fellowship, Dr. Vargas then returned to Allentown, Pennsylvania practicing at the Lehigh Valley Hospital where he served as a teaching attending for both the fellowship training program in colon rectal surgery as well as the general surgery residency. He then subsequently returned home to Virginia in private practice. He remained committed to medical education training both medical students and general surgery residents as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Vargas was then recruited to join the faculty at the University Of Kentucky College Of Medicine in Lexington, Kentucky where he served as Associate Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Section of Colon Rectal Surgery. While at UK, Dr. Vargas was awarded several teaching awards including the Ward O. Griffen Surgery Teaching Award for excellence in medical student education, as well as the Chief Resident’s Award in recognition of the surgeon who best imparts operative skills and surgical judgment to the residents.
Dr. Vargas has been active in professional organizations serving on several committees of the American Society of Colon Rectal Surgeons as well as the American College of Surgeons. He has been a council member and Secretary Treasurer of the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and more recently he served as a council member of the Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, he helped establish and served as President of the Southeast Virginia Society of Colon Rectal Surgeons.
Dr. Vargas has presented at national and international surgical meetings, authored numerous scientific papers published in peer reviewed surgical journals, served as guest editor of two issues of Clinics in Colon Rectal Surgery and authored a book chapter in surgical textbook. He was awarded the Jack McElwain Award for best paper presented at the Northeastern Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and also was awarded the Hume-Mueller Award given to the best paper presented at the Virginia Surgical Society.
Dr. Vargas returned to New Orleans to join the Ochsner Clinic as a staff surgeon in the Department of Colon Rectal Surgery. To refer a patient or to speak with our Colon Rectal Surgery Staff, please call 504-842-4060.
Languages Spoken
English
Certifications Held
American Board of Colon & Rectal Surgery
American Board of Surgery
- Medical School: University of Virginia
- Fellowship: Ochsner Clinic
