betterLife Bariatrics is a comprehensive weight management program in the heart of South Texas with offices in Corpus Christi and Victoria, Texas. Our center is under the direction of Dr. B. Dean McDaniel, a Center of Excellence surgeon widely respected as an expert in advanced weight loss surgery.

After several years of perfecting weight loss operations, Dr. McDaniel founded Citizens Bariatric Center in 2003, a hospital based Center of Excellence program in Victoria, Texas exclusively for weight loss surgery patients. betterLife Bariatrics is an outpatient clinic working in association with the hospital program at Citizens Bariatric Center.

betterLife Bariatrics is designed to meet the needs of today's overweight individual. From the office furniture to the experienced personnel, our clinic is dedicated solely to obesity.

Every patient at betterLife Bariatrics receives a custom treatment plan with the most advanced options. We offer extensive experience with the Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, LAP-BAND® and Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Our clinic also has a state-of-the-art Band Fill program and Laparoscopic Revision Surgery for people who have been unsuccessful with other weight loss procedures. betterLife Bariatrics works closely with an onsite medical clinic for patients who do not qualify for surgery or need medical weight management before surgery.

If you are struggling with obesity, we want you to know betterLife Bariatrics is a safe place to get your questions answered.

Back left to right: Dr. Hougen, Vicki, Ron, Sandra, Dr. McDaniel
Seated, left to right: Tara, Marcey, Jessica & Patty

Some of our staff members are weight loss surgery patients. We understand how difficult it is to ask for help. You don't have to live in fear anymore. There is HOPE!

Dr. McDaniel has performed advanced laparoscopic weight loss procedures since 2000. He has a 100% success rate of completing laparoscopic procedures without converting to the open incision approach. He is Board Certified in General Surgery and a Center of Excellence Surgeon with the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. McDaniel has served two terms as Chief of Surgery at Citizens Medical Center. He continues as the director for Citizens Bariatric Center.

Dr. McDaniel has had numerous appearances on television and in print addressing the various issues of obesity. He has trained other surgeons on the technical difficulties of advanced weight loss surgery. He is a member of the Texas Association of Bariatric Surgeons and the Texas Medical Association.

When asked, what is the greatest thing about being a bariatric surgeon? Dr. McDaniel replied, "God has blessed me with an incredible workplace filled with caring people. Since starting bariatric surgery, I've seen patients collectively lose well over 100,000 pounds, but the part which always moves me the most is the restoration of hope; a complete mind, body and spiritual transformation. It's the greatest gift a patient can share with me."

*Fellow of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Dr. Hougen (pronounced "How-Gun") has been a surgeon in Victoria since 1985 and in partnership with Dr. McDaniel since 1997. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Medical School. He completed a general surgery residency at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts followed by a vascular surgery fellowship under the direction of Dr. Michael DeBakey at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.

Dr. Hougen performed his first gastric bypass operation in 1980 and has followed the evolution of bariatric surgery for over 25 years. In those early days of weight loss surgery, all procedures were performed using an "open" surgical incision. Today, he has extensive operative experience with advanced laparoscopic weight loss procedures. Working with Dr. McDaniel, he is one of a select few surgeons to have training in Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, LAP-BAND®, Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy and Laparoscopic Revisional Surgery.

When asked to comment about his practice, Dr. Hougen said, �I enjoy seeing the great satisfaction and improved quality of life in bariatric patients. It is a pleasure making a better life obtainable for them."

*Not Certified by the SRC Center of Excellence
**Fellow of the American College of Surgeons

Ron Herrmann is a certified physician assistant who has been dedicated to our bariatric clinic since 2003. He was born and raised in the Houston area. Ron received his bachelor's from Sam Houston State with a degree in psychology. He went on to graduate from UTMB-Galveston in 1976 with a degree in physician assistant studies.

Patients are deeply appreciative of "Doctor Ron", as they so often refer to him. He offers a unique compassion and understanding to those with weight problems. Ron has worked in the clinic setting for over 30 years. He is readily available to betterLife patients both in the clinic and during their brief hospitalization.

Ron had these thoughts about his medical career. "I have practiced as a physician assistant for over 30 years and without a doubt, my greatest satisfaction in caring for bariatric patients has come from working with Dr. McDaniel and Dr. Hougen. I have witnessed our bariatric program make the dream of effective treatment for severe obesity a reality. It's a wonderful offering of hope and new life to so many."