Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center Earns Comprehensive Bariatric Surgery Accreditation with Adolescent Qualifications
January 02, 2026
Patients seeking surgical treatment for obesity and its related conditions now have two premier, nationally accredited choices for care. Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack is the second Hackensack Meridian Health hospital — joining Jersey Shore University Medical Center — to be accredited as a Comprehensive Center with Adolescent and Obesity Medicine Qualifications by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®). The accreditation is a joint quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
This accreditation formally recognizes that Hackensack University Medical Center meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care for both adult and adolescent patients. Surgeries at Hackensack University Medical Center are performed by Jun Tashiro, M.D., MPH, FACS, FAAP, FASMBS, the only Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital pediatric surgeon who performs bariatric surgery at HUMC.
“Having a board-certified pediatric surgeon performing adolescent bariatric surgery is a testament to our commitment to providing the highest, most specialized level of care,” says Dr. Tashiro. “This is the standard of excellence that our adolescent qualification designation represents and that our families deserve.”
Dr. Tashiro’s expertise on the Hackensack University Medical Center campus ensures that our young patients are not just undergoing a procedure, but are being cared for by a specialist who intrinsically understands their unique anatomy, physiology, and developmental journey, explains Lisa Tank, M.D., F.A.C.P., MBA, president and chief hospital executive of Hackensack University Medical Center.
“To earn northern New Jersey’s first Comprehensive Center with Adolescent and Obesity Medicine Qualifications accreditation, our team met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and patient care pathways, ensuring its ability to support patients with obesity,” Dr. Tank adds. “We couldn’t be more proud of this honor.”
The need for such specialized care is significant. According to the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the prevalence of obesity was 19.7% among children and adolescents aged 2–19 years, which translates to nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. having obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 were overweight or obese in 2016, and the numbers have continued to rise. Childhood and adolescent obesity is a major issue because it harms children's physical and mental health in the present and sets them up for a lifetime of chronic disease.
(According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity affects about 93 million adults in the United States. In New Jersey, the adult obesity prevalence rate was 28.6 percent in 2020, and obesity has more than tripled among the state's children and adolescents since the 1970s.)
“Obesity is a national crisis for adults and children. The incidence of it has been linked to the risk of acquiring diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among other health risks,” says Hans J. Schmidt, M.D., chief of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, Hackensack University Medical Center. “These conditions can lead to an early death, so our teams are working hard to help patients with individualized care that can help them to lose weight safely, so they can improve their health.”
The MBSAQIP Standards ensure that metabolic and bariatric patients receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary medical care, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. To earn the accreditation, Hackensack University Medical Center underwent an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon who reviewed the center's structure, processes, and clinical outcomes data.
At a time when childhood obesity and related weight management issues become an increasingly urgent public health concern, driving a rise in conditions such as Type 2 diabetes among adults and children, Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health is addressing this crisis with its nationally ranked programs in pediatric diabetes and endocrinology. The health network provides a full spectrum of care, including medical weight management with FDA-approved medications. For adolescents with severe obesity for whom lifestyle changes are not enough, the accredited adolescent bariatric surgery program provides a life-altering intervention. This advanced surgical option is considered only after careful evaluation and is integrated within a supportive framework that includes extensive emotional support and continued lifestyle guidance, ensuring a holistic approach to achieving long-term health and well-being.
Weight management care throughout the Hackensack Meridian Health network begins with an expertly trained team of multidisciplinary clinicians and support staff who provide a full spectrum of services from lifestyle modifications to bariatric surgery, all aimed at promoting long-term health and well-being. Visit Hackensack Meridian Health for more information about bariatric surgery services.