Edward E. Mason

Edward Eaton Mason (October 16, 1920 – December 29, 2020) was an American surgeon, professor, and medical researcher who specialized in obesity surgery. He is known for developing restrictive gastric surgery for morbidly obese patients. Mason introduced the first gastric bypass surgery in 1966 and was the inventor of the first vertical banded gastroplasty surgery in 1980.

He was the founder of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and was its first president. Mason also founded the International Bariatric Surgery Registry and served as its director. In addition, he was the author of more than 200 research papers and book chapters and has published five books, including Computer Applications in Medicine and A Fat Chance.