Dr. Hernandez was born in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in Mexico City and attended medical school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City (UNAM). After spending two years in Israel, where he completed a rotating medical internship, he returned to his home in Chula Vista. His surgical training began at Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri in 1975 and was completed at Sinai Hospital of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan in 1981.

Dr. Hernandez is certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgery. He has practiced in San Diego since 1981.

In 1994, Dr. Hernandez brought together four outstanding surgeons to form Coast Surgical Group, which has become the premiere surgical group in San Diego’s South Bay area.

In the realm of General Surgery, Dr. Hernandez’s special interests include laparoscopic surgery, the surgical treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), pancreatic surgery, and the surgical treatment of obesity.

Dr. Hernandez is married and has three children.

Hugo Barrera was born in Colombia, South America and moved to the United States at the age of two. He moved to California with his parents in 1978 and graduated from high school in La Jolla, California in 1984. After completing a double major in biochemistry and neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1988, he attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine where he earned his M.D. in 1992.

Dr. Barrera completed his internship and general surgery residency training at the University of California, San Diego from 1992 until 1997. Since 1997, he has been with Coast Surgical Group, where he became a partner in 2000.

Dr. Barrera’s special interests in surgery include surgery for the correction of heartburn using minimally invasive techniques (laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication), advanced laparoscopic surgery including removal of the colon and spleen, and cancer surgery.

Dr. Barrera is the Medical Director of the Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Program. This is a program focusing on the implementation of specialized techniques to minimize operative blood loss and decrease the use of blood transfusions.

Dr. Barrera is married and has two young sons. His interests include classical and jazz piano, modern art and architecture and sailing.