160 gastroenterologists to know – 2014

Gastroenterology is a broad field covering a wide range of patient care, from endoscopy and colonoscopy to hepatitis C and pancreatic cancer. Here are 160 gastroenterologists who stand out for their leadership, research and business development.

Edgar Achkar, MD, MACG, serves in the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at Cleveland Clinic. He is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and the current director of the ACG Institute. His specialty interests include esophageal disorders and motility testing. He is a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and a member of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He completed his internal medicine residency at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., where he also completed a gastroenterology fellowship. His additional training includes a fellowship in gastroenterology at Cleveland Clinic.

Jean-Paul Achkar, MD, FACG, is the Kenneth Rainin Endowed Chair in IBD Research at Cleveland Clinic. He is on staff in the pathology department of Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. Dr. Achkar focuses on Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBD and IBS. He is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health K23 Grant Award for Genetic Studies in Crohn's Disease.

Paul Akerman, MD, FACG, performs procedures at Bayside Endoscopy Center in Providence, R.I., and East Greenwich (R.I.) Endoscopy Center, both affiliated with Symbion. Dr. Akerman also serves as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and surgery at Alpert School of Medicine – Brown University in Providence, R.I. Dr. Akerman is responsible for leading the development of spiral enteroscopy, a technique designed to diagnose and treat small intestine lesions.  

John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF, is the clinical chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Yale Medical Group and a professor at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. He has previously served as quality advisor for Minnesota Gastroenterology, based in the Twin Cities. He is president of the American Gastroenterological Association. He is certified by the American Board of Gastroenterology and American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a special section editor for Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He also currently chairs the quality committee for Minneapolis-based Allina Health System. He has more than 90 published articles and book chapters on numerous topics from basic molecular biology to practice management.

Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, MD, works at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He won the 2011 American Gastroenterological Association research scholar award for a prospective study of diet and risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Dr. Ananthakrishnan's research focuses on the epidemiology and outcomes of IBD and the development of personalized medicine.

Kevin Ashby, MD, practices at Saddleback Medical Group Gastroenterology in Laguna Hills, Calif. He also performs procedures at the groups' Digestive Disease Center in Laguna Hills. The center is affiliated with Surgical Care Affiliates. Dr. Ashby is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has lectured nationally and contributed to a number of peer-reviewed medical journals.

Peter A. Banks, MD, is the director of the Center for Pancreatic Disease and director of the Clinical Research Track at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He is a past president of the American Pancreatic Association and International Association of Pancreatology. Dr. Banks has received the Distinguished Educator Award and Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Gastroenterology Award from the American Gastroenterological Association.

Christopher Bartolone, MD, is a physician with Gastroenterology Associates in Williamsville, N.Y. Dr. Bartolone earned his MD and completed a residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a fellowship in digestive and liver diseases at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is on staff at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville and Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo.

David Becker, MD, practices with Gastroenterology Consultants of Clearwater (Fla.), a division of West Central Gastroenterology. Dr. Becker performs procedures at West Coast Endoscopy Center in Clearwater. The center is an affiliate of Surgical Care Affiliates.

Rudolph A. Bedford, MD, is president of the Southern California Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Bedford practices with Southern California Gastroenterology Group in Santa Monica. He is an interventional endoscopist and performs endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. He has also served as director of Pancreatico-Biliary Services Department at UCLA. Dr. Bedford is a gastroenterology consultant for the Los Angeles Zoo.

J. Sumner Bell III, MD, AGAF, is a professor of clinical internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, and has practiced gastroenterology in southeastern Virginia for more than 20 years. He has previously served as president of the Eastern Virginia Medical School and currently is secretary-treasurer of the American Gastroenterological Association. He has completed an internal medicine residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and a fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Fernando Bermudez, MD, FACG, FACP, is medical director and a board member of Eastside Endoscopy Center, a partnership with Physicians Endoscopy. He is a member of G.I. Medicine Associates. He specializes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas and has a special interest in inflammatory bowel disease and motility disorders of the esophagus.

Brett Bernstein, MD, is the medical director of Eastside Endoscopy in Manhattan, N.Y., an affiliate of Physicians Endoscopy. He is also Chief Quality Officer of Beth Israel Ambulatory Endoscopy Services and director of endoscopy at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York. Dr. Bernstein is spearheading an endoscopy clinical integration program that oversees the quality of more than 60,000 procedures performed at four ambulatory surgery centers and five hospital-based endoscopy units. Dr. Bernstein places an emphasis on quality benchmarking. He recently became a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Quality Assurance Committee.  

Faisal M. Bhinder, MD, is a gastroenterologist at Capital Digestive Care's Birns, Gloger & Witten, MD, based in Rockville, Md. He has previously served as chief of the gastroenterology division and director of endoscopy at Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick, Md. He is trained to perform advanced therapeutic procedures with endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for biliary and pancreatic disease. He has a particular interest in the field of advanced endoscopy and has completed a fellowship in the Advanced Interventional Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellowship Program at the University of Florida HSC Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

Priti Bijpuria, MD, is a gastroenterologist at Capital Digestive Care's Ellicott City-based Maryland Digestive Disease Center. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a member of the American College of Gastroenterology. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in gastroenterology and internal medicine and is affiliated with Ambulatory Endoscopy Center of Maryland in Laurel and Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Md. Dr. Bijpuria has completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at Drexel University College of Medicine/Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Henry J. Binder, MD, is a professor emeritus and senior research scientist in medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. He won the 2005 Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Gastroenterological Association for his work on colonic ion transport and diarrhea. Dr. Binder earned his MD at New York University and completed his residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York and his fellowship in gastroenterology at Yale University School of Medicine.

C. Richard Boland, MD, is a physician in the division of gastroenterology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Boland is a past president of the American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. Boland earned his MD from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and completed his residency at Public Health Service Hospital in San Francisco and his fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine.

Geoffrey L. Braden, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, is the founding editor of Medscape Gastroenterology. Dr. Braden has been the chief of internal medicine at Aria Health in Philadelphia, since 1993. He also serves as chairman of the Aria Health Credentials Committee. Dr. Braden is the chair of the American Gastroenterological Association Think Tank on the Future of Practice and the AGA's web editor.

Steven Brant, MD, is the director of the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Meyerhoff Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and Meyerhoff Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Laboratory. He is also an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In October 2013, Dr. Brant received a $250,000 grant from Expression Analysis and Illumina for his research on the genetic causes of Crohn's disease.  

Aaron Brzezinski, MD, is a physician in the gastroenterology and hepatology department at the Cleveland Clinic. He focuses heavily on inflammatory bowel disease, microscopic colitis and celiac disease. He earned his MD from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and then performed internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in Canada. He won the Premier Physician Award from the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

Carol Burke, MD, FACG, is a member of the professional staff of Cleveland Clinic's department of gastroenterology and hepatology as well as director of its Center for Colon Polyp and Cancer Prevention and co-director of the multidisciplinary Hereditary Cancer Clinic. She is the treasurer of the American College of Gastroenterology and has served as a committee member or chairperson in the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. She is actively involved in research and has been awarded research grants from the National Cancer Institute and industry organizations to study the effects of chemo-preventive agents on the prevention of intestinal neoplasia.

Robert Cameron, MD, is the medical director of the Endoscopy Center at Bainbridge in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Dr. Cameron practices with University Gastroenterology Associates, which is part of University Hospitals Medical Practices. He is also a clinical professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He has a special interest for colonic neoplasia and esophageal diseases.

Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, is a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn. He is also a consultant in gastroenterology, physiology and biophysics at the institution. His research interests include GI motility disorders, obesity and pharmacogenetics. He is vice president of the American Gastroenterological Association and has won numerous awards, including Distinguished Investigator Award from Mayo Clinic. He was the founding editor of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, editor of AGA Perspectives and an associate editor of Gastroenterology.

William Carey, MD, MACG, is the director of the Cleveland Clinic Hepatology Center in the department of gastroenterology. Dr. Carey is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and serves on the editorial boards of several professional journals, including Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. He completed his fellowship training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Donald Castell, MD, is the director of the Esophageal Disorders Program and a professor of medicine in the gastroenterology and hepatology division of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1979 and retired with the rank of captain. Dr. Castell has authored and co-authored more than 500 scientific publications. He is also the editor and primary contributor of The Esophagus.

Amitabh Chak, MD, is director of clinical research in the division of gastroenterology and director of the Advanced Technology & Innovation Center of Excellence at Case Western Reserve University. He also serves as a professor of medicine. Dr. Chak is a councilor on the governing board of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Lin Chang, MD, is director of the Women's Digestive Health Center at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California. Her main research area is the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome with particular interests in the overlap of irritable bowel syndrome with fibromyalgia and gender differences and neuroendocrine alterations. She is a 2009 winner of the AGA Distinguished Clinician Award for her achievements as a clinical academician.

William D. Chey, MD, FACG, is a professor of internal medicine, director of the GI Physiology Laboratory and co-director of the Michigan Bowel Control Program at University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society. He has a professional interest in functional bowel and motility disorders including irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, functional heartburn, non-cardiac chest pain, dysphagia and fecal incontinence. He is co-editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Delbert L. Chumley, MD, practices with Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio. Dr. Chumley is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and co-chaired the organization's National GI Carrier Advisory Committee, which oversees federal Medicare payment issues. He is also a past president of the Texas Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy.

Robynne Chutkan, MD, is the founder of the Digestive Center for Women in Chevy Chase, Md. She has a professional interest in inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, video capsule endoscopy, nutrition and weight loss. She is a past member of the governing board of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and former chair of its Training Committee and Public Relations Committee. She is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine and author of Gutbliss, a book that provides women with information to avoid digestive problems.

Bradley A. Connor, MD, is the founder and medical director of Travel Health Services, a travel medicine clinic in New York. A past president of the International Society of Travel Medicine, he has served as a consultant to the White House Medical Unit in the Clinton and Bush administrations. He was part of a team in Kathmandu, Nepal that first described the clinical illness associated with cyclospora infections and made subsequent contributions to the understanding of its pathogenesis, epidemiology and treatment.

Sheila E. Crowe, MD, is a professor of medicine and director of research at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Crowe's research program focuses on the interaction of luminal contents with the GI mucosa that can lead to IBD and associated epithelial cancer. She has actively participated in basic, translational and clinical research.

Stephen Deal, MD, is a physician with Carolina Digestive Health Associates, which operates five endoscopy centers in the Charlotte area. He served on the Quality in Endoscopy Task Force of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and American College of Gastroenterology. He has also been a member of the ACG National Affairs Committee and the ACG Practice Management Committee.

Thomas M. Deas Jr., MD, MMM, FASGE, practices with Gastroenterology Associates of North Texas. He performs procedures at Fort Worth (Texas) Endoscopy Center and Southwest Fort Worth Endoscopy Center, both affiliated with Surgical Care Affiliates. Dr. Deas is also a past president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (2012-2013) and a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has served as an advisory board member for the GI Quality Improvement Consortium (GIQuIC). Dr. Deas is an SCA Physicians Leadership Board member. "With the dramatic changes transpiring in healthcare, leaders in gastroenterology must educate our colleagues based on current evidence, inform regarding healthcare trends, and focus on the importance of improving the quality of cognitive and endoscopic patient services," says Dr. Deas.

Kenneth R. DeVault, MD, FACG, is a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. He is vice president of American College of Gastroenterology and certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He has a professional interest in reflux and other esophageal diseases as well as motility disorders. He earned his medical degree at Wake Forest School of Medicine, formerly known as Bowman Gray School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, N.C. He completed his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.  

Anthony J. DiMarino Jr., MD, is chair of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology and director of the Celiac Center at Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia. His clinical interests are consultative gastroenterology, celiac disease, swallowing disorders and problems of gastrointestinal motility and inflammable bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Peter V. Draganov, MD, is a professor of medicine in the gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition division at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He won the National Quality Week Shands Star Award for exceptional empathy, compassion or advocacy in interactions with patients and the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Gastroenterology and Hepatology from the American College of Physicians.

Samuel Drake, MD, practices at Gaston Digestive Disease Clinic in Gastonia, N.C. Dr. Drake treats hiatal hernias, tumors, ulcers, jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver and disorders of the pancreas, gallbladder and liver. He also performs endoscopies, colonoscopies, endoscopic laser treatments and cancer screening.

Marla C. Dubinsky, MD, is an associate professor of pediatrics and the director of pediatric IBD Center at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her research interests include the immune and genetic influences on the natural history and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Dubinsky holds the Abe and Claire Levine Chair in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Steven A. Edmundowicz, MD, is chief of endoscopy as well as director of interventional endoscopy and a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He has clinical and research interests in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, pancreaticobiliary endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography and endoluminal therapies of gastroesophageal reflux disease and obesity. He is currently treasurer-elect of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has also served as the senior associate editor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the chairman of the Web Education Committee of the ASGE.

Glenn M. Eisen, MD, MPH, is director of endoscopy and professor of medicine in the gastroenterology division at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. He is executive co-director of the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative, which was developed to study outcomes of gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures in "real life" settings. He is a past chair of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy's Standards of Practice Committee and has published 110 peer-reviewed papers. He is editor-in-chief of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and has a professional interest in colon cancer screening and prevention, esophageal disorders, inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatobiliary disease.

Hashem El-Serag, MD, MPH, is the Dan L. Duncan Professor of Medicine and chief of the gastroenterology and hepatology section at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He also leads the National Institutes of Health-supported postdoctoral research training in gastroenterology at Baylor. He is the GI section chief at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston. Dr. El-Serag serves as the editor-in-chief of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and his clinical and research interests include Barrett's esophagus, dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease, viral hepatitis and chronic liver disease. He completed a gastroenterology fellowship, as well as a master's degree in public health, at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Atilla Ertan, MD, FACP, MACG, AGAF, is a professor of medicine in the gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition division at the University of Texas Health and Science Center in Houston. Dr. Ertan is also the medical director of the Digestive Disease Center and Gastroenterology Center of Excellence at Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center.  He has authored more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as contributing to several books.

Douglas O. Faigel, MD, FACG, FASGE, AGAF, is a board-certified gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. He is treasurer of American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. His clinical interests include endoscopic ultrasound, gastrointestinal cancers, biliary and pancreatic diseases and advanced endoscopy. He is actively involved in research and his recent research projects include developing new quality measures for colonoscopy and endoscopy and investigating the role of colonoscopy in the evaluation of patients with melena. He has previously served as chair of the Quality in Endoscopy Taskforce of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and associate editor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Francis A. Farraye, MD, MSc, is clinical director in the gastroenterology section and co-director of the Center for Digestive Disorders at Boston Medical Center. He also holds an appointment at Boston University School of Medicine. He is coeditor for the text, "Bariatric Surgery: A Primer for your Medical Practice," and associate editor for Therapy for Digestive Disorders. He received the American College of Gastroenterology's William D. Carey Award for serving the college with distinction.

M. Brian Fennerty, MD, is a professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology at Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Fennerty is past president of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. An authority on gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus and Helicobacter pylori, he is editor of Journal Watch Gastroenterology and Reviews in Gastroenterological Disorders and past associate editor of American Journal of Gastroenterology and Clinical Perspectives in Gastroenterology.

Marc A. Fiorillo, MD, practices with Advanced Gastroenterology of Bergen County in New Jersey. Dr. Fiorillo is a past president of the New Jersey Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Society, in addition to active participation in the national GI societies. Dr. Fiorillo has a clinical interest in pancreatic disorders and performs endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration. He also performs fecal microbiota transplantations for patients with recurrent C. difficile infections.

Ira L. Flax, MD, co-founded and served as chairman of the Texas Alliance for Digestive Diseases, a regional gastroenterology independent practice association. He is managing partner of Digestive and Liver Specialists in Houston. He has also served on the board of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, chaired its gastroenterology section and was chief of staff of Memorial Hermann Hospital in Memorial City.

David E. Fleischer, MD, is a professor of medicine in the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at Mayo Clinic Arizona. His research interests include endoscopy, esophageal cancer, GI bleeding, capsule endoscopy and endoscopic therapy for Barrett's esophagus.

Christopher Forsmark, MD, is a professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Forsmark is a past president of the American Pancreatic Association and the Florida Gastroenterologic Society. He also served as chairman of the Pancreatic Disorders Section and was postgraduate course director at the American Gastroenterological Association.

Amy E. Foxx-Orenstein, DO, was president of the American College of Gastroenterology from 2007to 2008 and began the College's obesity initiative. She is a member of the Motility Section, Enteric Neuroscience Program and Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.

James Franciosi, MD, is a pediatric gastroenterologist with Nemours, based in Orlando. His research includes outcome measures in eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic esophagitis epidemiology, eosinophilic esophagitis clinical trials and inflammatory bowel disease clinical trials. He earned his MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and completed his residency and fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

James T. Frakes, MD, is a past president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Frakes is a member of Rockford (Ill.) Gastroenterology Associates and a clinical professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. He is the 2007 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the ASGE for long-term contributions to the field and was designated a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology for stature and achievement in clinical gastroenterology and teaching and contributions.

Robert Gannan, MD, PhD, is the founder of Physicians Endoscopy. He previously served as the company's national medical director and chairman of the board of directors. He is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. Dr. Gannan has spoken internationally on a number of topics in gastroenterology and on the development of ambulatory surgery centers. He completed his residency and fellowship training at the University of California Hospital.

Robert Ganz, MD, FASGE, is the 2013-2014 foundation chair of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He serves as the chief of gastroenterology at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital and practices at Minnesota Gastroenterology, both in Minneapolis. Dr. Ganz is the co-founder of the medical device company BARRX, which focuses on the treatment of Barrett's esophagus. He holds more than 20 patents and was the first physician in the world to perform balloon-based radiofreqency ablation of Barrett's esophagus.

Ralph A. Giannella, MD, is a former president of the American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. Giannella is a professor in the Digestive Diseases Division at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. With a focus on intestinal infections and diarrheal disorders, he has been using a new breath test to determine problems in the GI tract. He won the AGA's Julius Friedenwald Medal.

Francis M. Giardiello, MD, is a professor of medicine, oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. For nine years, he was director of the Division of Johns Hopkins' Gastroenterology. He has investigated the genetic basis of familial colorectal cancer and the use of genetic testing in the hereditary forms of colorectal cancer.

Gregory G. Ginsberg, MD, FASGE, is director of Endoscopic Services at Penn Medicine and professor of medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is a board-certified gastroenterologist, focusing on Barrett's Esophagus, biliary and pancreatic diseases, endoscopy and gastrointestinal cancers. He is a past president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and a member of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Gary Gitnick, MD, is chief of the division of digestive diseases/gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. Dr. Gitnick leads one of the largest gastroenterology divisions in the world, with 80 full-time faculty members, 99 employees and a multi-million dollar budget. Previously, he was chief of staff of the UCLA Medical Center and medical director of UCLA Health Care Programs.

David A. Greenwald, MD, FACG, is an American College of Gastroenterology trustee. Dr. Greenwald is director of the gastroenterology fellowship program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, and holds an academic appointment at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, also in New York. He studies the risks of infection and issues of safety concerning GI endoscopy.

Pedro Greer Jr., MD, is one of the founders of a Herbert Wertham College of Medicine at Florida International University, where he is professor and chair of the department of humanities, health and society and association dean for community engagement. A recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship and the Presidential Service Award, he was an advisor to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton on healthcare and poverty. He is the author of "Waking Up in America."

Jack R. Groover, MD, FACP, is president and CEO of the Borland-Groover Clinic, Jacksonville Center for Endoscopy and Jax Anesthesia Providers in Jacksonville, Fla. He has previously served as chief of gastroenterology at University Hospital in Jacksonville, and founded the first GI fellowship program there. He serves on the United Healthcare Physicians Advisory Board and Blue Cross Blue Shield Physician Advisory Board. He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has completed two fellowships, one in gastroenterology and another in hepatology at University of Miami School of Medicine.

Michael J. Guirl, MD, FACG, FACP, was the 2012-2013 president of the Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy. He practices with the Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio in Texas. Dr. Guirl completed his fellowship training at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Stephen Hanauer, MD, FACG, is the Clifford Joseph Barborka Professor of Medicine and the medical director of the Digestive Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. He previously served as the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine, professor of clinical pharmacology and chief of gastroenterology and nutrition at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He currently serves as chair of the International Organization for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and president-elect of the American College of Gastroenterology. He serves on the editorial boards of American Journal of Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases as well as an associate editor of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Gail A. Hecht, MD, is FCO division director of gastroenterology and GI residency program director at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She is also a past president of the American Gastroenterological Association. Her research interests include the interaction of enteric bacterial pathogens with host intestinal epithelial cells and the mechanisms.

Anne Henkel, MD, is an assistant professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Henkel won the American Gastroenterological Association Research Foundation's research scholars award in 2011 for her studies on the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the pathogenesis of NASH. Dr. Henkel earned her MD from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and completed a residency and fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Enrique Hernandez, MD, is a pediatric gastroenterologist. He practices with Pediatric GI of the Palm Beaches and performs procedures at the Boca Raton (Fla.) Outpatient Surgery & Laser Center, an affiliate of Surgical Care Affiliates. Dr. Hernandez completed his fellowship training at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Reed B. Hogan, MD, practices with GI Associates and Endoscopy Center in Jackson, Miss. He is an accomplished speaker and writer in the field of gastroenterology and has published numerous articles on the subject. Dr. Hogan earned his MD from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. He completed a residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and a gastroenterology fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Vera Hupertz, MD, FACG, is Pediatric Medical Director of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic. She also serves as the vice chair of quality improvement at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital. Dr. Hupertz focuses on IBD and pediatric liver disease and transplantation. She completed her fellowship training at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

David A. Johnson, MD, practices with Digestive & Liver Disease Specialists in Norfolk, Va. He is also a professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. Dr. Johnson helped enact legislation mandating colon cancer screening with colonoscopy as the preferred standard. He is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and co-chaired the national Gastroenterology Medicare advisors.

Anthony Nicholas Kalloo, MD, is a professor of medicine and chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. Dr. Kalloo has a clinical interest in natural orifice translumenal endoscopy surgery, pancreatitis, abdominal pain and Sphincter of Oddi. He completed his fellowship training at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Kalle Kang, MD, is a gastroenterologist with Overlake Internal Medicine Associates in Bellevue, Wash. Dr. Kang is a physician-owner at Eastside Endoscopy Center in Bellevue, a Physicians Endoscopy Center. Dr. Kang earned his MD from New York University, completed his residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his fellowship at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He then taught at the University of Connecticut Medical School in Storrs before joining Overlake Internal Medicine Associates.

Philip Katz, MD, FACG, is chairman of the division of gastroenterology at Einstein Medical Center and a clinical professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College, both in Philadelphia. Dr. Katz is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology. He currently serves as co-editor of the ACG Education Universe. In 2013, he received the ACG Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Award. Dr. Katz is also a part of the ACG mentoring program. He has a clinical interest in all aspects of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

David A. Katzka, MD, is head of the esophageal interest group in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic. A consultative esophagologist, he created the Center for Swallowing Disorders, bringing together surgeons, radiologists, neurologists, internal medicine and sleep therapy experts. He has been on the editorial board of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and served as a section editor of Gastroenterology.

Lawrence Kim, MD, practices with South Denver Gastroenterology in Parker, Colo. He serves on the governing board of the American Gastroenterologist Association. In 2004, he became the first gastroenterologist to join the board of directors of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. He is also an AAAHC surveyor. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Kim is a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. He completed his residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and his fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco.

Michelle K. Kim, MD, is the immediate past president of the New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Kim is an assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She focuses on pancreatic cancer and disorders, colonoscopy, endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography. Dr. Kim completed her fellowship training at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Donald Kirby, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, is the director the Center for Human Nutrition, medical director of the intestinal transplant program and fellowship director of the nutrition support fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Kirby focuses on a wide range of gastrointestinal issues including nutritional issues, celiac disease, esophageal motility disorders and IBD. He completed his fellowship training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Joseph Kittinger III, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, practices with Wilmington (N.C.) Gastroenterology and serves as a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Kittinger completed his fellowship training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Michael L. Kochman, MD, FACP, AGAF, is the vice chair of clinical affairs in the department of medicine and Wilmott Family Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Serving as chairman of the editorial board of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and editor for the "Year Book of Gastroenterology," he is also a councilor of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Michael K. Koehler, MD, is an assistant clinical professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. Dr. Koehler practices with University of Gastroenterology Associates in South Euclid, Ohio. He is one of seven physicians on staff at the Endoscopy Center at Bainbridge in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Dr. Koehler earned his MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland and completed a residency, gastroenterology fellowship and pathology fellowship at University Hospitals.

Mark H. Kogan, MD, is a gastroenterologist with Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants in San Pablo. Dr. Kogan has served as chief of staff at Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo and medical director for the Alta Bates Medical Group, which operates around the Bay Area. He has also been president of the Alameda Contra Costa Medical Association and served on the clinical practice committee for the American Gastroenterological Association.

Carroll Koshcheski, MD, FACG, is the chairman of the National Affairs Committee for the American College of Gastroenterology and ACG Governor for North Carolina. He is board-certified and is in private practice with Gastroenterology Associates — a seven-physician group in Hickory. The physician group owns a three-room endoscopy center. He previously served as chief of staff at Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory. He earned his medical degree, residency and fellowship at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Lawrence Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF, FACG, is a board-certified gastroenterologist and a managing partner of Illinois Gastroenterology Group in Elgin, which includes seven endoscopy centers. He is a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of American and American College of Gastroenterology. He is the chair of the American Gastroenterological Association Practice Management and Economics Committee and a member of the advisory board of the Illinois Health Information Exchange. He provides care at Sherman Hospital in Elgin and Algonquin Road Surgery Center in Lake in the Hills, Ill.

Jeffrey Kutscher, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, practices with Gastroenterology Consultants of South Jersey in Lumberton. Dr. Kutscher has been chief of gastroenterology at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, N.J., since 1988 and continues to teach gastroenterology in the Virtua residency program. He also performs procedures at Burlington County Endoscopy Center in Lumberton.

Loren A. Laine, MD, AGAF, is a professor of medicine and director of clinical research at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and an attending physician at the Yale-affiliated West Haven VA Medical Center. His research focuses on gastrointestinal hemorrhage and upper gastrointestinal injury, and he is a skilled therapeutic endoscopist. He is past president of the American Gastroenterological Association and a past member of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of California, Los Angeles and a GI fellowship at the University of California, San Diego.

Louis La Luna, MD, is a physician with Digestive Disease Associates in Wyomissing, Pa. Dr. La Luna also performs procedures at the Berks Center for Digestive Health. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Society of Gastroenterology.

Nicholas F. LaRusso, MD, is a physician with the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. Dr. LaRusso chairs the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition at the American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. LaRusso member of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the Transplant Center at Mayo Clinic, he is a past president of the AGA and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He has received distinguished achievement awards and a distinguished mentor award from the AGA.

Bret Lashner, MD, is the director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Lashner focuses on Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and general gastrointestinal diseases. He serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. He completed his fellowship training at University of Chicago Hospitals.

James S. Leavitt, MD, is a physician at Gastro Health in Miami. Dr. Leavitt earned his MD from the State University of New York Downstate Medical School in Brooklyn and completed his medical internship and residency and his gastroenterology fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He has served as a member of the American College of Gastroenterology's practice management committee.

Jay R. Levinson, MD, FACG, is a physician with Digestive Health Associates and performs procedures at the Michigan Endoscopy Center, both in Farmington Hills. Dr. Levinson was recognized by his peers as one of the region's most respected gastroenterologists in Detroit Magazine's Top Doc survey in 2005 and 2008. Dr. Levinson earned his MD from Wayne State University in Detroit and completed his residency at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit.

Blair S. Lewis, MD, FACP, FACG, FASGE, is one of the medical directors of the Physicians Endoscopy center Carnegie Hill Endoscopy in New York. Dr. Lewis played a key role in making Carnegie Hill Endoscopy one of the first FUSE Centers of Excellence. He served on the American College of Gastroenterology board of directors for six years. He is also a past president of the New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the New York Academy of Gastroenterology. Dr. Lewis serves on the board of AliveandKickn.org, a charitable organization focused on raising awareness and prevention of colorectal cancer. Dr. Lewis approaches patient care with respect. "When were you last angry with a person who treats you with respect," he says.

James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE, is the chair of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America National Scientific Advisory Committee. He is the associate director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program and senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Lewis has directed two NIH-funded clinical trials of novel IBD therapies.

Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD, FACG, FACP, is director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Pennsylvania. Dr. Lichtenstein has served on the editorial boards of Gastroenterology, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, World Journal of Gastroenterology and Digestive Diseases and Sciences. He has also served as medical secretary for the Gastroenterology Section at the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Edward V. Loftus Jr., MD, is a professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Loftus is on the steering committee of the IBD Working Group and has chaired the Patient Education Committee of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. He is on the editorial board of the journals Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

James F. Martin, MD, has practiced at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center for more than 30 years. Dr. Martin served in Operation Desert Storm, for which he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for Superior Performance. He won the American Gastroenterological Association's 2010 Distinguished Clinician Award, cited as "the consummate private practice clinician who combines wisdom with a breadth of knowledge in the practice of gastroenterology and internal medicine."

Arthur McCullough, MD, a former president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, is a staff physician in the department of gastroenterology and hepatology and in the department of pathobiology and transplantation center at Cleveland Clinic. He helped develop a non-invasive test for liver disease without a liver biopsy. Dr. McCullough earned his MD from SUNY Health Science Center at University Hospital of Syracuse (N.Y.) and completed residency at Cleveland Clinic and a fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Alfred McNair, MD, is a gastroenterologist with Digestive Health Center in Biloxi, Miss. Dr. McNair founded Digestive Health Center, which now has six physicians. He earned his MD from Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver and completed his medical and specialty training at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and at Columbia University in New York. He has practiced at several hospitals in Mississippi, most recently at Ocean Springs Hospital.

Kenneth R. McQuaid, MD, FASGE, is a board-certified gastroenterologist at San Francisco VA Medical Center. He also provides care at VA Palo Alto (Calif.) Health Care System. He serves as secretary of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He earned his medical degree at University of California, San Francisco and completed his residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. He has also completed a fellowship at UCSF.

Klaus D. Mergener, MD, PhD, is a gastroenterologist with Digestive Health Specialists, in Tacoma, Wash. He is a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and serves as the ASGE representative to the American Medical Association. Dr. Mergener completed a residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and received additional training in interventional endoscopy there.

Steven J. Morris, MD, JD, is co-founder of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates and a clinical associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He is a past president of the Georgia Gastrointestinal Society and served as chief of staff at Emory University Hospital. Dr. Morris earned his MD from the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) and completed his residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta and a fellowship in digestive diseases at the University of Miami.

Arvind Movva, MD, is the CEO of Gastroenterology Consultants in Moline, Ill., and also serves as the assistant medical director of Valley View Anesthesia, Midwest Clinical Research Associates and Regional Surgicenter in Moline. He is a consultant with Movva Medical Consulting. He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He completed his residency at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago and has completed fellowship training in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

Robert Neidich, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist with Gastro-Intestinal Associates in Lima, Ohio. Dr. Neidich completed his GI fellowship training at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a former chief of staff at St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima.

Mark Noar, MD, MPH, practices at Endoscopy Microsurgery Associates in Towson, Md. He is also the head gastroenterologist at The Endoscopy Center in Towson. Dr. Noar was the first clinical adopter of the Stretta procedure for the treatment gastroesophageal reflux disease. He recently published a 10-year outcomes data study on Stretta in the journal Surgical Endoscopy.

M. Bishr Omary, MD, PhD, is chair, of the department of molecular and integrative physiology, professor of internal medicine and the H. Marvin Pollard Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He previously served as chief of the gastroenterology division and director of the NIH-funded Digestive Disease Center at Stanford (Calif.) University. He has a wide array of research interests, including the epithelial biology of the liver, intestine and pancreas; genetic and proteomic studies related to liver disease; and hepatocyte inclusions. He is the editor-in-chief of Gastroenterology.

Bergein F. Overholt, MD, FACP, MACG, practices with Gastrointestinal Associates in Knoxville, Tenn. Dr. Overholt was a key contributor to the development of colonoscopy, earning him the Schindler Award from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the William Beaumont Award from the American Medical Association. He is a founding member and past president of the Tennessee Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, as well as a past president of the ASGE.

Daniel J. Pambianco, MD, has practiced with Charlottesville (Va.) Gastroenterology Associates since 1989. He is also director of endoscopy at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. Dr. Pambianco is a past president of the Virginia Gastroenterological Society. He has received three MSD Grants, a Glaxo Grant and a Biomedical Research Support Grant.

Henry P. Parkman, MD, is director of the GI Motility at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. His interests include motility disorders of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon. Dr. Parkman earned his MD from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He completed a residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, a GI fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and a GI research fellowship in Mayo Clinic Medical School in Rochester, Minn.

Richard Peek Jr., MD, is director of the gastroenterology division, the Mina Cobb Wallace Chair in Immunology and a professor of cancer biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Peek specializes in research on the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer. He earned his medical degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System and his fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

John L. Petrini, MD, FACP, is a former board member of Sansum Clinic and is a past president of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Petrini practices at Sansum Clinic's Pueblo Multi-Specialty Clinic in Santa Barbara, Calif. He earned his medical degree from University of California San Francisco and completed his residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta and his fellowship at University of California Los Angeles Medical Center.

David A. Peura, MD, is a professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va. Dr. Peura was the 100th president of the American Gastroenterological Association and chaired its Digestive Health Initiative Ulcer Campaign and its education committee. He won the AGA's Julius Friedenwald Medal and Distinguished Educator Award in 2002. He has been involved in clinical investigation on acid peptic disorders, particularly peptic ulcer disease, and Helicobacter pylori and its role in ulcer pathogenesis.

Irving Pike, MD, FACG, serves as the first CMO of John Muir Health in Walnut Creek, Calif., as well as director and president Gastroenterology Quality Improvement Consortium. He is the secretary of the American College of Gastroenterology. He also has 12 years of experience as a physician executive with Sentara Health Care in Norfolk, Va., where he also served as vice president for medical affairs. He completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

Benoit Pineau, MD, FRCP, joined the Borland-Groover Clinic in St. Augustine, Fla., in 2008. Dr. Pineau also performs procedures at St. Augustine (Fla.) Surgery Center, an Ambulatory Surgical Centers of America affiliate. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada and completed a fellowship in interventional endoscopy at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Scott E. Plevy, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill. He was co-director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at the University of Pittsburgh and has served as basic science section editor for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. His research interests include inflammatory bowel disease, innate immunity, cytokine biology and inflammation, and he has been the principle investigator for numerous clinical trials in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Daniel K. Podolsky, MD, became the president of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas in 2008. As president, he holds the Phillip O'Bryan Montgomery Jr. MD, Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration. Additionally, he is a professor of internal medicine and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science. Previously, he was the chief of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

D. Brent Polk, MD, is the chair of the pediatrics department at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and chair of pediatrics and vice dean for Child Health at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Polk is also a professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine. He has served as an ad hoc journal reviewer for more than three dozen medical journals.

John W. Popp Jr., MD, has served as a director of AmSurg since 2009. He has served as medical director for Johnson & Johnson biomedicines unit Centocor and chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Charleston, S.C. Dr. Popp completed his fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Daniel H. Present, MD, is a clinical professor of medicine and gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He is the founder of the Foundation for Clinical Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mount Sinai and co-founder of the Foundation for Clinical Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Over the course of his career, Dr. Present has received the American Gastroenterological Association Distinguished Clinician award, American College of Gastroenterology Master award and Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America Lifetime Achievement Award.

Douglas Rex, MD, FACG, is the chief of endoscopy at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis. He has a clinical interest in colorectal cancer screening, Barrett's esophagus, endoscopy, IBD, GI bleeding and constipation. Dr. Rex co-authored the ACG and Gastroenterology Consortium colorectal cancer screening recommendations. He has served on the editorial boards of a number of scientific journals.

David T. Rubin, MD, is the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine, co-director of the Digestive Diseases Center and section chief of the gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition division at The University of Chicago. He served as principal investigator for several research projects and clinical trials. He is interested in new therapies for IBD, the genetics of IBD and better screening tools for colorectal cancer.

Moshe Rubin, MD, is director of gastroenterology and program director of the gastroenterology fellowship training program at New York Hospital Queens. Dr. Rubin earned his MD from Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and completed his residency and fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He has a special interest in capsule endoscopy, double balloon enteroscopy, celiac disease, GERD, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, C. difficile and colonoscopy.

Anil K. Rustgi, MD, AGAF, is chief of the division of gastroenterology at the Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and director of its Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases. He is also the director of the Joint Center for Digestive, Liver and Pancreatic Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's school of medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is a past president of the American Gastroenterological Association. He has a wide array of research interests, including oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and molecular genetics of GI cancers.

Robert Sable, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, co-founded Riverdale Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases in 1981. He also serves as co-medical director of Advanced Endoscopy Center in New York., an affiliate of Physicians Endoscopy. Dr. Sable has also served as the medical staff president of Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

Michael Safdi, MD, FACP, MACG, is a co-founder of Ohio Gastroenterology and Liver Institute in Cincinnati. Dr. Safdi helped formulate the first benchmarks for quality endoscopy when he served on a joint committee of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Safdi co-founded one of the first outpatient endoscopy centers in the United States. He is also co-founder of software solutions company eMerge Health.

Julio A. Salcedo, MD, practices at Capital Digestive Care's Washington Gastroenterology in Washington, D.C. Dr. Salcedo focuses on hepatic drug metabolism and clinical trials. He completed a fellowship in clinical pharmacology in the combined Georgetown University- National Institutes of Health Program. Dr. Salcedo also completed his gastroenterology fellowship at Georgetown University Medical Center.

William J. Sandborn, MD, AGAF, is a professor of medicine and chief of the gastroenterology division at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Sandborn directs a large clinical research unit focused on clinical trials in IBD. He recently authored the American Gastroenterological's new clinical decision support tool for Crohn's disease.

Robert S. Sandler, MD, chief emeritus of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill. He is also the Nina and John Sessions Distinguished Professor of Medicine. Dr. Sandler's research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, focuses on the epidemiology of several digestive disorders and cancer.

Bruce E. Sands, MD, MS, AGAF, FACG, is the Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Prior to joining Mount Sinai Hospital in 2010, Dr. Sands was the medical co-director of the Crohn's & Colitis Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is also the chair of the Clinical Research Alliance of the Crohn's Foundation of America. In 2006, the New England Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America named him the Humanitarian of the Year.

Harry Sarles Jr., MD, FACG, is a private practice gastroenterologist at the Digestive Health Associates of Texas and is chief of staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Rockwall. His clinical interests include pancreato-biliary problems of the GI tract, gastrointestinal bleeding problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease and inflammatory bowel disease. He is president of the American College of Gastroenterology and a member of American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy. In 2005, he received the Marcel Patterson/Robert Nelson Career Service Award from TSGE.

Mark A. Schattner, MD, FACP, CNSP, practices at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Schattner is a past president of the New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has a special interest in therapeutic endoscopy and specialized nutrition support for cancer patients. Dr. Schattner earned his medical degree for the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed a residency at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Lawrence Schiller, MD, FACG, is a member of the board of directors and a Quality Assurance and Credentialing Committee member at Digestive Health Associates of Texas in Dallas. He is the program director of the gastroenterology fellowship and chairman of the Institutional Review Board for Human Subject Protection at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. His clinical interests include gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. He is the past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and a member of the American Federation for Clinical Research and American Motility Society.

Colleen M. Schmitt, MD, MHS, FASGE, was the 2013-2014 president-elect of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. She assumed the ASGE presidency in May 2014. Dr. Schmitt practices with the Galen Medical Group in Chattanooga, Tenn. She has served as a reviewer for the ASGE's journal GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Schmitt is past president of the Tennessee Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and has authored more than 50 scientific papers, books chapters, reviews and editorials. "I believe that leadership in the field of GI means to identify and share prospects for our colleagues to augment their skills and establish the means to demonstrate exceptional capabilities in the practice of gastrointestinal endoscopy," says Dr. Schmitt.

Konrad S. Schulze, MD, is a professor of internal medicine-gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. He has won the Award for Sustained Achievement in Digestive Sciences from the American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. Schulze earned his medical degree from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, completed his residency at Montreal General Hospital in Canada and his fellowship at the University of Iowa.

James Scolapio, MD, is the chief of the gastroenterology division and program director of the gastroenterology department at the University of Florida in Jacksonville. He recently joined Jacksonville Beach (Fla.) Surgery Center, an affiliate of Symbion. Dr. Scolapio is also a professor in the gastroenterology department at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Srinivas Seela, MD, practices with Digestive and Liver Center of Florida in Orlando. In addition to being part of the three-physician practice, Dr. Seela is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida School of Medicine and has privileges at Florida Hospital in Orlando. His interests include advanced and therapeutic endoscopic procedures, colorectal cancer screening, gastroesophageal reflux disease and metabolic and other liver disorders. Dr. Seela completed a gastroenterology fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

Thomas Sepe, MD, FACG, AGAF, is a clinical associate professor of medicine at Brown University in Providence, R.I.  He performs procedures at Bayside Endoscopy Center in Providence and East Greenwich (R.I.) Endoscopy Center, both affiliates of Symbion. Dr. Sepe has a special interest in hepatitis B and C treatment. He has participated in research studies and helped develop a drug to treat hepatitis C with Gilead.
Nicholas Shaheen, MD, is a professor of medicine and epidemiology and director of the Center for Esophageal Disease and Swallowing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Shaheen is a past president of the North Carolina Society of Gastroenterology. He also serves on the editorial boards of a number of professional journals.

Helen M. Shields, MD, is a professor in the department of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a gastroenterologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, both in Boston. Dr. Shields has served as chair of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Advisory Committee at Beth Israel Deaconess and is winner of the Distinguished Educator Award from AGA. Dr. Shields earned her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and completed a residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship at University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia.

Corey A. Siegel, MD, is director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. He is also an assistant professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, N.H. He has been involved in clinical trials for IBD, colonoscopy, Crohn's disease and upper endoscopy. Dr. Siegel is also on the IBD Working Group steering committee.

Leonard B. Stein, MD, is medical director of the Long Island Center for Digestive Health in Garden City, N.Y. He holds an academic appointment at State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Stein earned his medical degree from Sackler School of Medicine in New York, completed a residency at Long Island Jewish Hospital and a gastroenterology fellowship at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Ann Marie Stephenson, DO, MBA, is a gastroenterologist at Capital Digestive Care's Associates in Gastroenterology in Silver Spring, Md., and she is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine. She has a professional interest in colorectal cancer screening, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. She is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American College of Osteopathic Internists. Following an internal medicine residency, Dr. Stephenson completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine and was granted an award for her research in geriatric gastroenterology. She has also completed a gastroenterology fellowship at Midwestern University in Chicago.  

Lewis R. Strong, MD, practices with Centers for Gastroenterology in Fort Collins, Colo., and performs procedures at the Skyline Endoscopy Center in Loveland, Colo. Dr. Strong has an interest in digestive diseases, liver diseases and colorectal cancer. He completed his fellowship training at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Andrea Todisco, MD, is a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. Dr. Todisco is a winner of the Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Biology Related to Cancer of the American Gastroenterological Association. He earned his medical degree from University of Rome, completed a residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and a fellowship in gastroenterology from the University of Michigan.

Phillip P. Toskes, MD, is a professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Toskes is a past president of the American Gastroenterological Association. He earned his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and completed his residency at the University of Maryland Hospital. He is the recipient of distinguished achievement awards from both the Florida Gastroenterologic Society and the Canadian Gastroenterological Association.

William J. Tremaine, MD, is a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Tremaine is winner of the Distinguished Clinician Award, clinical academic practice, from the American Gastroenterological Association. He earned his medical degree from the University of Mississippi in Jackson and completed a residency and a gastroenterology fellowship at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.

Jacques Van Dam, MD, PhD, is a professor of medicine and director of clinical gastroenterology at Keck School Medicine – University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He has been president of both the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Bockus International Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Van Dam has been internationally recognized for his advances in the interventional endoscopy field.

John Vargo, MD, MPH, is the department chair of gastroenterology and hepatology at Cleveland Clinic. He has been selected to serve as the principal investigator of a Cook Medical clinical study of the removability of the new Evolution Esophageal Fully Covered Stent. He focuses on bile duct diseases, Barrett's esophagus, gallbladder disease, pancreatic stones, small bowel disease, strictures of the GI tract and colon polyps. He is a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Gastroenterological Association and an honorary fellow of the Gastroenterology Society of Ecuador. During his career he has won numerous awards, including the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Career Development Award in 2003.

Ronald Vender, MD, FACG, is a professor of medicine and the associate dean for clinical affairs at Yale School of Medicine as well as CMO of Yale Medical Group in New Haven, Conn. He chaired the National Affairs Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology and is its immediate past president. He is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and his gastroenterology fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine.

Stuart Waldstreicher, MD, FACG, AGAF, is the medical director of Diagnostic Endoscopy in Stamford, Conn. He practices with Gastroenterology Consultants in Stamford and serves as the chief of gastroenterology at Stamford Hospital. Dr. Waldstreicher also serves as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia Medical Center in New York and as a clinical instructor of medicine at New York College in Valhalla.

Kenneth K. Wang, MD, FASGE, was the 2013-2014 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy president. He is the co-director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the Advanced Endoscopy Group and Barrett's Esophagus Unit at Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Wang developed and launched the ASGE's first website in 1994. He currently serves on the ASGE's Annual Scientific Committee. "Leadership means being able to guide towards a common goal while being sensitive to alternative viewpoints. One of the greatest responsibilities and joys of leadership is being able to help in the development of new leaders," says Dr. Wang.

James J. Weber, MD, is president of Texas Digestive Disease Consultants, based in Southlake. Dr. Weber has also been president of the medical staff and chief of gastroenterology at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine (Texas). He has a special interest in colorectal cancer prevention and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Weber completed his fellowship training at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

David C. Whitcomb, MD, PhD, is chief of the gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition division at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the Giant Eagle Foundation professor of cancer genetics and a professor of medicine, cell biology, physiology and human genetics. Dr. Whitcomb's laboratory group discovered the gene causing hereditary pancreatitis and other causes of pancreatic disease.

Sidney J. Winawer, MD, is the Paul Sherlock Chair in Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He is also a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Winawer introduced the idea of colonoscopy for screening as chair of the U.S. Multisociety Task Force guidelines committee. He has also headed the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer, which established prevention guidelines. Dr. Winawer is a past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and currently serves as co-chair of the New York City Department of Health colorectal cancer screening campaign.

Michele Woodley, MD, is the GI medical director of Symbion's St. Louis Women's Surgery Center in Ballwin, Mo. As one of the few female GI physicians in the area, she is a leader in advancing the treatment of women's health issues across St. Louis and its surrounding communities.

F. Taylor Wootton III, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, practices with Digestive & Liver Disease Specialists in Norfolk, Va. Dr. Wootton also serves as an associate professor of clinical internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. He earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School and completed a residency and a GI fellowship at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Robert Wyllie, MD, is chief of medical operations at Cleveland Clinic, a role he has held since 2011. Prior to his current role, Dr. Wyllie served as chief of Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, chairman of the pediatric institute and first holder of the Calabrese Endowed Chair in Pediatrics. Dr. Wyllie has presented at more than 185 national and international scientific meetings. He focuses on pediatric IBD, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Ramnik Joseph Xavier, MD, PhD, is chief of the gastrointestinal unit and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Xavier also serves as the Kurt Isselbacher Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He focuses on ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, hepatitis, gastrointestinal cancer and autoimmune disorders of the GI tract.

Russell D. Yang, MD, is chief of the gastroenterology and hepatology division and professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Dr. Yang earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completed his residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Dr. Yang completed his fellowship at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. Before coming to SIU, he was an associate professor of clinical gastrointestinal and liver disease at the Keck School of Medicine – University of Southern California.

Vincent W. Yang, MD, PhD, is the Simons Chair of Medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine (N.Y.). Previously, Dr. Yang was the R. Bruce Logue Professor of Medicine and director of the division of digestive diseases at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Yang earned his PhD in biochemical sciences from Princeton (N.J.) University and completed his GI fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Barry Zamost, MD, is one of the founders of Long Beach (Calif.) Gastroenterology Associates, where he practices. He also performs procedures at Newport Beach (Calif.) Orange Coast Endoscopy Center, an affiliate of Surgical Care Affiliates. Dr. Zamost is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

Please contact Carrie Pallardy at cpallardy@beckershealthcare.com with any questions regarding this list.

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