Current & Recent Gastroenterology Fellows

Learn more about current and recent University of Maryland/NIH Clinical Scholars Gastroenterology Fellowship Program fellows below. You can also view a list of recent Gastroenterology Fellow Publications to learn more about research project findings.

Current Fellows

Anusha Vittal.
Anusha Vittal, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Residency: University of Kansas Medical Center

Medical Degree: Kakatiya Medical College

Year in Program: 3rd Year

Research Projects: My current research projects include comparing various imaging modalities for familial midgut carcinoid tumors, alcohol liver disease, understanding liver and GI manifestations in rare disease cohorts such as telomere biology disorders, severe combined immunodeficiency, Zollinger Ellison syndrome, chronic granulomatous disease and Fanconi’s anemia.

Walter Lai.
Walter Lai, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Fellow

Residency: Einstein Medical Center (Philadelphia, PA)

Medical Degree: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Year in Program: 3rd Year

Research Projects: CDH1 mutation is linked to familial diffuse gastric cancer, and the current management for CDH1 mutant carriers is either undergoing annual gastric mapping for cancer surveillance or prophylactic total gastrectomy; both of which have their own disadvantages. Total gastrectomy can cause significant post-op morbidities, but the surveillance approach also suffers from low sensitivity. I am exploring confocal endoscopy versus magnifying endoscopy in conjunction with artificial intelligence to improve malignancy detection. In addition, I will be part of a CDH1 gastric cancer consortium that defines the nomenclature of endoscopic findings in CDH1 carriers, to harmonize data collected between different study sites in the future.

Hanna Blaney.
Hanna Blaney, M.D., M.P.H.
Clinical Fellow

Residency: Baylor Scott and White Health

Medical Degree: University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio

Year in Program: 2nd Year

Mian Khalid.
Mian Khalid, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Residency: The Mount Sinai Hospital

Medical Degree: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Year in Program: 2nd Year

Recent Fellows

Bilal Asif, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Hepatology Transplant Fellowship – Mayo Clinic

Alex Yang, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Hepatology Transplant Fellowship - Massachusetts General Hospital

Monica Passi, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship –North Shore University/Long Island Jewish Medical Center (Northwell Health)
Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, GastroHealth

Sumona Bhattacharya, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellowship – NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates

Ben Da, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Transplant Hepatology Advanced Fellowship – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
Current Position: Transplant Hepatologist at Northwell Health-LIJ

Natasha Kamal, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Advanced Fellowship – University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD.
Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Frederick Gastroenterology Associates

Ehsan Chitsaz, M.D., M.H.Sc.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Bryan Curtin, M.D., M.H.Sc.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: NIH-Duke Master’s Program in Clinical Research

Post Fellowship Training: Neurogastroenterology and Motility Advanced Fellowship – Augusta University Digestive Health Center, Augusta, GA.

Current Position: Director, The Center for Neurogastroenterology and GI Motility, Mercy Medical Center

Sonia Taneja, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Samuel Schueler, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates

Hawwa Alao, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Altru Gastroenterology, Grand Forks ND

Anna Strongin, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Capital Digestive Care, Rockville, MD

David M. H. Chascsa, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Transplant Hepatology Advanced Fellowship - Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Associate Program Director- Transplant Hepatology, Mayo Clinic (Scottsdale)

Derek M. Tang, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County, Anaheim, CA

Nancy Ho, M.D
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Sutter Health- California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

Jim Y. Chou, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, United Gastroenterologists, Orange County CA

Mark T. Voellinger, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Ohio Valley Medical Center, Wheeling, WV

Thomas Simcox, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Anne Arundel, MD

Preet Bagi, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Advanced Fellowship - University of California, San Diego Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Current Position: Saddleback Medical Group, Laguna Hills, CA

Current Position: Acting Clinical Director, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

Sajneet Khangura, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, San Antonio, TX

Apurva Trivedi, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Austin, TX

Manish Arora, M.B.B.S.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Decatur, AL

Doug Weinstein, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Director, Advanced Gastrointestinal (GI) Motility Program, CapitalHealth Medical Center- Pennington, NJ

Apurva Modi, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Post Fellowship Training: Transplant Hepatology Advanced Fellowship- University of Maryland
Current Position: Transplant Hepatologist, Baylor All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX

Grishma Joy, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Columbia, MD

Erik von Rosenvinge, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Positions: Chief, Gastroenterology Section, VA Maryland Health Care System, Department of Veterans Affairs

Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Lakshmi Gopal, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Pensacola, FL

Michael D. Yao, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Positions: Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section. Washington DC VA Medical Center. Associate Professor of Medicine, George Washington University.

Alireza Tabesh, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Current Position: Practicing Gastroenterologist, Los Angeles, CA

Last Reviewed June 2023