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Gastroenterology Fellowship Program

The aim of the Gastroenterology Fellowship Program is to advance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary systems. Upon completion of the training experience, trainees will have the clinical, investigative, and teaching skills necessary to take a leading role in academic and clinical gastroenterology.

Program Director

• Tinsay Woreta, MD MPH
  • Program Director, Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology Fellowships
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
  • Expertise: Gastroenterology, Hospital Medicine
  • Research Interests: Chronic Viral Hepatitis, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Liver Transplantation Outcomes

Associate Program Directors

• Michelle Ma, MD
  • Associate Program Director, Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology Fellowships
  • Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Joanna Miller Peloquin Melia, MD
  • Associate Professor of Medicine
• Saowanee Ngamruengphong, MD
  • Associate Professor of Medicine

Curriculum

Fellowship Tracks

There are two fellowship tracks within the program.

• The first year of each track is identical and composed of inpatient clinical rotations on the gastroenterology consult services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, inpatient endoscopy, and the inpatient hepatology service.
• Clinical: This three-year track is geared toward fellows who wish to become academic clinicians and educators. Years two and three consist of limited inpatient rotations, outpatient endoscopy, continuity clinic, and subspecialty clinics. The fellow will have the opportunity to focus on a particular clinical area such as inflammatory bowel disease, therapeutic endoscopy, neurogastroenterology, nutrition, gastrointestinal neoplasia, or liver disease. The fellow will engage in a clinical research project within that area of interest and will be asked to identify a clinical mentor.
• Research Track: This three-year track is aimed at training fellows for independent investigative careers in either laboratory investigation or clinical research in gastroenterology or hepatology. After the first year of clinical rotations, the fellow will select a research mentor and focus on a specific area of investigation. During years two and three, the fellow will be limited to 4 weeks of inpatient rotations, with the rest of the time protected for research. Over the course of their research years, the fellow will continue to have one half-day each of outpatient endoscopy, subspecialty, and continuity clinic to complete the ABIM requirements for fellowship certification.

Clinical Rotations

The clinical rotations include inpatient rotations, outpatient rotations, and endoscopy.

• Inpatient rotations:
  • GI Consult Service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital
  • GI Consult Service at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
  • Liver Inpatient and Consult Service
  • Endoscopy Service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Outpatient rotations:
  • All fellows spend one half-day per week in Continuity Clinic with a GI faculty preceptor.
  • Upper-level fellows will also rotate through various subspecialty clinics to allow exposure to a variety of GI subspecialty areas.
• Endoscopic training:
  • Fellows will be trained in the ACGME-required procedures for gastroenterology.
  • First-year fellows primarily learn endoscopy in the inpatient setting.
  • During the second and third year, upper-level fellows will rotate through various endoscopy blocks in hospital-based endoscopy settings and ambulatory surgical centers.

Conferences

Fellows are expected to attend several weekly conferences, including:

• Fellow Didactics
• GI Grand Rounds
• Journal Club
• Morbidity and Mortality Conference
• Hepatology Conference
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Conference

Current Gastroenterology Fellows

First Year Fellows

• Mohamad Dbouk, M.D.
  • Residency: Washington University in Saint Louis/Barnes Jewish Hospital
  • Medical School: American University of Beirut
  • Undergrad: American University of Beirut
  • Hometown: Tyre, Lebanon
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I did a research fellowship at JH prior to residency and came to meet all the amazing faculty and staff of the GI department and knew right away I wanted to get my GI training from the world-class experts in the program who also happen to be the most friendly and collegial faculty I have met.
  • Hobbies: Traveling, anything outdoors (hiking, biking, camping...) and anything water-related (chilling on the beach, swimming, kayaking, diving...).
  • Interest in GI: Pancreatology (pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cysts, pancreatitis) and GI cancers and genetics.
• Alex Jones, M.D.
  • Residency: UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
  • Undergrad: Hamilton College
  • Hometown: Madbury, New Hampshire
  • Why Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins provides the ideal environment to train leaders in the field of gastroenterology through rigorous clinical training and access to cutting-edge research.
  • Hobbies: Hiking, camping, golfing, cooking, and watching professional sports.
  • Interest in GI: Pancreatic and biliary disorders, transplant hepatology.
• Caya McFalls, M.D.
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins
  • Medical School: Drexel University
  • Undergrad: University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I love the community here and the way everyone is excited to collaborate to help patients.
  • Hobbies: Hiking, canoeing, camping, exploring with my dog Melly.
  • Interest in GI: Undecided.
• Anna Stathopoulos, M.D.
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins Osler Residency
  • Medical School: Tulane University School of Medicine
  • Undergrad: Tulane University
  • Hometown: Berkeley, California
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for GI fellowship because of its excellent clinical training, exposure to a diverse spectrum of pathology, strong mentorship, and dedication to the Baltimore community.
  • Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, reading, and spending time with my family.
  • Interest in GI: General GI.
• Melanie Zheng, M.D.
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins Osler Residency
  • Medical School: Yale School of Medicine
  • Undergrad: University of Maryland College Park
  • Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I am excited to be staying at Hopkins for its dedication to clinical medicine and its wide range of experts/leaders in the field.
  • Hobbies: Cooking/Baking, Reading, Sewing (recent new hobby!).
  • Interest in GI: Hepatology/Transplant Hepatology, Health Disparities.

Second Year Fellows

• Tolga Gidener, M.D.
  • Residency: SUNY Downstate
  • Medical School: Marmara University Medical School
  • Undergrad: Marmara University
  • Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins because of its exceptional clinical training in a supportive environment, offering numerous opportunities for clinical research. Additionally, the people at Johns Hopkins are truly remarkable.
  • Hobbies: Group fitness classes, comedy shows on Netflix, exploring hidden gems in the city.
  • Interest in GI: Hepatology, Obesity medicine, Bariatric endoscopy.
• Julia Gips, M.D.
  • Residency: Osler Medical Residency
  • Medical School: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • Undergrad: University of Michigan
  • Hometown: Moorestown, New Jersey
  • Why Johns Hopkins: Hopkins exudes excellence in education and patient care. I have been so impressed and inspired by every Hopkins-trained physician I have met.
  • Hobbies: Baking, Crossword Puzzles, Michigan Football (Go Blue) and Peloton.
  • Interests in GI: Transplant Hepatology.
• Ayesha Kamal, M.D.
  • Residency: Luminis health/George Washington school of medicine
  • Medical School: King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Undergrad: Kinnaird college for women, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
  • Why Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins is the best hospital in the world to learn about gastrointestinal disorders, providing all the resources to become the best academic gastroenterologist.
  • Hobbies: reading, traveling, cooking, and hanging out with friends.
  • Interests in GI: pancreaticobiliary disorders, prevention and treatment of pancreatitis, Prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding.
• Alissa Rothman, M.D.
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins Osler Residency
  • Medical School: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • Undergrad: Amherst College
  • Hometown: Iowa City, IA
  • Why Johns Hopkins: As a resident, I knew I loved the strong clinical training and diverse patient population that Hopkins provides. With wonderful supportive mentors and a variety of research opportunities, I knew training at Hopkins would allow me to explore the wide variety GI subspecialties with experts in their fields.
  • Hobbies: Running along the harbor, Hiking, Reading.
  • Interests in GI: IBD, General GI.
• Mariame Sylla, M.D.
  • Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital
  • Medical School: Harvard Medical School
  • Undergrad: Amherst College
  • Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
  • Hobbies: cooking, hiking, biking, running, doing paint by numbers.
  • Interest in GI: General.

Third Year Fellows

• Jessica El Halabi, M.D.
  • Residency: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Medical School: American University of Beirut
  • Undergrad: American University of Beirut
  • Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for my Gastroenterology fellowship due to its rigorous clinical and research training, supportive and collegial environment, and limitless opportunities for mentorship and growth. Additionally, its collaborative and diverse academic environment allows for a comprehensive and unrivaled learning experience while working with leaders in the field.
  • Hobbies: Traveling and exploring new cultures, tennis, and reading.
  • Interests in GI: IBD, precision medicine, and bioinformatics.
• Robert Hughes, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins Osler Residency Training Program
  • Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • Undergrad: The University of Maryland, College Park
  • Hometown: New Carrollton, MD
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I chose to stay at Johns Hopkins for fellowship because of the excellent education, breadth of clinical experience, and amazing mentors I worked with as a resident. Also, the research environment at Hopkins (collaborative and inquisitive).
  • Hobbies: Spending time with my spouse, 3-year-old son, and two dogs; hiking the neighboring trails in Baltimore County; sampling local ice cream; steamed crabs in the summer; hot dogs and a baseball game at Camden Yards.
  • Interests in GI: Hepatology, Physician Scientist Research Track.
• Robyn Jordan, M.D.
  • Residency: Mount Sinai Hospital
  • Medical School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania
  • Hometown: Greenbelt, MD
  • Why Johns Hopkins: Very strong clinical training with a diverse patient population. Excellent research opportunities. Some of the nicest and most friendly fellows and attendings that I met during the interview process.
  • Hobbies: Running, traveling, finding new cocktail bars, binge-watching HGTV.
  • Interests in GI: Pancreatic cancers, Outcomes research, General GI.
• Eric Moughames, M.D.
  • Residency: Johns Hopkins Bayview
  • Medical School: Lebanese American University
  • Undergrad: American University of Beirut
  • Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I came to know the program at Hopkins while doing my residency here. I fell in love with the excellent teaching by world-class faculty and having access to experts in any field of research with endless resources available.
  • Hobbies: I love anything outdoors: biking, hiking, climbing, and camping with my dog Milo. I also enjoy backpacking around the world, discovering beautiful hidden places, meeting locals, and trying different cuisines.
  • Interests in GI: The gut-brain axis, motility disorders, disparities in access to health and global health.
• Roohi Patel, M.D.
  • Residency: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Undergrad: Rutgers University
  • Hometown: Union, NJ
  • Why Johns Hopkins: I was looking for a program that would help me grow academically and provide me with excellent clinical training. I was excited to work with leaders in the field at a world-renowned institution.
  • Hobbies: Spending time outdoors running/hiking, collecting plants, exploring coffee shops, traveling.
  • Interests in GI: IBD, General GI.