Current and Past Fellows

Current GI Fellows

First Year Fellows

Seren Gedallovich, MD

Medical School: Washington University School of Medicine
Residency: McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Fellowship: University of California, San Francisco, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Michael Pimienta, MD

Medical School: University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
Residency: LAC + University of Southern California

Mai Sedki, MD

Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Residency: Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami & Kaiser Permanente San Francisco

John Wang, MD

Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School At Dallas
Residency: Stanford Health Care

Wendy Zhou, DO

Medical School: Touro University College Of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Fellowship: Stanford Neuro-Uncs: Autonomic Disorders (Neurogastroenterology)

Second Year Fellows

Nakia Chung, MD

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Residency: University of Illinois at Chicago

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

I love so many things about Stanford's GI fellowship. The thing I love most about the program are the people. I truly feel like my colleagues are my family. GI fellowship is difficult; however, working with such kind and compassionate people truly makes fellowship much more enjoyable. I also love the fact that there are a wealth of resources for research. It seems that regardless of what a fellow's research interests are, there are multiple faculty members who are willing to serve as mentors, assist fellows in identifying available research resources/opportunities, or point fellows in the direction of others who can help. At Stanford, fellows can be confident that they will have the resources for their research ideas to be transformed into a successful research project/program. I feel blessed to be a part of this fellowship program.

Ofer Fass, MD

Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Residency: NYU Langone Health

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

The people at Stanford are the greatest strength of the program. My co-fellows are amazing doctors who are always available to help each other out. The faculty is diverse and comprises dedicated teachers, academic leaders, and mentors. Equally as important are the endoscopy techs and nurses that help you develop into an excellent endoscopist. Another strength is the ability to personalize the program to your interests. During training, fellows may pursue a master’s degree, independent research, additional endoscopy training, or audit any Stanford course of interest. Whatever your goals may be, there is someone at Stanford that can help you work towards achieving them.

Spencer Frost, MD

Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine
Residency: Stanford University Medical School

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

The people at Stanford. Everyone from the faculty, nurses, co-fellows, and support staff are simply fantastic individuals striving to provide the best patient care while being understanding of you as a person. I did my residency at Stanford and couldn’t imagine anywhere else being so supportive. Our leadership in GI exemplifies this and truly does what is best for the fellows.

Chiraag Kulkarni, MD

Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School Of Medicine
Residency: Stanford University Medical School

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

My co-fellows are the best part of the program. My co-fellows are always willing to help out and lend a hand which makes tough clinical days manageable. The program directors genuinely care about the fellows. The program also provides ample time for research in the 2nd and 3rd year, allowing fellows to form their own academic niche. I really enjoy the outdoors and there is no better place than the Bay.

Paul Shao, MD

Medical School: University of CA, Los Angeles, Geffen School Of Medicine
Residency: UCLA Medical Center

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

I chose Stanford for its amazing well-rounded clinical training and research opportunities. The curriculum is super flexible and allows fellows to customize their training to their interests and career goals. Personally, I am still undifferentiated but have a wide array of interests including population-based health system research, colorectal cancer prevention and medical technology. I am excited for the ample opportunities to be involved in different research projects. One thing Stanford GI stood out to me was its friendly laid-back atmosphere and supportive culture. The attendings are super approachable and really help me improve and hone in my endoscopy skills. People in the GI department are easy to get along with and seem to be genuinely interested in me as a person to help me grow personally and professionally. Living in Palo Alto has been an amazing experience as well. We are spoiled with the warm and sunny weather all year round for outdoor adventures and there are tons of beautiful hiking trails and red wood forest nearby!

Third Year Fellows

Pradeep Siddappa, MD

Medical School: Bangalore Medical College
Residency: University of Connecticut
Fellowships: GI fellowship (PGIMER, India), Pancreas Fellowship (Mayo Clinic)

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

From a personal perspective this program is ideal for someone like me who wants to pursue a career in academics. The program provides ample time for research. The meetings with the leadership has been useful to direct us towards the right approach to research. The inpatient service provides with rich diversity of patients, due to the 3 hospital setting. We get the opportunity to work with multiple attendings with varied working style, which we can incorporate in our practice. The masters program and certificate courses gives us a platform to further enhance our skills. The mentors are truly specialized in their field and provide excellent advise regarding research and career. The program is ideally situated in a place with great weather. The diversity of the group is nothing like I have seen in this country and makes it welcoming.

Rani Berry, MD

Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

I love my co-fellows who are always willing to help or lend their ear or expertise. The faculty are always willing to spend extra time to teach while also giving you a fair bit of autonomy that is required to grow your skills. Dr. Limsui is an incredible PD. He seems to be truly listening and even when he meets you virtually through zoom you can feel his warmth. I always feel that he is earnestly listening and wants what is best for me. Elaine is always helping us get by and frequently checks in on us first-year fellows to make sure we are doing okay. The options for growth are limitless. The attendings are fun to work with. Many women gastroenterology mentors who offer their unique guidance on anything from how to hold a scope to how to make career decisions while juggling a family.

Margaret Zhou, MD

Medical School: UC San Francisco
Residency: New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

I love how supportive the Stanford GI community is. The program leadership is incredibly responsive to feedback and genuinely cares about the well-being of the fellows. The clinical training is excellent, and the three-hospital system provides a well-rounded training experience with diverse cases. Lastly, there are numerous opportunities for research and other pursuits here at Stanford—no matter what your interest is, you can find a way to explore it here!

Aurelia Fu, MD

Medical School: UT Southwestern, Dallas TX
Residency: UC San Francisco

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

The GI fellowship at Stanford is incredibly supportive of each and every fellow and providing them with guidance about their training, research, and ultimate professional goals. We have the privilege of training at 3 different hospital sites that encompass a wide variety of patients and pathologies. Along with that comes the opportunity to work with and learn from multiple attendings who all have different styles and specialize in different areas. When not on service the location of the program in the Bay Area also affords a nice lifestyle.

Aaron Yeoh, MD

Medical School: Harvard University
Residency: Stanford University Medical Center

What do you love about Stanford GI Fellowship?

I love the Stanford GI Fellowship for its strong clinical training across three diverse training sites. The faculty are supportive, love to teach and always advocate for the fellows. Research opportunities abound within the GI division and across Stanford University. The Bay Area offers endless outdoor adventures, exciting city life and tons of amazing food.

Past GI Fellows

2022

2021

Yan Jiang, MD. Currently: Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Southern California, CA
John Gubatan, MD. Currently: Instructor, Division of GI and Hepatology, Stanford University, CA
Ed Pham, MD, PhD. Currently: Clinical Post-Doc, Stanford University
Branden Tarlow, MD, PhD. Currently: Clinical Post-Doc, Stanford University

2020

Vasiliki Aivaliotis, MD. Current Title: Gastroenterologist. Current Employer: Kaiser Permanente
Alexander Podboy, MD. Current Title: Assistant Professor. Current Employer: University of Virginia
George Cholankeril, MD, MSc. Current Title: Assistant Professor of Medicine. Current Employer: Baylor College of Medicine
Sean Spencer MD PhD. Current Title: Clinical Scholar. Current Employer: Stanford University

2019

Steven Hendler, MD. Current Title: Assistant Professor. Current Employer: Loyola University Medical Center
Robert Lerrigo, MD. Current Title: Associate Chief. Current Employer: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) (SCVMC) Stanford University
Aarti Rao, MD. Current Title: Gastroenterologist. Current Employer: Sutter Health
Thomas Zikos, MD. Current Title: Clinical Assistant Professor. Current Employer: Stanford University

2018

Jessica Yu, MD, MS. Current Title: Assistant Professor of Medicine. Current Employer: Oregon Health & Science University
Monique Theresa Barakat, MD, PhD. Current Title: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine. Current Employer: Stanford University
Allison Kwong, MD, MS. Current Title: Instructor. Current Employer: Stanford University
Andres Carlos Blackmore Gottfried, MD. Current Title: Instructor. Current Employer: Stanford University

2017

2016

Edward Sheen MD, MBA, MPH. Current Title: Assistant Professor. Current Employer: Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis. Adjunct Professor Stanford University
Oliver Lin MD, MS. Current Title: Gastroenterologist. Current Employer: Kaiser Permanente
Kirsten Regalia, MD. Current Title: Gastroenterologist. Current Employer: Kaiser Permanente
Irene Sonu, MD. Current Title: Clinical Assistant Professor. Current Employer: Stanford University
Jennifer Y. Pan. Current Title: Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) (VAPAHCS) Current Employer: VA Palo Alto Health System

Continue Exploring the GI Fellowship

T32 Fellowship Track