Speaker Topics: Gastroenterology

Nita Ahuja, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Surgery and Oncology

Dr. Ahuja received her medical degree from Duke University, and completed her general surgery training at Johns Hopkins followed by a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at Johns Hopkins. She also pursued specialized training in colorectal cancer surgery at The John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, England.

Dr. Ahuja’s clinical interests include cancer of the pancreas, stomach, colon and rectum, and abdominal sarcomas. Her research primarily involves identification of molecular markers for early detection, prognosis, and recurrence of cancers.

Dana K. Andersen, M.D.
Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Dr. Andersen earned his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine, where he also completed residencies in internal medicine and general and thoracic surgery.  His clinical interests include pancreato-biliary surgery as well as  benign and malignant disorders of the pancreas including chronic pancreatitis.

His distinguished career in pancreatic and hepatobiliary surgery includes appointments at the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Sciences Centerin Brooklyn, the University of Chicago and Yale University, where he was professor and chief of general surgery. His research on gastrointestinal hormone physiology has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, where he was a member of the Surgery and Bioengineering Study Section.

Luis Alberto Diaz, Jr., M.D.
Associate Professor, Oncology

Luis Diaz, M.D., is director of translational medicine at the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Dr. Diaz was handpicked by Ludwig Center director Bert Vogelstein, M.D., the researcher who defined cancer as a genetic disease and whose team cracked the genetic codes for brain, breast, colon, and pancreatic cancers, to move its laboratory discoveries to the clinic.

Dr. Diaz’s clinical interests include gastrointestinal cancers including colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer.  The focus of Dr. Diaz’s research is two-fold.  The first is translating novel and often high-risk therapeutics with unique mechanisms of action from the lab to patients. One example is using live bacteria to target and destroy solid tumors. This approach, termed bacteriolytic therapy, is being testing in clinical trials at Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania in humans and canines with advanced solid tumors. His second area of research includes a novel test that measures tumor-derived DNA in the bloodstream. The blood test, based on the unique genetic fingerprint contained within the genome of every cancer, can not only detect the presence of tumor but track its progress. The ultimate goal of this work being early detection of cancer with a simple blood test before it becomes lethal.

Dr. Diaz is also director of a new clinic for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.  This clinic focuses on the treatment of all aspects related to these patients, including support with pain, nutrition, psycho-social issues, and access to clinical trials and cutting-edge therapies. 

Dr. Diaz received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School, and completed his general medicine training at Johns Hopkins followed by a fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

Frank Giardiello, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Oncology, and Pathology
Director, Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Clinic and Registry, The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Dr. Giardiello joined Johns Hopkins as a fellow after completing his medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine and his residency at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Giardiello’s clinical practice focuses on colon cancer, polyps, and colon cancer risk assessment. His research interests are primarily on the study of cancer and cancer chemoprevention in the gastrointestinal tract and the investigation of collagenous and lymphocytic colitis.

 
Ahmet Gurakar, M.D., FACG
Associate Professor
Medical Director of Liver Transplantation 

Dr. Gurakar earned his medical degree from Istanbul University in Turkey. After completing residencies at New York University in Pediatrics and the New York Medical College – Metropolitan Hospital in Internal Medicine, Dr. Gurakar conducted fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh, Thomas Starzl Transplant Institute and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Gurakar served as the chief of Hepatology Research and the program director of the Liver Transplantation Medicine/ Hepatology Fellowship Nazih Zuhdi Transplantation Institute at the Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City.

Currently the medical director of liver transplantation at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Gurakar's clinical interests include pre and post-transplant, clinical and endoscopic management of liver diseases and viral hepatitis. His research interests include bioartificial liver dialysis systems and application of total plasma exchange in the treatment of liver disorders. Dr. Gurakar is board-certified in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology.

Kenzo Hirose, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Surgery

Dr. Hirose is a general surgeon specializing in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery with an interest in benign and malignant conditions of the live, bile duct and pancreas, as well as minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Mary Margaret (Mimi) Huizinga, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Johns Hopkins Digestive Weight Loss Center

Dr. Huizinga earned her medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she also completed a residency in general internal medicine.  After completing fellowships at Vanderbilt and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nashville, Dr. Huizinga performed two additional years of training in obesity medicine and is well-versed in a variety of weight loss treatments, incuding bariatric surgery.

Currently the director of the Johns Hopkins Digestive Weight Loss Center, Dr. Huizinga researches the patient-provider relationship and how patient obesity impacts this relationship. Recently she has published articles about how primary care providers have negative attitudes towards patients with obesity. Her research interests center on improving the relationships between providers and patients with obesity. Dr. Huizinga is board-certified in internal medicine.

Linda Lee, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center

Dr. Lee earned her medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. After finishing her internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lee completed a gastroenterology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 1994, Dr. Lee joined the full-time faculty at Johns Hopkins University.

Currently the director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center, Dr. Lee focuses her clinical practice on patient-centered, integrative approaches to the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms and the promotion of optimal digestive health. Dr. Lee is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.

Zhiping Li, M.D.

After receiving his medical degree from Shanghai Second Medical University in Shanghai, China, he completed his residency at Mt. Sinai Medical Center/St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio before joining Johns Hopkins Hospital as a fellowDr. Li focuses his clinical practice on hepatology, biliary disease, liver transplant, nutrition, and liver immunology.

Gerard Mullin, M.D., M.S., C.N.S.P.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director of Nutrition Services and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Director of Capsule Endoscopy 

Dr. Mullin graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, completed his training in internal medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital, and conducted his fellowship in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.Dr. Mullin focuses his clinical practice on gastrointestinal nutrition, holistic medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and functional gastrointestinal disorders. Dr. Mullin also specializes in capsule endoscopy, obesity and weight loss, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Patrick I. Okolo, III, M.D., M.P.H.
Chief of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Associate Professor of Medicine

Dr. Okolo earned his medical degree from the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, before completing his residency at Indiana University Medical Center and fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.Dr. Okolo’s specific areas of interest include clinical epidemiology, endoluminal stenting, and innovative and interventional endoscopy.

Timothy Michael Pawlik, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology
Dr. Pawlik earned his medical degree and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital. He completed additional, advanced training in surgical oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. His main clinical interests include alimentary tract surgery, with a special interest in hepatic and pancreatobiliary diseases.Dr. Pawlik also has a strong interest in medical ethics. He has a Masters in Theology with a focus in bioethics from Harvard Divinity School and completed a fellowship in medical ethics in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard School of Medicine. Dr. Pawlik also completed a Masters in Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine.     
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive CenterDr. Lee earned her medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. After finishing her internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lee completed a gastroenterology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 1994, Dr. Lee joined the full-time faculty at Johns Hopkins University.Currently the director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center, Dr. Lee focuses her clinical practice on patient-centered, integrative approaches to the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms and the promotion of optimal digestive health. Dr. Lee is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.