Fellows

First Year Fellows

Kavin Kanthasamy, M.D.   

Residency: Johns Hopkins Osler Residency  
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine 
Undergrad: Rice University  
Hometown: Ames, Iowa

Why Johns Hopkins: I wanted to continue the strong mentorship I experienced in the department during residency into fellowship and the depth of clinical exposure at JHH was unrivaled.
Hobbies: Basketball, trying new restaurants (especially Asian food!), taking care of a new puppy
Interest in GI: Therapeutic endoscopy, pancreatology, quality improvement 

Sameer Khan, M.D.  

Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital 
Medical School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Undergrad: Macaulay Honors College at Hunter 
Hometown: New York, NY

Why Johns Hopkins: I came from training in New Haven and wanted to work in a place where caring for the underserved was embedded in the hospital's mission. Also, I have a strong interest in public health and at Hopkins I know I have the mentors who can help me take the next step in the study and advocacy around NAFLD.
Hobbies: Reading, all sports (but regularly play basketball and tennis), cooking, hanging out with family and friends.
Interest in GI: NAFLD prevention and tackling Obesity, General GI, and IBD outcomes

Cynthia Tsay, M.D. 

Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital
Medical School: Yale School of Medicine 
Undergrad: Yale College 
Hometown: Sacramento, CA

Why Johns Hopkins: Dr. Giardiello's history of Johns Hopkins Hospital lecture, incredible research opportunities, and wonderful faculty and co-fellows
Hobbies: Ice cream, face masking, swimming, balcony gardening, collecting orchids, hiking and exploring the Baltimore food scene
Interest in GI: GI bleeding, microbiome and NASH/NAFLD, GI malignancies, quality improvement, clinical risk stratification using AI/ML, outcomes research

Second Year Fellows

Jose Antonio Almario, M.D.

Residency: University of Maryland Medical Center
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Maryland, College Park
Hometown: Clarksville, MD

Why Johns Hopkins: I wanted to learn from the best and serve the community that gave so much to my family.
Hobbies: Distance and trail running (NCR trail, Patapsco state park), golfing, cycling. Basically anything outdoors with my wife and two dogs!
Interest in GI: Pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, gut microbiome, medical education

Danse Bi, M.D.

Residency: Mayo Clinic
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Kansas
Hometown: Overland Park, KS

Why Johns Hopkins: I like the diverse population and disease processes that fellows get to be exposed to. There is strong clinical training in inpatient and outpatient GI. The program offers diverse and unique research opportunities. The faulty and fellows are all very friendly and down to earth.
Hobbies: Cooking, baking, hiking, trying new food, traveling, art
Interest in GI: Motility, general GI, advanced endoscopy

Kristi Briggs, M.D., Ph.D.

Residency: Johns Hopkins
Medical School: University of Maryland
Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD

Why Johns Hopkins: I really valued the training environment at Hopkins as a resident, and therefore, wanted to continue at Hopkins for fellowship due to its commitment to teaching and research.
Hobbies: I live in the suburbs with my husband. We enjoy trying the many breweries around us, and I also enjoy watching Marvel movies, baking, Orange Theory fitness classes, and spending time with our little doggy.
Interest in GI: Immune therapy in GI malignancies, especially in patients with hereditary GI cancers.

David A. Muñiz Pedrogo, M.D., M.S.

Residency: Johns Hopkins
Medical School: University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
Hometown: Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins because of its longstanding history as one of the top academic medical institutions in the country. I was fortunate to learn from outstanding faculty within a culture that fosters learning, comradery, clinical rigor, and scientific thinking during my residency here. Johns Hopkins also offered the unique experience of working in a dedicated impatient gastroenterology and transplant hepatology service, in addition to learning from outstanding clinicians and researchers in the field.
Hobbies: Playing the piano, reading about history, and travelling.
Things I like to do in Baltimore: During my free time, I enjoy running along the waterfront and Patterson Park. I also like going out for dinner and drinks with friends in the Fells Point, Canton, Harbor East, and Hampden neighborhoods.
Interests in GI: Translational research focusing on the role of gut microbiota in the pathophysiology and clinical outcomes of inflammatory bowel disease.

Steven N. Steinway, M.D., Ph.D.

Residency: Johns Hopkins
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Undergrad: The College of New Jersey
Hometown: Florham Park, NJ

Why Johns Hopkins: The excellent research and clinical environments, the innovative and collaborative atmosphere, and the culturally diverse community, which make this a uniquely enriching environment for physician scientists.
Hobbies: Avid tennis player and golfer, love spending time on the Baltimore waterfront, and being a dog dad to my new puppy Penny.
Interests in GI: Gut microbiome, drug & device development, therapeutic interventions, systems biology/data driven science to individualize patient treatment

Third Year Fellows

Chris Fan, M.D.

Residency: Johns Hopkins – Osler Medical Service
Medical School: Duke University
Undergrad: Rice University, Bioengineering
Hometown: Houston, TX

Why Johns Hopkins: We have the depth and breadth of clinical GI training and direct access to world experts in many different fields of research.
Hobbies: I enjoy going outdoors and hiking on the trails in Baltimore County. We have easy access to the Chesapeake Bay, beaches on the eastern shore and Annapolis which is fun for day trips.
Interests in GI: I'm on the Basic Science track and am interested in acute pancreatitis and checkpoint colitis.

Zach Foda, M.D., Ph.D.

Residency: Osler Medicine Residency
Medical School: Stony Brook School of Medicine
Undergrad: Dartmouth College
Hometown: Stony Brook, New York

Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins for my residency for their great learning environment. I enjoyed my time so much while here I decided to stay for fellowship. Hopkins is a very unique place with access to all of the resources of academic medicine while being in the middle of an underserved area. The environment is very relaxed and all faculty here are very responsive to trainees.
Hobbies: I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter on our small farm northeast of the city. Baltimore is a fantastic city with wonderful restaurants. My favorite places in town include the waterfront and Camden Yards.
Interests in GI: Clinically, IBD interests me especially of the UC PSC overlap. My research interests include early diagnostics for precancerous lesions in the GI tract.

Sun Jung Oh, M.D.

Residency: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia
Undergrad: Carnegie Mellon University
Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Why Johns Hopkins: There’s an expert for almost every organ and organ-specific diseases here, creating the opportunity for exposure and training in a wide breadth and depth of diseases. Also during fellowship, you can experience treating diseases ranging from bread and butter/common GI to very rare cases, which makes for really strong clinical training.
Hobbies: Going to Patterson Park, running along the water, fitness classes, exploring restaurants and bars for good happy hours, taking day trips to DC.
Interests in GI: Gut microbiome, motility, health services research, medical education.

IBD Fellow 

Evangelos Tsipotis, MD

Fellowship: The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY
Residency: St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center/TUFTS University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 
Medical School: Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Hometown: Amyntaio, Greece

Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for its cutting edge research and the opportunity to work with world-renowned experts in an unparalleled clinical learning environment.
Hobbies: Board games, basketball, fitness 
Interests in GI: Inflammatory Bowel Disease 

Liver Transplant Fellows

Alexandra Strauss, M.D., M.I.E., Ph.D. Candidate

Residency: University of South Florida
Medical School: University of South Florida
Undergrad: Emory University
Hometown: Medford, NJ

Why Johns Hopkins: Fantastic research opportunities!
Hobbies: Bouldering, spending time by/on the water, exploring with my pup.
Interests in GI: Transplant hepatology

Brian Ting, M.D.

Residency: Johns Hopkins
Medical School: National Taiwan University
Undergrad: National Taiwan University
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan

Why Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins has been my home for three years on the Osler Medical Service before gastroenterology fellowship and this hospital has captivated me with its dedication to patient care, spirit of innovation, and wealth of resourcefulness of the faculty at large. The gastroenterology and hepatology training program has come from the same tradition and I am glad to be part of this program both for my peers and as I walk on the shoulder of giants.
Hobbies: The waterfront of Baltimore is a sight that I have never gotten tired of. It is an amazing place to exercise, hang out with friends and colleagues, and read. There are numerous bodies of water around that are available for boating, fishing, and simply walking on the trails. On the more metropolitan side aside from the inner harbor, DC offers a great scene for city living and is a great day trip as well.
Interests in GI: Hepatology

Motility Fellow

Ernesto S. Robalino Gonzaga, M.D. 

Residency: University of Central Florida College of Medicine (UCF COM) in Orlando, Florida
Undergrad & Medical School: Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES) in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Hometown: Guayaquil, Ecuador

Why Johns Hopkins: To join an environment dedicated to advancing research and providing top tier patient care. To learn from world-renowned experts and to also be part of a community that is supportive and passionate about medicine and learning. 
Hobbies: Medical education, soccer, travel, and discovering new restaurants
Interests in GI: Gut-brain axis, motility disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease

Therapeutic Fellows

Sarah S. Al Ghamdi, MD FRCPC

Residency/Fellowship: University of Toronto
Medical School: King Abdulaziz University
Hometown: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Why Johns Hopkins: For its diverse expertise in therapeutic endoscopy.
Hobbies: Baking and travelling.
Interests in GI: Pancreaticobiliary endoscopy, third space endoscopy, and medical education.

Amit Mehta, M.D. 

Fellowship: New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (GI)
Residency: New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Medical School: Dartmouth College (Geisel)  
Undergrad: Cornell University 
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Why Johns Hopkins: The chance to train under internationally renowned leaders in so many different areas of endoscopy and learn from the best in gastroenterology. 
Hobbies: Spending time with my children, skiing, hiking, craft beer, and the NY Jets
Interests in GI: Endobariatrics, Obesity medicine, Third-space endoscopy, GI oncology

Shruti Mony, M.D. 

Fellowship: University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Residency: Creighton University and Medical Center/ St. Joseph's Hospital, Phoenix , Arizona
Undergrad and Medical School: Kasturba Medical College , Manipal, Karnataka, India
Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Why Johns Hopkins: To pursue advanced endoscopy at Hopkins has been a dream of mine and living this dream now feels surreal. I chose Hopkins for its outstanding faculty mentorship , groundbreaking research opportunities, and its longstanding history as one of the top academic medical institutions in the country. I am fortunate to work with faculty who are pioneers in their own field, performing innovative procedures in pancreaticobiliary, bariatrics, third space endoscopy, esophagology and a lot more.
Hobbies: Hiking, running and playing tennis, table tennis and travelling to new cities.
Interests in GI: Undecided but currently interested in pancreaticobiliary and luminal 

Benjamin Renelus, M.D. 

Fellowship: New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital 
Residency: Morehouse School of Medicine
Medical School: Morehouse School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Florida 
Hometown: Winter Haven, Fl

Why Johns Hopkins: Opportunity to train under leaders in the field and gain exposure to nearly every advanced endoscopic procedure at an expert level. Mentorship and who doesn't love crab cakes and the Wire. 
Hobbies: Travel (thanks COVID), basketball, live sports and music. Will work and travel for food..ie big foodie
Interests in GI: GI oncology, submucosal endoscopy, therapeutic EUS, endoscopic research. I like it all!

Linda Zhang, MBBS

Fellowship: General GI fellowship at St George Hospital in Sydney Australia, Therapeutic endoscopy fellowship in Liverpool Hospital in Sydney Australia
Residency: St George Hospital, Sydney Australia
Undergrad and Medical School: My med degree was an undergrad degree, which I completed at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia
Hometown: Sydney, Australia

Why Johns Hopkins: Able to learn from internationally renowned world leaders in so many fields. It is clear from reading the literature and attending any GI conference that Hopkins really leads the way both in clinical innovation, and in research.
Hobbies: Searching for good food, (very) amateur hiker, spending time with my two doggies.
Interests in GI: Advanced endoscopy, particularly being able to offer minimally invasive procedures to treat conditions which previously required surgery.

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Hepatology: 410-500-4257

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Fax Numbers:
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Hepatology: 202-660-7359

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