Gastroenterology & Hepatology Fellowship

The GI/Liver fellowship training program aims to provide each fellow, in each year of fellowship training, with the clinical, educational and research resources needed to develop expertise in each of the six core competencies related to the clinical practice of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Fellows are encouraged to pursue post-graduation careers in advanced fellowship training programs (advanced endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, liver transplant hepatology), academic or private practices.

The USC/LAG GI/Liver fellowship is an integrated program designed to educate fellowship trainees in the evaluation, care and treatment of patients with a variety of gastrointestinal and liver disorders. The educational home is at the LAG Medical Center. Clinical rotations here provide in-patient and outpatient experiences in consultative GI, Hepatology and endoscopic practices. Selected senior fellows participate in advanced endoscopic procedures (ERCP, EUS).

Experiences at LAG Hospital and Keck Hospital at USC make up the core of our educational curriculum. Keck Hopsital rotations are to outpatient electives, the inpatient GI Consult, and Liver Transplant Hepatology services. Fellows gain experiences in GI consultation in the quaternary care setting. Fellows on the Liver Transplant Hepatology service care for patients with cirrhosis, complications of portal hypertension and liver cancer needing liver transplantation and for those with complications after their liver transplantation.

The GI/Liver fellow’s educational experience is reinforced by regular specialty and subspecialty conferences. Scholarly activity is promoted by 1-2 months of protected research time in each of the three years of training. Fellows are urged to attend and to present scientific findings at national and international GI and liver conferences.

• Largest teaching hospital in the US
• One of the most diverse patient population in the US
• Clinical experience in county hospital (LAG Medical Center) population and quaternary hospital (Keck Hospital of USC and Norris Cancer Hospital) population
• Robust experiences in diagnostic, therapeutic and advanced endoscopy with potential for 4th year fellowship in advanced endoscopy
• Active liver transplantation program with potential for integrated 3-year GI and transplant hepatology fellowship (formerly known as “pilot program”) or 4th year fellowship in advanced transplant hepatology
• Largest living donor liver transplant program in California
• Only transfusion-free liver transplant program in the US
• Keck Hospital ranked #19 in the nation in Gastroenterology & GI Surgery according to US News & World Report for 2024-25
• Comprehensive outpatient GI and Liver clinic activities
• State-of-the-art endoscopy unit open at Keck Hospital of USC, opened in 2023
• Diverse group of research mentors in clinical, translational, and basic science research
• NIDDK sponsored T32, 3-year research pathway for those interested in clinical, basic, or translational research in hepatology
• Three former AASLD presidents, Drs. Neil Kaplowitz, Dr. Laurie Deleve, and Norah Terrault
• Former ASGE president, Dr. Jacque VanDam on faculty

• 12 weeks LAG Endoscopy
• 8 weeks LAG GI Consult
• 4 weeks LAG Liver Consult
• 8 weeks Keck GI Consult
• 4 weeks Keck Liver Transplant
• 4 weeks Keck Outpatient Elective
• 4 weeks Research
• 4 weeks Vacation

• 16 weeks LAG Endoscopy
• 4 weeks LAG GI Consult
• 2 weeks LAG Liver Consult
• 6 weeks Keck GI Consult
• 2 weeks Keck Liver Transplant
• 4 weeks Keck Outpatient Endoscopy
• 4 weeks Keck Outpatient Elective
• 6 weeks Research
• 4 weeks Vacation

• 4 weeks LAG Endoscopy
• 10 weeks of LAG Advanced Endoscopy
• 4 weeks LAG GI Consult
• 2 weeks LAG Liver Consult
• 4 weeks Keck GI Consult
• 2 weeks Keck Liver Transplant
• 4 weeks Keck Outpatient Endoscopy
• 6 weeks Keck Outpatient Elective
• 8 weeks Research
• 4 weeks Vacation

• GI Consult (LAG)
• Liver Consult (LAG)
• GI endoscopy (LAG)
• Advanced endoscopy (LAG)
• Keck GI Consult (Keck Hospital of USC)
• Liver Transplant Hepatology (Keck Hospital of USC)
• Outpatient Specialty Elective (Keck Hospital of USC)
• Outpatient endoscopy (Keck Hospital of USC)
• Research

Matthew Dukewich – Transplant Hepatology Fellowship, USC, Los Angeles, California

Courtney Hanlon – IBD Fellowship, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland

Patrick Lee – Hepatologist, Hoag Hospital Newport Beach/Irvine, California

William Minteer – General GI, San Diego Digestive Disease Consultants, San Diego, California

Taaj Raasikh – Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, USC, Los Angeles, California

Supisara Tintara – Advanced Endosciopy Fellowship, Baylor, Houston, Texas

Aileen Bui, MD – Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, Stanford University, Redwood, CA

Patrick Chang, MD – Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Shaliesha Hinds, MD – General GI, Northwell Health/South Shore University Hospital, Bay Shore, NY

Melanie Hundt, MD – Transplant Hepatology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

Nicholas Placone, MD – General GI, Central Coast Gastroenterology, San Luis Obispo, CA

Alexander Tonthat, MD – General GI, Oroville Hospital, Oroville, CA

Divya Ayyala-Somayajula, MD – Advanced Hepatology Fellowship, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Niharika Mallepally, MD – General GI, UCLA, North Hollywood, CA

Vijay Prabhakar, MD – General GI, St. Jude Heritage Medical Group, Fullerton, CA

Jeffrey Yeh, MD – General GI, Kaiser Permanente, Baldwin Park, CA

Chanthel Kokoy-Mondragon, MD – General GI, UCLA, Santa Clarita, CA

Omar Bakr, MD – General GI, Kaiser Permanente, San Jose, CA

Prachi Nene, MD – General GI, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Sutter Health, Burlingame, CA

Ravi Kankotia, MD – Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Jessica Hong, MD – General GI, Kaiser Permanente, Fontana, CA

Christopher Ko, MD – Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Okeefe Simmons, MD – Bariatric Endoscopy & Obesity Medicine Fellowship, Cornell, New York, NY

Varun Takyar, MD – General GI, Sutter East Bay Medical Group, Walnut Creek, CA

Janet Kwok, MD – General GI, UCLA Health Downtown Los Angeles Primary & Specialty Care, LA, CA

Paul Leonor, MD – Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, University of Colorado, Denver, CO

Michael Quezada, MD – General GI, Central Coast Gastroenterology, Pismo Beach, CA

Brian Lee, MD –  Transplant Hepatology Fellowship, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,  New York, NY

Ahilan Arulanandan, MD – General GI, PIH Health, Whittier, CA

Adam Greenberg, MD –  General GI, Fresno Gastroenterology, Fresno, CA

Kraig Young, MD –  General GI, Kaiser Permanente, Downey, CA

Jiaming Zhu, MD –  Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, UCLA-Harbor, Torrance, CA

Sterling Dubin, MD –  General GI, Cedars Sinai,  Los Angeles, CA

Terrance Lee, MD –  General GI, PeaceHealth, Springfield, OR

Nima Motamedi, MD –  General GI, The Oregon Clinic, Newberg, OR

Sadeea Abassi, MD, PhD – IBD Fellowship, Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, CA

Laura McEnerney, MD –  General GI, UCLA Health, Valencia, CA

Nitzan Roth, MD –  Transplant Hepatology Fellowship, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,  New York, NY

Anna Skay, MD –  General GI, UCLA Health, Valencia, CA

Hannah Do, MD –  General GI, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Philadelphia, PA

Anand Dutta, MD –  Advanced Endoscopy, UC Davis,  Davis, CA

David Hormozdi, MD –  General GI, Baycare, Riverview, FL

Sharon Kim, MD –  General GI, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA

Daniel Shue, MD –  Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, UCLA-Harbor, Torrance, CA

Nirupama Bonthala, MD – IBD Fellowship, Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, CA

Beverly Chen, MD – General GI, Private Practice, Redondo Beach, CA

Jenny Chiu, MD, PhD – General GI, Kaiser Permanente, Irvine, CA