Graduate Medical Education

Faculty

Kimberly Chaput, DO
Program Director & Clinical Associate Professor

Kimberly Chaput, DO, is a full-time Clinical Associate Professor and Program Director for Gastroenterology Fellowship at St. Luke’s University Health Network and Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship training at Geisinger Medical Center and an internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. She obtained her medical degree from Des Moines University. A recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award from Jefferson University, Dr. Chaput continuously demonstrates enthusiasm and dedication to teaching fellows and residents in the field of gastroenterology.

Dr. Chaput enjoys the relationships she builds with patients and treating the diversity of gastroenterology issues they face. She is interested in treating all aspects of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and acute care gastroenterology. She thoroughly enjoys teaching residents and fellows the dynamic field of gastroenterology in both outpatient and inpatient settings. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, running, and practicing yoga.

Yecheskel Schneider, MD, MS
Assistant Program Director & Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Schneider obtained his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society. He completed his internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian- Weill Cornell Medical Center, and stayed at Weill Cornell for his gastroenterology fellowship. During fellowship, he completed a Master’s of Science in Health Policy and Economics from the Weill Cornell Graduate School. He also completed an advanced inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Schneider is the Director of the St. Luke's IBD Center. His clinical practice encompasses inflammatory bowel diseases and clinical nutrition. He leads the IBD and Research Conference for the Gastroenterology Fellowship. He has published numerous articles and book chapters. He enjoys working with trainees at all levels in both clinical and research settings.

Vishal Patel, MD
Director, Hepatology

Dr. Patel obtained his undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and his medical degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada. He completed his medical residency training at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown and his fellowships in gastroenterology at Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine and hepatology at Albert Einstein Medical Center. He is also board-certified in obesity medicine.

Dr. Patel has dedicated his career to managing liver disease. Prior to coming to St. Luke’s, he managed patients for over 10 years at Liver Transplant Centers in the Philadelphia area. He has been involved as primary or sub-investigator in many clinical trials for the management of liver disease, including hepatitis C, hepatorenal syndrome and acute liver failure.

Dr. Patel has been a core faculty member for Gastroenterology Fellowship Training at Temple University Hospital, Hahnemann University Hospital and Tower Health’s Reading Hospital. He brings years of experience and enjoyment in helping to train the next generation of gastroenterologists.

Dr. Patel is an active member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) and American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). He enjoys spending time with his wife, children and dogs, running, working out, reading and making furniture in his wood working workshop.

Noel Martins, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Division Chief for Gastroenterology

Noel Martins, MD, is a Core Faculty member for the Gastroenterology Fellowship and Chief of the Gastroenterology Division at St. Luke’s University Health Network. A Clinical Professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Dr. Martins is dedicated to gastroenterology education and best practices in patient care. In addition to upper endoscopy and colonoscopy, he performs endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle aspiration (FNA), and video capsule endoscopy. His practice is committed to general gastroenterology, and quality improvement.

Dr. Martins received his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and completed internal medicine residency at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. He completed fellowship training in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester. He has published in multiple gastroenterology journals, presented at national gastroenterology conferences and was nominated for the Golden Apple Teaching Award at Drexel University School of Medicine.

Dr. Martins is an active member of the Health and Public Policy Committee of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Educational Affairs Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). He enjoys living in the Lehigh Valley with his wife and three children. He enjoys playing tennis, running, reading, traveling and rooting passionately for all the Philadelphia sports teams, as well as the Scarlet Knights and Hoyas.

Berhanu Geme, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor

Berhanu Geme, MD, is a full-time, dedicated Clinical Assistant Professor at St. Luke’s University Health Network and Temple University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Jimma University School of Medicine in Ethiopia. Dr. Geme completed his gastroenterology fellowship training at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Elmhurst Hospital program and internal medicine residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Geme has published and presented his research findings at national academic gastroenterology conferences. He loves teaching medical students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Geme provides fellowship training and education in hepatology as well as general and advanced endoscopic procedures. His research interests include fecal microbiota transplant, hepatology and quality improvement projects. Dr. Geme is an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. His clinical interests include colon cancer screening, hepatology, fecal microbiota transplant, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Dr. Geme became a gastroenterologist because he enjoys the diverse and exciting nature of gastroenterology, which involves caring for acutely sick, chronically unwell patients and performing endoscopic procedures. In his spare time, he enjoys travel, outdoor activities, and spending time with family and friends.

Ayaz Matin, MD
Director of Advanced Endoscopy and Clinical Assistant Professor

Ayaz Matin, MD, is the Director of Advanced Endoscopy and Clinical Assistant Professor at St. Luke’s University Health Network and Temple University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from The Aga Khan University College of Medicine in Pakistan. Dr. Matin completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at the Hahnemann University Hospital/ Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He then did an additional advanced endoscopy fellowship at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and has expertise in both diagnostic and therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasound, ERCP, Device Assisted Enteroscopy and Endoscopic mucosal resection for various gastrointestinal lesions. Dr. Matin has published and presented his research findings at national academic gastroenterology conferences.

Dr. Matin is an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. His clinical interests include advanced endoscopy including pancreatobiliary diseases, colon cancer screening, endoscopic management of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). He is an active member of the St Luke’s Multidisciplinary Tumor Board and the Foregut committee.

Dr. Matin has a passion for teaching students, residents and fellows and serves as the medical student clerkship director. He enjoys the Lehigh Valley for it’s many outdoor activities and is working towards his first century bike ride.

Ronak Modi, MD
Director of Motility and Clinical Assistant Professor

Ronak Modi, MD, is a full-time Clinical Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology at St. Luke’s University Health Network and Temple University School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from the Ross University School of Medicine, graduating cum laude. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Dr. Modi is dedicated to motility research and leads the monthly Foregut Conference for the gastroenterology fellowship program. His prospective research has demonstrated higher incidence of gastrointestinal complaints and weight change among individuals with CRPS. Further studies have included assessing the utility and prevalence of esophageal biopsies to rule out EoE presenting with symptoms (dysphagia, odynophagia, GERD, food impaction, chest pain) in Caucasian vs. African American.

Shannon Tosounian, DO
Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Tosounian earned her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then went on to complete both her internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship, serving as Chief Fellow, at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. She has a strong interest in clinical education and quality improvement.

Dr. Tosounian provides fellowship training and education in general gastroenterology, as well as motility, teaching fellows interpretation of anorectal manometry. She is an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Her clinical interests include functional gastroenterology, disorders of defecation, pelvic floor disorders and women's health in the field of GI.

Dr. Tosounian became a gastroenterologist because she enjoys the breadth of care this specialty provides, from managing outpatient conditions to emergent inpatient care, including cerebral and hands-on endoscopic challenges. In her spare time, she loves being with her family, including her husband and two children. She enjoys traveling with friends, yoga and reading fiction.

Ashley Tran, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Tran received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She completed her internal medicine residency at Boston University, where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Tran later completed her Gastroenterology Fellowship at Yale University and transplant hepatology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. During her fellowship, she also pursued a master’s degree in Health Science at Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Tran has a strong interest in hepatology, health equity and the social determinants of health. She is dedicated to improving access and quality of care in the community for liver disease and liver transplantation. She works in collaboration with multiple transplant centers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She actively participates in the St. Luke’s Multidisciplinary Tumor Board and Portal Hypertension Conference. In addition, she enjoys mentoring trainees at all levels and serves as the Gastroenterology Elective Course Director for the Internal Medicine Residency and Medical School.

Dr. Tran is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). She has presented at national conferences and has authored original manuscripts and reviews in several gastroenterology and hepatology journals.