Welcome to the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. We are part of Penn Medicine, an integrated organization that includes the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Since the development of the Division in 1926, it has been one of the premier centers in the world for digestive and liver research, education, and clinical care. Our mission is that together we will pursue excellence in the care of individuals with digestive and liver diseases, excellence in the education of the next generation, and to seek innovative solutions to digestive and liver diseases. Our purpose is to enrich the lives of patients with GI and liver disease by leveraging our research, educational, and clinical excellence to challenge our current approaches.
Today, we are a vibrant and large Division with over 80 physicians, 27 fellows and over 200 staff across several sites that include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Medicine at Radnor, and the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center. There is close collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The Division provides clinical care in programs dedicated to General Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Esophagus, Advanced Interventional Endoscopy, General and Transplant Hepatology, Gastrointestinal Genetics and Nutrition. We are fortunate that these programs are staffed by internationally recognized faculty.
The education of the next generation is an important aspect of our mission. Our gastroenterology fellowship is supported by 2 NIH T32 grants, one for basic science and the other in clinical epidemiology. We offer a clinical gastroenterology fellowship as well, and our faculty are leaders in the education and training of future gastroenterologists.
Our research program has grown over the years and our total sponsored program awards were an impressive $20 million for fiscal year 2025. The centerpiece of our research program is our NIH/NIDDK P30 UPenn Digestive and Liver Disease Center, one of only 17 in the nation. Our faculty continue to make discoveries that challenge current paradigms.
I hope that you continue to learn about our storied Division, and more importantly, I am truly excited about our future.
Jorge Marrero, MD, MS, (CRDSA), MSHCM
Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
T. Grier Miller Professor of Medicine
Mission
We will pursue excellence in the care of individuals with digestive and liver diseases, pursue excellence in the education of the next generation; and we will seek innovative solutions to digestive and liver diseases. By working together to accomplish the mission, we will achieve our goal to be the best of ourselves.
Vision
To enrich the lives of patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases by challenging the limits of current approaches.
Values
Our mission will be guided by these core values:
Excellence
We will perform all aspects of the mission at the highest of standards
Trust
We will promote a culture of trust, respect, and transparency
Teamwork
We will work collaboratively as a team by using our diverse backgrounds, talents and ideas
Equity and Accountability
We allocate resources to ensure equity becomes deeply rooted in our decision-making. We will be accountable to each other in order to achieve our goals.
Meet the Leadership Team of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Administration
- Jorge Marrero, MD
Chief, Division of Gastroenterology - James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE
Clinical Director, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) - Gary Wu, MD
Co-Vice Chief for Research - Frederick A. Nunes, MD
Clinical Director, Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) - Nuzhat Ahmad, MD
Vice Chief of Clinical Affairs - Octavia Pickett-Blakely, MD
Clinical Director, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (PCAM) - Ragunath Appasamy, MD, PhD
Clinical Director of PCAM - Kellen Kovalovich, MD
Clinical Director of Radnor - Steven F. Solga, MD
GI Fellowship Director - David Jaffe, MD
Director, GI Education - Kristle Lynch, MD
Women in GI
Endoscopy leadership
- Frederick A. Nunes, MD
Medical Director of Endoscopy, PAH - Kashyap V. Panganamamula, MD
Director of Therapeutic Endoscopy, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center - Robert Stein, MD
Medical Director of Endoscopy, PMR
Program directors
- Neilanjan Nandi, MD
Co-Director and Director of Clinical Operations for Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Meenakshi Bewtra, MD, MPH, PhD
Co-Director and Director of Research & Education for Inflammatory Bowel Disease - David E. Kaplan, MD, MSc, FACP, FAASLD, AGAF
Director of Hepatology - Nuzhat Ahmad, MD
Director of Advanced Endoscopy - Kristle Lynch, MD
Director of Esophagus - Nitin Ahuja, MD
Director of Neurogastroenterology - Octavia Pickett-Blakely, MD
Director of the GI Nutrition - Bryson Katona, MD, PhD
Director of GI Cancer Genetics - Farzana Rashid, MD
Director, Women’s GI Program
Clinical staff
- Joseph Milano, MBA
Director of Division Administration
Division of GI and Hepatology - Kerri McGuckin
Administrator of Practice Operations
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine - Bernadette Muccie
Practice Manager
Pennsylvania Hospital - Bernadette Muccie
Practice Manager
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center - Susan Vogt
Practice Manager
Penn Medicine Radnor - Christina Brancato
Practice Manager
Penn Medicine Radnor
Research staff
- Barbara Vance, PhD
Associate Director of Research and Finance - Naomi Wetmore
Grants Manager - Kathe Woodside
Grants Manager - Joe Ballard
Grants Manager