Gastroenterology & Hepatology Fellowship Program at Cook County Health

The Gastroenterology fellowship program at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County Hospital offers a comprehensive three-year curriculum program that is designed to prepare fellows for the Gastroenterology Board Examination, ensuring they become excellent clinicians and competent endoscopists.

A group of twelve people stands outside in front of a building labeled Cook County Health. They are smiling, dressed in business casual or formal attire, and are surrounded by green trees and grass.

The program is affiliated with Rush University Medical Center. It provides the trainees with exceptional clinical experience through exposure to a wide variety of diverse and complex clinical cases.

Additionally, it is one of the few programs in the nation that offers training in ERCP during the three-year fellowship. Fellows will receive their training in a state-of-the-art facility at John H. Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County.

“Our outstanding faculty are dedicated to providing fellows with rich and robust training through hands-on patient care, innovative research, and dynamic teaching opportunities in a variety of clinical settings. Fellows will gain the skills and mentorship needed to succeed as future leaders in the field.”

Our 3-year ACGME-accredited fellowship program stands out for its comprehensive approach to Gastroenterology and Hepatology training. Graduates from our program have gone on to hold positions as faculty members, department heads, and program directors at academic medical centers across the U.S. Additionally, many have become successful practicing gastroenterologists, offering their expertise to the community. We are proud to report a 100% passing rate on the GI Boards for our fellows.

Program Contact

Ayokunle Abegunde, MD
Division Chair

Dr. Vikram S. Kotwal is pictured smiling in a white lab coat with a checkered tie, standing against a plain background. The lab coat has text on the chest.

Vikram Kotwal, MD
Program Director

Hemant Mutneja, MD
Associate Program Director

Francetta Hampton, MHA
Fellowship Coordinator

Applications

Application Process

The Division of Gastroenterology at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County accepts fellowship applications from candidates who are eligible to take the American Board Examination in Internal Medicine at the time of starting the Fellowship in Gastroenterology.

Our Gastroenterology Fellowship Program participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), adhering to its regulations and deadlines.

You can apply to our program via ERAS. All application packets must include the following: 

  1. Three letters of recommendation
  2. Copies of USMLE scores
  3. A personal statement
  4. Medical school transcripts
  5. A curriculum vitae

Please note that we follow the ERAS timeline for application submissions.

Meet Our Fellows

NameEducation 
Robert Kwei-Nsoro, MD
Chief Fellow
  • Undergraduate: University of Ghana
  • Medical School: University of Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry
  • Residency: John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL
Edwin Wang, MD
  • Undergraduate: New York University, NY
  • Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of Washington School of Medicine, WA

Sania Saleem, MD

  • Medical School: King Edward Medical University, Pakistan
  •  
  • Residency: John H Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL

Mohamed Boshnaf, MD

  • Medical School: Benghazi University Faculty of Medicine
  • Residency: Baptist Health – UAMS
NameEducation 
Grecia Santaella-Mendez, MD
  • Undergraduate: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus
  • Medical School: University Central del Caribe Esc de Med, Bayamon Puerto Rico
  • Residency: Loma Linda University Health, CA
Daksh Ahluwalia, MD
  • Undergraduate: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
  • Residency: John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL
Mihir Shah, MD
  • Medical School: Government Medical College, Surat
  • Residency: John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL
NameEducation 
Patricia Gulino-Zarza, MD
  • Medical School: Universidad Nacional de Asuncion Facultad de Medicina
  • Residency: John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, IL
Mitchelle Zolotarevsky, MD
  • Undergraduate: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
  • Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
  • Residency: University of Chicago (North Shore) Program Internal Medicine-General
Tarek Jaber, DO
  • Undergraduate: Loyola University Chicago, IL
  • Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
  • Residency: Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals
Ayokunle Abegunde, MD, MSc
Division Chair
Seema Gandhi, MD
Medical Director
Digestive and Metabolic Health Service Line
Vikram Kotwal, MD
Fellowship Program Director
Hemant Mutneja, MD
Associate Program Director
Oscar Rivas-Chicas, MD
Anas Almoghrabi, MD
Amit Patel, MD
Mohamed Elkhouly, MD, MSc
Omar Ahmed, MD
Parth Thaker, MD
Ikechukwu(“Ike”) Achebe, MD
Sabine Dupiton, PA
Yun Hwa Chang, PA
Jolly Kuncheria, APN
Grace Eneogwe, APN
Pamela Buchana
Administrative Analyst
Francetta Hampton, MHA
Fellowship Coordinator
Frida Abrahamian, MD
Benjamin Go, MD
Melchor Demetria, MD
Bashar Attar, MD

GI Educational Conferences

Alumni

Former fellows

2023-2026

Hisham Laswi, MD, Helen Lyo, MD, Eric Zhao, MD

2022-2025

Charles Du, MD, Lanxin Li, MD, Hassam Shah, MD

2021-2024

Jonathan Dowd, MD, Andrew Go, MD, Victor Udechukwu, MD

2019-2022

Andrew Hsu, MD, Yuchen Wang, MD, Pejman Zargar, MD UCLA Health | University of California Health
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