Members of the division are members of a variety of graduate groups overseeing study for the Ph.D. degree and are closely affiliated with the MD/PhD program and medical student research training programs. Students interested in graduate training should contact the appropriate program and are also encouraged to discuss specific research interests with individual faculty members

Research projects are available in the laboratories of the following investigators in the GI division:

Kyong-Mi Chang, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Cellular immunity and the outcome of hepatitis C virus infection

David Kaplan, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Focuses on two complementary areas of immunological dysfunction related to advanced liver disease and cirrhosis

Jonathan Katz, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Functional analyses of gastrointestinal epithelial proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis

John Lynch, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Mechanisms governing intestinal epithelial cell differentiation as well as cell-cell adhesion and its role in intestinal epithelial cell development

Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD, PhD
Research Associate Professor of Medicine
Cell homeostasis and differentiation mechanisms in esophageal cancers and eosinophilic esophagitis

Michael Pack, MD
Professor of Medicine
Identification of genes that direct organogenesis of the vertebrate digestive tract using the zebrafish as a model organism

Anil Rustgi, MD
T. Grier Miller Professor of Medicine and Genetics
Epithelial cell differentiation and oncogenesis, molecular genetics of GI cancers (upper GI, pancreatic, colon)

Ben Stanger, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Investigator, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
Development of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract; growth regulation in pancreas and liver

Rebecca Wells, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
TGF-beta signaling and receptor function; molecular mechanisms of liver fibrosis

Gary Wu, MD
Ferdinand Professor of Medicine
The gut microbiome and regulation of host metabolism

The Division additionally supports a vigorous program in clinical epidemiology. Individuals interested in training in Clinical Epidemiology should contact the Gastroenterology faculty members below or the graduate program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Meenakshi Bewtra, MD, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Senior Scholar, CCEB

Kimberly Forde, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Senior Scholar, CCEB
Liver disease epidemiology, racial and gender based disparities in acute/chronic liver diseases and liver transplantation

David Goldberg, MD, MSCE
Instructor of Medicine
Population-level outcomes of end-stage liver disease; liver transplant organ allocation and distribution

James Lewis, MD, MSCE
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Senior Scholar, CCEB
The relationship between the gut microbiome, diet and health

Shivan Mehta, MD, MBA, MSHP
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Impact of organizational and financial factors on colorectal cancer screening

Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, MSCE
Associate Professor of Medicine
Senior Scholar, CCEB
The effects of common pharmaceutical agents and common chronic illness on gastrointestinal diseases, particularly gastrointestinal malignancies

There are multiple opportunities available for postdoctoral work in the division, some funded by the NIH-sponsored training grants. Inquires should be directed to individual faculty members as listed above. The Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs office oversees all postdoctoral programs at the University of Pennsylvania, providing orientation sessions, career guidance, and a wide variety of career development workshops and seminars.

There are opportunities for medical students at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions to conduct clinical and basic research in the division. Interested students are encouraged to contact individual faculty members.