Gastroenterology Fellowship - Current Fellows

Claire (Xue Jing) Li, MD

Chief Fellow

Undergraduate: Smith College, BA, and University of Paris, study-abroad
Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Residency:  Case Western Reserve University
Areas of Interest: GI malignancies, inflammatory bowel disease, advanced endoscopy
Hobbies: Listening to true crimes podcasts, traveling, trying new food
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: I chose the College of Medicine – Phoenix not only because of the location, but also because the program has an incredible female leadership in place (with Dr. Alishahi being the PD, and Dr. Vela being the chief at the VA). On my interview day, I was genuinely surprised by how close-knit the fellows are with each other (i.e. going to taco Tuesday, hiking together). Moreover, I wanted a program that provides extensive exposures to procedures — and they delivered! We started scoping on day one of fellowship.

Zaid Alkaissy, MD

Undergraduate: University of Cologne, Germany
Medical School: University of Cologne Medical School
Residency: University of Pittsburgh
Areas of Interest: General gastroenterology and IBD
Hobbies: Hiking, swimming, trying different foods and restaurants
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: Excellent GI program, very supportive faculty and PD. Great city.

Raha Sadjadi, MD

Undergraduate: UC Berkeley
Medical School:Emory University School of Medicine
Residency: Emory University School of Medicine
Areas of Interest: Transplant hepatology, health equity, social justice and advocacy
Hobbies: Water polo, yoga, hiking, swimming, anything outdoors, spending time with friends & family, exploring new places and things
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: I chose the College of Medicine – Phoenix for several reasons. I felt the most like myself while interviewing with faculty during my interview. I liked the representation of women in leadership at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, specifically that our PD is a female. It was important to me to train somewhere that is a transplant center with exposure to all aspects of GI, which the College of Medicine – Phoenix is and has. I also chose the College of Medicine – Phoenix because of the obvious camaraderie between fellows during our pre-interview happy hour.

Elvis Jovanie Arteaga, MD

Undergraduate: Long Beach State University, Biology BS
Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: UC Davis Medical Center
Areas of Interest: General Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and Health Inequity
Hobbies: Hiking, painting, couch potatoing, walking my dog, sports and trying new foods
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: I chose the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix for its excellent GI training and culture. It was important for me to train in a health system where I was exposed to diverse and complex gastrointestinal diseases. Living in Phoenix was the cherry on top.

Steven Ma, MD

Undergraduate: University of California, Irvine – BS
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Residency:  UC San Diego Health
Areas of Interest: Esophageal Motility, General Gastroenterology, Colorectal Cancer Screening, and Medical Education
Hobbies: Trying new foods/restaurants, hiking, Disney, video/board games, traveling and exploring new cities
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: Not only were all the faculty members extremely welcoming, but I also felt a strong sense of camaraderie and friendship between the fellows during the pre-interview happy hour. I felt like myself interviewing for the program and my gut told me that I would get along great with everyone in the program. Phoenix is also an awesome city and having my family nearby during my fellowship training is a huge plus.

Elizabeth Rowland, MD, MBA

Undergraduate: Purdue University BS, MBA
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Areas of Interest: Chronic Liver Disease, Transplant Hepatology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Quality Improvement
Hobbies: Hot yoga, skiing, pickleball, hiking/camping, going to concerts/music festivals/standup comedy, checking out new restaurants
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: As a former internal medicine resident and chief resident alumnus of the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix family, I’ve had the pleasure of long-standing exposure to our GI and Hepatology fellowship program. From the sincere collegiality and strong work ethic of our fellows to the vast exposure to clinical pathology (including being a liver transplant center), desirable high patient volume, and intentional mentorship from growth-mindset faculty, I have personally witnessed that our program serves to invest in and develop high caliber future gastroenterologists and hepatologists. Life beyond the hospital walls in Arizona has also proved to be so rich - from the promotion of an active, healthy lifestyle to unlimited restaurant options and event experiences

Bhupinder (Rose) Kaur, MD

Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Residency: Cedars-Sinai
Areas of Interest: General GI, chronic liver disease, transplant hepatology
Hobbies: Badminton/pickleball, crocheting, hiking, spending time with family/friends, trying new foods.
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: I chose College of Medicine – Phoenix because of its unwavering commitment to medical education. As a fellow here, I am confident that I will grow significantly as a physician, endoscopist, and lifelong learner. Additionally, the location played a crucial role in my decision. Phoenix holds a special place in my heart. Being a fellow at the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: will not only allow me to build a robust foundation in gastroenterology but also enable me to continue advocating for the community I love.

Dayna Telken, DO

Medical School: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern
Residency: University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Areas of Interest: General gastroenterology, GI malignancies, colorectal cancer screening, POCUS in GI, nutrition
Hobbies: Spending time with my husband, son and chocolate lab! We always enjoy being outside doing activities such as hiking, biking, and swimming. I love playing a round of golf or competing in a local 10k or half marathon.
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix: I chose College of Medicine – Phoenix for gastroenterology fellowship because I was fortunate to train here as an Internal Medicine resident and firsthand interact with the fellows, attendings and program leadership. I experienced how supportive the program was with both their fellows and residents to help them obtain their future goals. Importantly, fellows train at both the VA and Banner and see a diverse patient population, get liver transplant experience, and obtain a magnitude of procedural experience to be proficient in all aspects of gastroenterology! Lastly, Arizona is a beautiful place to live with an ample amount of activities to do with my family!

Kelli Kosako Yost, MD

Medical School: University of Nebraska College of Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Areas of Interest: General GI, chronic liver disease
Hobbies: Spending time with my Pomeranian, crafting, watching Dateline and Jeopardy
Why the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix:I had the privilege of attending internal medicine residency at College of Medicine – Phoenix. My very first rotation of residency was gastroenterology at the VA and it is where I met the incredible GI fellows, attendings, and program leadership. Throughout three years of residency, I was able to experience the remarkable pathology, high volume of procedures, and wonderful mentorship this program provided, and I knew that this was exactly where I needed to be.