All of our physicians are Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Each physician completed a rigorous Gastroenterology Fellowship. Additionally, each received dedicated training in endoscopy (upper endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy). Endoscopy is the use of narrow, flexible lighted tubes with built-in video cameras, to visualize the inside of the intestinal tract. They are trained to perform advanced endoscopic procedures such as polypectomy, esophageal and intestinal dilation, endoscopic biliary examination (ERCP), removal of tumors without surgery, placement of internal drainage tubes (stents) and hemostasis. They properly interpret the findings and biopsy results of these studies in order to make appropriate recommendations to treat conditions and/or prevent cancer.

The unique training that our Gastroenterologists received prepared them to provide the highest quality comprehensive care for patients with a wide variety of gastrointestinal ailments. Our physicians are experts in their field. They have many years of experience in practice.

DANIEL G. LUBA, M.D.
Dr. Luba was accepted into medical school immediately after high school graduation and completed a combined six-year undergraduate and medical school program at Boston University Medical School, where he received the Henry J. Bakst Award in Community Medicine. He did his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Boston VA Medical Center in Boston, MA. Dr. Luba then moved to California and completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Stanford University Medical Center. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Dr. Luba is the managing partner of Gastroenterology Consultants Medical Group, Inc., Medical Director of the Monterey Bay Endoscopy Center, LLC, and President of the Monterey Bay GI Research Institute, Inc. For the years 2007-2008, and more recently 2009-2010 Dr. Luba was selected by Best Doctors® as one of the Best Doctors in America—an organization that selects its members through a peer-appointed process.

LLOYD R. GARREN, M.D.
The Medical College of Pennsylvania was home to Dr. Garren for many years. While there, he completed his M.D. degree as well as an completed his medical schooling and training at the Medical College of Pennsylvania where he stayed on to practice medicine for many years after his education. While at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, he completed his M.D. as well as an Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine and a Fellowship in Gastroenterology. Dr. Garren is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is an accomplished inventor of gastrointestinal devices.

MARY L. GARREN, M.D.
At the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Dr. Garren completed her medical training, her Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine, and a Fellowship in Gastroenterology. She has been a practicing Gastroenterologist since 1977. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

RICHARD W. HELL, M.D.
After finishing medical school at Saint Louis University, Dr. Hell completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center/U.C.L.A. He did his Fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He is Board Certified in Gastroenterology. Dr. Hell moved to Monterey, California in 2000 and joined the Monterey Bay GI Consultants. He is the Chief of the Division of Medicine at the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula and currently serves on the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee.

KATHRYN A. SWANSON, M.D
Dr. Swanson completed her medical school education with an M.D. from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. She went on to complete an Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and subsequently finished a 3-year Academic Gastroenterology and Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center. She is Board Certified in Gastroenterology. Dr. Swanson was recently nominated by her peers as one of the Best Doctors in America for 2009-2010.

ISABELLE C. BARNARD, M.D.
Dr. Barnard received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She completed her Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center and a Fellowship in Gastroenterology also at Stanford. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

TOBY J. KATZ, M.D.
Dr. Katz is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. He completed his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai/U.C.L.A. Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Katz was elected Chief Resident at Cedar-Sanai Medical Center while holding the position of Assistant Clinical Instructor of Medicine at U.C.L.A. Dr. Katz completed his gastroenterology Fellowship at LA County-USC Medical Center and, subsequently, completed therapeutic ERCP and advanced endoscopic training. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

JAMES A. DISARIO, M.D.
Dr. Disario received his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. with extracurricular studies at Oxford University in the U.K. He completed his Internal Medicine Internship at the Medical College of Virginia, and Residency at Georgetown University Medical Center. Dr. DiSario then served as a Medical Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in Chuuk (formerly known as Truk), Federated Sates of Micronesia. He completed a Fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Arizona and had subsequent post-doctoral training in advanced therapeutic biliary and pancreatic endoscopy at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Dr. DiSario is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

Dr. DiSario served as a faculty member at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center for 16 years where he practiced gastroenterology and advanced therapeutic endoscopy, and was a researcher and teacher. He achieved the rank of Professor of Medicine with tenure and maintains an appointment as Adjunct Professor. He has authored numerous publications for medical journals and chapters in medical textbooks. He is a reviewer and editor for many medical journals and books. Dr. DiSario has been awarded numerous research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, professional associations, and industry. He has received several awards and honors in the field of Gastroenterology and has been selected by his colleagues as one of the Best Doctors in America annually since 2005. He has instructed numerous medical students and residents, advanced trainees and practicing doctors in the classroom, clinic, and endoscopy unit. He has presented original research and lectured at the most prestigious medical meetings both nationally and internationally.

Dr. DiSario is a Fellow of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association. He is on the Governing Council of OMED - World Endoscopy Organization which is dedicated to promoting digestive endoscopy world-wide. This includes providing resources and training for gastroenterologists around the world and the donation of endoscopic equipment to areas of need. He currently serves as the Director of the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit at the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula and is an investigator and research consultant for the Monterey Bay GI Research Institute. Dr. DiSario joined the Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group in 2006. Currently at peak career, he is a partner in practice.

SIMON C. CHAN, M.D.
Dr. Chan joins our practice after completion of a Fellowship in Gastroentrology and Hepatology from the University of Rochester in New York. Dr. Chan completed his medical education at New York University School of Medicine in New York. He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and he holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Rutgers College in New Jersey. Dr. Chan has special qualifications in all core GI procedures including liver biopsy and capsule endoscopy. He has had broad exposure to patients pre-and post-orthotopic liver transplantation. He participated in the ANMS Clinical Training Program in Neurogastroenterology and Motility at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He obtained extensive training in the interpretation of gastrointestinal motility testing and management of motility disorders including biofeedback techniques. He is Board Certified in Gastroenterology and has specialized training in ERCP. He has received extensive training in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). This technology has numerous applications including staging and management of non-small cell lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and rectal adenocarconoma. EUS is vital in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cysts and masses as well as gastrointestinal submucosal lesions. With the advent of the curvilinear array echoendoscopy, interventional procedures such as celiac plexus blockade and targeted injection therapies are possible. Dr. Chan has participated in many research studies and publications on various topics in gastroenterology. He was born in New Jersey and is married to an Opthalmologist, Dr. Dorothy Khong. They have one daughter and live in Marina.

MICHAEL S. LE, M.D.
We welcome Michael S. Le, M.D. to our practice as of August 1, 2010. Dr Le completed a Fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. He completed a Residency in Internal Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas Texas. He earned his B.A. Degree at the University of Virginia and his M.D. at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Le is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He has special interest in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) , biliary disease and general hepatology. In addition to his practice of general endoscopy, he is trained in ERCP and US-guided liver biopsies. Dr. Le will practice in our Salinas office, in Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare Center and in the Monterey Bay Endoscopy Center. Dr. Le's native language is English but he also is conversant in Vietnamese, and Spanish.

CINDI RUSSELL-McCLAIN NP/PA
Cindi is both a Nurse Practitioner and a Physician Assistant. Educated at Stanford University and University of California at Santa Cruz, Cindi has been a spokesperson for Schering-Plough Corporation and has won Congressional/National awards for her work. She has practiced in our area since 1993 and joined our group in 2007. Cindi performs many of the pre-assessment physical examinations for our physicians. She has a special expertise in the management of patients with Hepatitis.