Our Staff

Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group, Inc.

All our physicians are Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 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.

Our Gastroenterologists 

The unique training that our Gastroenterologist 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 VA Award in Community Medicine. He did his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine as 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 Gastroenterology. Dr. Luba is the managing partner of Gastroenterology Consultants Medical Group, Inc., Medical Director of the Monterey Bay Endoscopy Center, LLC, and the President of the Monterey Bay GI Research Institute, Inc. For the years 2007-2013 Dr. Luba was selected by Best Doctors as one of the Best Doctors in America, an organization that selects its members through the peer-appointed process. Dr. Luba does all endoscopic procedures and has a special interest in Lynch and Familial Polyposis Syndromes. He is the founder of Project DNA at www.theprojectdna.com

Dr. Luba sees patients in the Salinas and Monterey Offices.

 

RICHARD W. HELL, M.D.

After finishing medical school as 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. He has practiced with Monterey Bay GI Consultants since 2001. In 2010, Dr. Hell was elected to Fellowship in the American College of Gastroenterology. He has served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP). He also serves on the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee.

Dr. Hell sees patients in our Monterey Office.

KATHRYN A. SWANSON, M.D.

Dr. Swanson recieved her Bachelor in Science in Biological Sciences with Honors from Stanford University. She completed her medical school education with an M.D. from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and was awarded membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. 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 practiced in Palo Alto from 1997 to 2001 when she joined Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group. Dr. Swanson has been nominated by her peers to Best Doctors in America, Castle Connlly Top Doctors, and The Leading Physicians of the World.

Dr. Swanson sees patients in our Monterey Office.

ISABELLE C. MOONAN, M.D. 

Dr. Moonan received her B.A. in Human Biology at Stanford University. She earned her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and was awarded membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed her internship and Residency in Internal Medicine, as well as a 3-year Fellowship in Gastroenterology, at Stanford. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Gastroenterology. Dr. Moonan started practice in Gastroenterology initially in Salinas in 1997, and then joined Monterey Bay Gastroenterology Consultants in 2003. She is originally from Hawaii, married, a proud mom of young adults, loves animals and outdoor adventure with friends and family.

Dr. Moonan sees patients in our Monterey Office. (Dr. Moonan was formerly Dr. Isabelle Barnard)

TOBY 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 Los Angeles. Dr. Katz was elected Chief resident at Cedar Sinai 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 Gastroenterology and Obesity Medicine. Dr. Katz practiced in Salinas from 1995-2003 and joined Monterey Bay GI Consultants in 2003. Dr. Katz is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Katz sees patients in the Salinas and Monterey Offices.

MICHAEL S. LE, M.D.

Dr. Le earned his B.A. Degree at the University of Virginia and his M.D. at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He completed a Residency in Internal Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas and a Fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Le is Board Certified in Gastroenterology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is trained in ERCP and US-guided liver biopsies. Dr. Le is conversant in Vietnamese and Spanish. Dr. Le joined Monterey Bay GI Consultants in 2010.

Dr. Le sees patients in the Salinas and Monterey Offices

MICHAEL J. MENDOZA, M.D.

Dr. Mendoza received his B.S. in Biology and M.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles where he also performed basic science research in Oncology as well as contributed to care for underserved populations in Los Angeles for which he was awarded the UCLA Chancellor’s Humanitarian Award for Community Service. He completed a Residency in Internal Medicine at UCLA in 2002. He completed a research-based Gastroenterology fellowship in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology evaluating pancreatic cancer in 2007. After three years of successful clinical Gastroenterology practice at Kaiser Permanente in Riverside, California, Dr. Mendoza returned to UCLA as a Clinical Instructor where he finished an Advanced Interventional Endoscopy Fellowship in Endoscopic Ultrasound, Oncologic Endoscopy and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in June 2012. Dr. Mendoza joined Monterey Bay GI Consultants in 2012.

Dr. Mendoza sees patients in the Salinas and Monterey Offices

JAN P. KAMLER, M.D.

Dr. Kamler joined our practice September 2, 2015, after a very successful Gastroenterology private practice in Reno for 15 years. He completed his Fellowship in 2001 at the University of California School of Medicine in San Diego, California. He completed a Residency in International Medicine Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Kamler grew up in the Czech Republic and earned his medical degree there. Dr. Kamler is Board Certified and has a special interest in managing the treatment of patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Barrett’s Disease, and Hemorrhoids. Dr. Kamler was once also a Registered Nurse at the Monterey Bay Endoscopy Center and he is joyfully returning to live in Monterey. He enjoys hiking, biking, and skiing. Dr. Kamler speaks English, Czech, and Russian. 

Dr. Kamler sees patients in our Monterey Office.

JEFFREY P. FIORENZA, M.D.

Dr. Fiorenza earned a B.A. degree in Public Health Studies from The Johns Hopkins University and remained in Baltimore to graduate from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. Following a year of working as a hospitalist at Brigham and Women's, he went on to finish his Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Lahey Hospital and Medical center in Burlington, Massachusetts. In his free time, Dr. Fiorenza enjoys playing soccer and golf and traveling with his family. He joined Monterey Bay GI Consultants in 2016. Dr. Fiorenza is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Gastroenterology. 

Dr. Fiorenza sees patients in the Salinas and Monterey Offices

SILVIA GIACHETTI, N.P.

Silvia holds a B.S. Degree in Nursing from Florida International University and a M.S. Degree in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Samuel Merritt University. Silvia earned a wide range of experience as a Registered Nurse before becoming a Nurse Practitioner. She worked as the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for four years as a nurse analyst in Health Information Technology. She also has many years of experience as an Infertility and Third Party Reproduction Nurse and Pediatric Nurse. Besides English, Silvia is fluent in Spanish and proficient in German, French, and Korean.

Silvia sees patients in the Salinas and Monterey Offices

 

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LARA SHIPLEY, N.P.

Lara earned her BSN and MSN degrees from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She is licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Public Health Nurse, and is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Lara joined the practice in July 2019 after working as the provider for the Montage Mobile Health Clinic and in the Emergency Room at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula as a Crisis Nurse Practiioner. She has also worked in the primary care setting for Salud Para La Gente, and was the coordinator for Student Health and Psychological Serivces at Monterey Peninsula College for 7 years. Lara is proficient in Spanish.

Lara sees patients in our Monterey office. 

 

 

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