Pediatric gastroenterology – it is the specialty practiced by Dr. Rabea Alhosh, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Pediatrics.

Because parents are often concerned and anxious when they bring their child to see a gastroenterologist, a physician specializing on the digestive system, Dr. Alhosh says he spends a lot of time helping parents understand their child’s diagnosis and treatment options.

Dr. Annabel Barber, a professor of surgery at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, is a board-certified surgeon who performs surgeries for patients with breast, colorectal, thyroid and head and neck cancers. She also sees patients with the following gastrointestinal disorders: acid reflux, heartburn, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr. Barnes is originally from San Jose, CA but was raised down the Colorado River in Lake Havasu City, AZ. He moved to Las Vegas during his high school years. He attended University of Nevada – Las Vegas to obtain his Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Professional Biology. Afterwards he obtained his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Touro University Nevada in Henderson, NV.

Dr. Richard Baynosa, an associate professor and head of the Section of Breast Surgery at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, serves as the chief and program director of the Division of Plastic Surgery. He is also University Medical Center’s Chief of Plastic Surgery and MountainView Hospital’s Chief of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Heather Boakye-Wenzel grew up in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas and graduated from University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) with a degree in Biology.  While at UTEP she competed as a Division I soccer student-athlete.

Jocelyn Burke, MD, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Surgery, specializes in robotic foregut surgery, with particular interest in hiatal hernia repair, anti-reflux surgery and surgery for gastrointestinal motility disorders, including achalasia and gastroparesis.

Dr. Carroll is originally from Scottsdale, Arizona.  He received his Bachelors of Science from the University of Arizona where he double majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics as well as Molecular and Cellular Biology.  He continued his education at the University of Arizona for medical school.  He then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to complete his surgical residency.  He has always had a passion for the injured patient.  He followed his passion to Las Vegas where he has now completed his fellowship in Acute Care Surgery. 

Dr. Chang, an assistant professor of pediatric surgery at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, is a board-certified general and pediatric surgeon.

Her areas of special interest include surgical disease of the newborn gastrointestinal tract, anorectal malformations, pediatric surgical oncology, minimally invasive surgery, and surgery for inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr. Harry H. Ching, an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery and facial plastic surgery at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, treats a variety of disorders, including nasal obstruction, sinus disease, smf facial trauma.

His clinical interests also include cosmetic facial surgery – rhinoplasty, facelift, blepharoplasty, brow lift, Asian eyelid surgery, and scar revision. He also specializes in reconstruction of the face for skin cancer, treatment of eyelid disorders, Botox injections and other injectable filler treatments. 

Buddhadeb (Buddha) Dawn, MD, is tenured Professor and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. He is also the Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Dr. Jyoti Desai, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, participates with Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada and is also an active member of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV’s admissions process. 

Dr. Desai enjoys fostering strong relationships with her patients and practicing evidence-based medicine in her clinic as well as in the hospital setting.

Dr. Durette, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, serves as director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship. 

A graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, she completed both her general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. 

Miriam Een, an assistant professor with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Family and Community Medicine, is nationally registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration and licensed in the state of Nevada.  Miriam is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has served twice as president of the Nevada Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the Nevada Dietetic Association), and was selected as Nevada’s Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year in 1995.

Dr. Carmen Flores, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Surgery, practices general, trauma, acute care and burn surgery.

A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Dr. Flores completed fellowships in both surgical critical care and trauma/acute care surgery through the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV.

Leanne Free, MD, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and fellowship-trained specialist in complex family planning, is an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Free completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry and Spanish at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude.

Casey Giles is one of the advanced practice providers in the UNLV Health Plastic Surgery Clinic. She is a Las Vegas native and alumni of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She attended the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio for physician assistant training. Casey graduated top of her class and was inducted into the Pi Alpha and Alpha Eta honor societies.

Tina Goodson, MD, who served as the director of psychiatry at the University of Arkansas, specializing in student mental health during her tenure there, is an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, where she studied music in addition to a pre-med program, Dr. Goodson received her medical degree from St. George’s University in the West Indies and completed her general psychiatric residency at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine.

Dr. Badrunnisa Hanif, MD, FACP, Board Certified in Internal Medicine since 2002 is an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine. She was graduated from Sindh Medical College in Karachi, in 1996, and completed her residency training in 2002 from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.

Dr. Sara Hunt, an assistant dean of behavioral health sciences with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, also serves as director of the UNLV Mental and Behavioral Health Coalition. 

She completed her doctorate in psychology at Utah State University. Dr. Hunt completed her pre-doctoral internship in Toronto, Canada. Her research and clinical interests have focused on individuals with chronic health concerns. 

Dr. Brandi Alexander Jeffries, a graduate of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee, is an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, Department of Family Medicine.

She completed her postgraduate family medicine residency at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Ohio and also completed postgraduate fellowships in primary care at Meharry Medical College and maternal child health at West Suburban Medical Center/PCC Community Wellness in Illinois. 

Dr. Jones-Betancourt is originally from Vista, CA located in San Diego county. She was the first person in her family to attend college. Dr. Jones-Betancourt completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley where she studied environmental biology with an emphasis on human health. She attended University of California, Davis for medical school where she was involved with student run clinics and the Latino Medical Student Association. She completed her residency training at University of Southern California Los Angeles county. Dr.

Dr. Nazia Khan, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine, received her medical degree at Dow Medical College in Pakistan.

Board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine, she completed a residency at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine.

Her research includes work done at the LDS Hospital Cardiovascular Research Division in Salt Lake City, UT. 

Dr. Mutsumi Kioka, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine, is board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

A graduate of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, he completed a residency at the University of Southern California and a fellowship through Wayne State University.  

Dr. David Kuykendall, an assistant professor with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Family and Community Medicine, is proud of his community-focused and volunteer activities, which include assisting with Volunteers of Medicine of Southern Nevada, the Nevada Obstetrical Charity Clinic and participating in the Nevada Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program to identify people exposed to radiation at the Nevada Test Site. 

Hilary Massey, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral health for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, is a board-certified psychiatrist and the current associate residency program director for the psychiatry residency. A graduate of the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, she completed her psychiatry residency at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, receiving the Exceptional Clinical Service Award.

Allison G. McNickle, MD, has a trauma surgery and research background, with a special interest in trauma resuscitation and the management of extremity injuries. In addition to her clinical practice, she actively trains others to care for trauma patients through advanced trauma life support and pre-hospital lectures.

Rebecca Meyers, MD, was born and raised in Northport, AL. She received her undergraduate degree from New York University in New York, NY, followed by a graduate degree in physical therapy at California State University, Northridge. She completed medical school at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. She then completed her pediatric residency training at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

As an endocrinologist, Dr. Ana Mrkaic, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine, treats the problems, diseases and medical conditions of the endocrine system, an intricate network of glands producing hormones that regulate various functions in the body. 

Beverly A. Neyland, professor of Pediatrics at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, earned the B.S. degree from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the M.D. degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Additional training includes an externship at the University of Zagreb in Yugoslavia; an internship at the Long Beach Memorial Children’s Hospital, Long Beach, California; and pediatric residency at the UCLA/Harbor General Hospital in Torrance, California. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Dr. Gordon Ohning, a professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine, graduated from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa and a fellowship in gastroenterology from UCLA. 

After 30 years as a professor at UCLA — he also was a prolific researcher with the CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center there — Ohning said the opportunity to help create the new UNLV School of Medicine was too good to pass up. 

Dr. Charissa A. Olson, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, has had her research published on women’s chronic pelvic pain in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management. 

A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, she completed her residency at Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio. 

Dr. Lianne Ong, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Family & Community Medicine, has served as the UNLV Student Health Center Latent Tuberculosis Treatment Program Coordinator. 

Board certified in family medicine, she said she appreciates that academic medicine allows her to work with medical students and to provide her patients with evidence-based care. 

Her medical interests are providing care to women, adolescents, and children. 

Dr. David Parks, a pediatric pulmonologist and associate professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Pediatrics, believes that patient education and establishing rapport with patients and their families are essential to the art of medicine.

For asthma patients, he developed a two-page “asthma action plan” that details what they should do while living with asthma, how to use an inhaler, and the actions to take when different symptoms arise.

Dr. Pistorio is originally from Maryland. She worked in biomedical research for ten years prior to medical school.  She completed her undergraduate degree at Thomas Edison State College in animal science and her master’s degree in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Aron Rogers, an associate professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Family and Community Medicine,  left a private practice in Las Vegas with 2000 patients for the opportunity to teach. 

Dr. Syed F. Saquib, an assistant professor of trauma and critical care at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, works at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, primarily in trauma, burns and critical care.

Heavily involved in UMC’s Lions Burns Care Center, he works closely with fellows, residents, and students in providing the best patient care possible.

Dr. Michael Scheidler, an associate professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Surgery, is chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery. 

Jill Sharma, MD, who specializes in the management of pulmonary diseases and the care of critically ill patients, is an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Sharma earned her medical degree from the Mercer University School of Medicine in Georgia. At the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, she completed an internal medicine residency and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care.

Dr. Lawrence Shaw, an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, is graduate of the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. 

Dr. Shaw,  who also holds a Master of Science degree in engineering from the University of Southern California, completed a residency at Southern Illinois University. 

His published research, “ Congenital Epulis: Three Dimensional Ultrasonographic Findings and Clinical Implications,” appeared in the Journal of Ultrasound Medicine. 

Dr. Aditi Singh, an associate professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine, is associate medical director of the internal medicine residency program. 

A graduate of the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, she cares for patients in the areas of preventative medicine, diabetes, hypertension management and women’s health. 

Director of ambulatory education in the internal medicine program, Dr. Singh is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. 

Dr. Charles St. Hill, an assistant professor with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Surgery, has pursued research in cancer surgery/clinical trials program development.

A graduate of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, he offers clinical trials for patients who fit the criteria for certain studies. “We’ve done several sponsored clinical trials that have helped patients who don’t have the resources, which help to advance the research while offering more options for patients.”

Josephine Sun, MD, is originally from Salt Lake City, UT and spent half of her childhood in Taiwan. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Utah. During medical school, she was involved in many volunteer activities including the Somali Refugee Program and health fairs for the underserved community.

Dr. John Varras, is a professor at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine. He attended medical school at Creighton University in Nebraska, where he also completed his residency. 

He is the former chair for the department of internal medicine at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. Under his leadership, the department of internal medicine expanded the size of the residency training program and started three new fellowships in cardiology, gastroenterology, and pulmonary and critical care.

Dr. Sandhya Wahi-Gururaj, an associate professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Internal Medicine, is a board-certified general internist and currently serves as the internal medicine residency program director. 

A member of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Wahi-Gururaj has helped to shape curricula and training programs for local fellows and residents while maintaining a clinical presence that centers on establishing long-lasting, communicative relationships with her primary care patients.

Dr. Robert H. Wang completed his medical school education at the University of Alabama in Birmingham after he finished his graduate school education at the University of New Mexico with a PhD degree in immunology. 

He then received his OB/GYN residency training at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock.  After his training, Dr. Wang engaged in his solo practice in Houston for several years before he relocated to Las Vegas.  

Dr. Brian C. Ward, an assistant professor of surgery at the UNLV School of Medicine, is a general surgeon who treats patients with a wide variety of conditions, including hernias and diseases of the breast, stomach, colon, rectal, small bowel and gallbladder.

He also handles cases involving skin and soft tissue masses and disease.

Earning his MD from Indiana University, Dr. Ward completed his residency at UNLV in general surgery. He also holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering from Purdue University.

Elizabeth C. Wilkes, who holds a master of science degree in nursing from Purdue University Global, is a nurse practitioner in general pediatrics for UNLV Health, the clinical arm of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV.

Ji Won Yoo, MD, is the Nevada Interprofessional Healthy Aging Network Program Director and Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. Nevada is a very popular place to retire, especially, with the baby boomer generation. At the same time, the number of providers of medical care in Nevada has not kept pace with the overall population and specifically, not with the geriatric population.  For example, Nevada ranks 48th out of 50 states in primary care provider shortage. As we age, care often becomes more complex.

Osman Khan Yousufzai, MD, a graduate of the  Medical College of Georgia, is an assistant professor in the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Pediatrics.

Named chief resident during his pediatric residency training at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, Dr. Yousufzai’s writing has been published in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics.