COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
committed to community service.
Giving Back
Some of the ways we give back to our community include:
• Providing free colonoscopy and to uninsured and underinsured patients
• Teaching gastroenterology and GI endoscopy to the next generation of gastroenterologists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and other leading academic medical centers
• Providing consultative GI services to underinsured community members through the GI clinic system at Mount Sinai
The New York City Department of Health recognized the The Endoscopy Center of New York’s community outreach program, led by NYGA’s Dr. Laura Frado, for providing the greatest number of free colon cancer screening exams to under-insured neighbors in New York City.
The incidence of colorectal cancer is higher among African Americans than any other population group in the United States, according to the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Research also shows that African Americans are often diagnosed at a younger age than other people. After the death from colon cancer of trailblazing actor Chadwick Boseman in 2020 at the age of 43, a nationwide effort was mounted to alert Americans to the dangers of this deadly disease among minorities. NYGA’s Dr. Ugo Iroku joined forces with colleagues from across the country to make this important public service announcement.
Dr. Iroku is also a leader of The Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists (ABGH), which will work alongside existing national organizations (such as ACG/AGA/ASGE/AASLD/NASPGHAN) on issues that impact the Black community.
The Doctors of NYGA:
Dr. Iroku Joins National Effort to Fight Colon Cancer
Leading Independent Research
In 2003, NYGA physicians founded the Digestive Disease Research Foundation (www.digestivedisease.org), an independent, not-for-profit organization that supports outstanding young investigators and research in digestive disease medicine. In collaboration with the Henry D Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai, NYGA physicians direct this organization.
DDRF has raised over $2,000,000 and awarded over 30 one-year fellowships. DDRF investigators, and their mentors, have advanced our understanding of inflammatory bowel diseases, precancerous colon polyps, and most recently the interaction of the novel coronavirus (which causes COVID-19) with the human gastrointestinal tract (Mount Sinai Researchers Describe Viral Sanctuaries in the Gastrointestinal Tract of COVID-19 Patients).
NYGA physicians participate in national professional societies such as the American College of Gastroenterology and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and are active nationally in advocacy organizations on behalf of women’s and minority issues.

Daniel Adler, MD
Gastroenterologist
All patient populations have GI problems and disease. I liked being able to care for a wide variety of people....
James Aisenberg, MD
Gastroenterologist
In gastroenterology, we use our hands and our head to solve problems. I love the balance between doing endoscopic procedures...
Faith Aronowitz, MS, RD, CDN
Dietitian
Early on in my nutrition training, I became fascinated by the gut microbiome and its seemingly endless connections to all...
Neville Bamji, MD
Gastroenterologist
The complex physiology of the gastrointestinal tract has always fascinated me. Practicing gastroenterology allows physicians to help patients both in...
Jay Desai, MD
Gastroenterologist
Gastroenterology is a fascinating field that requires a detailed understanding of the physiology of multiple organ systems as well as...
Suzie Finkel, MS, RD, CDN
Dietitian
I became a dietitian with the specific goal of helping people alleviate their digestive symptoms, and have found gastroenterology to...
Laura Frado, MD, MS
Gastroenterologist
Gastroenterology is a special field that allows me to care for a broad scope of conditions often presenting in different...
Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CDN
Dietitian
Most people with digestive issues recognize that certain foods or eating patterns can make their symptoms better or worse, though...
James George, MD
Gastroenterologist
I love that gastroenterology is a field that incorporates both incredibly interesting medical problems as well as challenging physical skills....
Eric Goldstein, MD
Gastroenterologist
Dr. Goldstein graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and completed medical school at the Mount Sinai School...
Toby Heller, PA-C
Physician Assistant
I have always been fascinated with gastroenterology, before I even knew I wanted to work in healthcare. I have a...
Shira Hirshberg, MS, RDN, LDN
Dietitian
When I started my first job in a primary care office, I found myself drawn to both the complexity of...
Ugo Iroku, MD, MHS
Gastroenterologist
Gastroenterology is a unique field in medicine with two major aspects. The first involves being willing to care for people...
Barry Jaffin, MD
Gastroenterologist
While taking my first course in gastroenterology during my second year of medical school at Mount Sinai, I was intrigued...
Leon Kavaler, MD
Gastroenterologist
During my medical education at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, I had the honor of meeting and training with the...
Michele Kissous-Hunt, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Ms. Kissous-Hunt performs a vital role at NYGA in patient communication and education, and in NYGA’s busy on-site program of...
Asher Arthur Kornbluth, MD
Gastroenterologist
I chose gastroenterology for the ability to interact and care for patients with chronic diseases for a lifetime. What are...
Peter Legnani, MD
Gastroenterologist
I found gastroenterology to be a dynamic intersection of multiple fields of study and practice. For example, I found that...
Kenneth Miller, MD
Gastroenterologist
Dr. Miller enjoys a reputation an excellent teacher of endoscopy and clinical gastroenterology at The Icahn School of Medicine, where...
Steven Naymagon, MD
Gastroenterologist
I went to medical school knowing that I want to make a difference in people’s lives. As a medical student...
Yevgenia Pashinsky, MD
Gastroenterologist
I grew up thinking of food as a cultural and spiritual force that brings people together. It is incredibly rewarding...
Salitah Qureshi
Clinical Research Coordinator
Salitah Qureshi is the Clinical Research Coordinator at New York Gastroenterology Associates. She is responsible for managing the operations of...
Ana Tuyama, MD
Gastroenterologist
Training and spending so many years at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where gastroenterology is practiced at its best, surrounded...
Tony Weiss, MD
Gastroenterologist
When I was in training as a physician, I became fascinated with the digestive system and the profound effect gastrointestinal...
Janie Yang, MD
Gastroenterologist
I find the human gastrointestinal tract to be fascinating because it involves multiple organ systems and can have such a...
Upper East Side
68 E 86th Street
New York,
NY,
10028
Phone: (212) 535-1845
Fax: (212) 861-6285
Text: (646) 419-4947
Upper East Side
1150 Fifth Avenue
Suite 1B
New York,
NY,
10128
Phone: (212) 369-2490
Fax: (212) 831-3031
Text: (646) 419-4947
Upper East Side
311 E 79th Street
Suite 2A
New York,
NY,
10075
Phone: (212) 996-6633
Fax: (212) 996-6677
Text: (646) 419-4947
Upper West Side
620 Columbus Ave
New York,
NY,
10024
Phone: 212-721-2600
Fax: 212-721-6230
Text: 646-419-4947
Midtown
16 E 52nd Street
Suite 403
New York,
NY,
10022
Phone: (212) 826-3903
Fax: (212) 339-9984
Text: (646) 419-4947
Brooklyn Heights
1 Pierrepont Plaza, 300 Cadman Plaza West
18th Floor
Brooklyn,
NY,
11201
Phone: (718) 280-0020
Fax: (718) 280-0025
Text: (646) 419-4947