Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Jefferson offers advanced training in hepatology and liver transplant medicine for individuals who have completed training in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, as well as through the ABIM three-year combined gastroenterology/transplant hepatology dual pathway. This is a clinical program with emphasis on clinical research and teaching.

Jefferson is one of the largest medical training facilities in the country, offering unique educational opportunities in patient care, research and teaching. We have the Delaware Valley's oldest active liver transplantation program that has been in place since 1984 and manage more than 600 transplant candidates or recipients per year. This allows the fellowship candidate the opportunity to meet UNOS requirements for eligibility as a transplant hepatologist if so desired. The program is structured in such a way that the advanced liver fellow's activities will focus entirely on liver disease and transplantation, with special emphasis on clinical research. 

Clinical Structure

Our program provides robust clinical training to a diverse patient population with a wide breadth of pathology. Fellows will have the opportunity to be involved in a broad range of niche experiences including live donor liver transplantation and transplant oncology (HCC, colorectal cancer metastases, neuroendocrine tumor, etc.) including spending time in our multidisciplinary tumor clinic, amongst many other opportunities. We have a structured program for transplantation of patients with alcohol associated hepatitis including pharamcologic management of alcohol use disorder and close co-management with addiction medicine. 

Clinical activities at our program are designed to provide inpatient and outpatient experience in all facets of liver disease. Each fellow will spend 3 months on our inpatient service comprised predominantly of pre and post transplant patients as well as patients with complex liver disease. Late in the year, the fellow will spend one of their three inpatient months serving as the attending on service and will lead rounds for the primary house staff. This affords the fellow the opportunity to get the real-world experience of being the attending with graduated autonomy and support. 

The remaining 9 months of the year will be spent in the outpatient arena. Our transplant clinics are designed so that medical and surgical staff work together side by side in a common clinical space with our mutli-D team. Clinical outpatient activities will include patient management in pre and post transplant liver clinics, tumor clinic, general hepatology clinic, endoscopy, research and fellow continuity clinic. The fellow will also have the opportunity to rotate with transplant subspecialties including: Transplant ID, Transplant Nephrology, Transplant psychiatry, Transplant surgery, liver pathology, IR and radiology. We strive to offer our fellows a tailored experience based on their career goals and believe strongly in mentoring them towards their future goals beyond the confines of their fellowship year. 

The advanced hepatology fellow should come out of this one-year training program with a well-rounded experience in liver disease and transplantation. The trainee should feel comfortable managing patients with any variety of liver disease as well as the complications of hepatic failure and immunosuppression management. Developing skills in the care of liver transplant patients will also be an integral part of their education. Ultimately, we design our curriculum to mirror the schedule of a junior faculty members so that we can best prepare our fellows for their future careers. We strive to help our fellows develop careers in hepatology and liver transplantation and start them on a pathway to success in developing their career goals and academic portfolio.

Research

Given the limited one year training program, we meet with our fellows early in the year to set up a plan to help them maximize their learning and get involved in research. Our program strongly encourages participants to contribute to their research in a substantial way, so they have the opportunity to submit abstracts to national meetings, generate publications and gain recognition to help build their careers. 

Conferences

Weekly educational conferences include didactic lectures on transplant and hepatology topics, the liver transplant selection committee meeting, clinical case conference, liver biopsy review and tumor board conference. Morbidity and mortality conference, journal club, multispecialty conference and research conference also meet at regular intervals (every 2-4 weeks). Postgraduate courses in epidemiology, statistics and molecular biology, to name a few, are available to fellows to enhance their educational experience but are not required.

Our Team

Our hepatology staff has depth and expertise in clincial care, research and medical education. The primary mentor of the hepatology fellow, Danielle Tholey, MD, is the Program Director, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of our Live Donor Liver Transplant Program. Dr. Tholey has clinical and research interest in liver diseases of pregnancy, global health and live donation. Dr. Divya Ayyala-Somayajula, MD, is the associate program director for the transplant fellowship and director of Jefferson's alcohol associated liver disease center. She is an assistant professor of Medicine with clinical and research expertise in pharmacologic treatment of alcohol use disorder.  Dina Halegoua- DeMarzio MD, is a Professor of Medicine and Director of our Fatty Liver Center. She is also associate chief for the division of gastroenterology as well as the division's director of clinical research. She is avidly involved in a multitude of clinical trials. Steven Herrine, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Dean for Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Medical Education. Dr. Herrine’s areas of expertise are in viral hepatitis, liver transplantation, and medical education. David Sass, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Liver Transplantation. His clinical and research focus is on Primary biliary Cholangitis and liver transplantation outcomes. Jonanthan Fenkel, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Jefferson Viral Hepatitis Center. His areas of interest include: Viral Hepatitis and PSC. Jesse Civan, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of our Multidisciplinary Liver Tumor Center, has research interest in hepatocellular carcinoma and transplant oncology.  Dr. Rebecca Loh, MD, is an assistant professor of Medicine with interest in medical education and fatty liver disease.

Fellows 2025-2026

Madison Force, MD 

Combined 3-year GI/Transplant Hepatology Fellow
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Gastroenterology Fellowship: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Stefanie Gallagher, DO 
4th-year Transplant Hepatology Fellow
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Lankenau Medical Center
Gastroenterology Fellowship: Lankenau Medical Center