Testimonials from Past Fellows

Dr. Julie Khlevner, Completed Fellowship in 2012
“I completed a pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition fellowship at Stony Brook University Medical Center in 2012. The program was distinctly committed to training the next generation of academic pediatric gastroenterologists and provided a diverse clinical experience in outpatient and inpatient medicine, excellent training in basic and advanced procedures, in-depth didactics and supportive environment for scholarly work. During my training, I was afforded an opportunity to cultivate into an independent clinician and scholar with the necessary skills to deliver care to children with wide range of complex gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and nutritional disorders. In addition, with the help of superb and compassionate mentors and faculty members, I built the necessary confidence, expertise and leadership skills to pursue a career specializing in neurogastroenterology and motility at my current institution.”  

Dr. Rebecca Abell, Completed Fellowship in 2013
“Stony Brook provided me with a strong foundation in Pediatric GI so that when I graduated, I was fully prepared to be an attending and was able to make that transition smoothly.  I was exposed to a wide variety of pathology and procedures and have found that I had more experience than most of my colleagues when I graduated.  Outside of excellent clinical training, I really valued my relationships with my attendings and co-fellows as they became like a family to me.  Dr. Chawla is an amazing program director and it was always evident that she not only cared about my wellbeing, but my family’s as well.  My fellowship inspired me to become a fellowship director so that I too can motivate and support my trainees in that same way.”

Dr. Sherin Daniel, Completed Fellowship in 2018
"Stony Brook Children’s Hospital has provided me with a great experience during my fellowship training. The education, clinical experience and hands-on training during procedures are truly commendable. The dedication and support from the faculty and staff made me feel as though I was part of one big family. It truly has been a privilege to be a part of this team that taught me everything to be an excellent pediatric gastroenterologist."

Dr. Narendra Yallanki, Completed Fellowship in 2019
"The three years of my fellowship experience were exciting, engaging and challenging. The smaller size of the program allowed me to work closely with the attendings and co-fellows and to get excellent clinical and procedural training. Dr. Chawla is successful in building a culture of helping each other among the faculty and fellows especially during difficult times. Attendings including PD's doors are always open to discuss cases, home-life, and career options. Now as a new faculty at a new place, I feel comfortable treating different types of difficult GI conditions due to the confidence I built from my fellowship experience."

Dr. Ada Lee, Completed Fellowship in 2020
“Stony Brook had everything I wanted in a fellowship and was in a desirable location. I knew I would be trained well to be an independent and knowledgeable provider to my patients with the wide range of pathology seen here. There are ample procedures to do along with great research opportunities. But most of all, the SB faculty, and especially the GI team, is patient, supportive and became my second family. If I had to redo fellowship all over again, I would not give any hesitation to be at Stony Brook.”

Dr. Alexander Schosheim, Completed Fellowship in 2021
"I couldn’t have been happier with my time at Stony Brook. As a fellow at Stony Brook I had exposure to the most common GI complaints as well as the most complex patients that a pediatric gastroenterologist could encounter. Leaving for my first attending position I felt well prepared because I was given the opportunity to take on responsibility for my patients during my training while also constantly learning. Both the co-fellows and attendings I worked with were incredibly supportive and continue to be supportive to this day. Dr. Chawla has created a family environment over the years which is so greatly appreciated and everyone that has worked with her has such great admiration for her. I consider myself very lucky to have spent my three years of fellowship at Stony Brook and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. "