GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Anna Strongin, MD is a highly trained internist and gastroenterologist. She graduated from Georgetown University with an M.S. in Biophysics and Physiology and earned her Medical Degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
She completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA and followed up with a fellowship through the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Strongin comes from a long line of medical practitioners and was inspired to become a doctor by her mother and grandmother - both of whom are physicians. She is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association. She enjoys cooking, traveling, reading mystery novels, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
As the son of two physicians and a youth hospital volunteer, Dr. Maaz Sohail has been around medicine his whole life. He was drawn to a career as a doctor because of his desire to focus on patient care and further the medical field.
Today, Dr. Sohail is a fellowship-trained gastroenterologist. He is comfortable managing and treating all gastroenterological conditions and takes time to educate his patients and discuss treatment options with them.
After finishing his bachelor's degree State University of New York Binghamton, Dr. Sohail earned his medical degree from Saint George's School of Medicine in Grenada, where he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He completed residency training in internal medicine at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL, capped by a year as a member of the internal medicine faculty and chief resident at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, where he won a teaching award. He then pursued a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, earning the position of chief gastroenterology fellow during his final year.
"I like to have discussions with patients and allow them to feel validated. I rely on my teaching experience to tailor plans as needed, with a goal to have them fully understand their disease process," Dr. Sohail said.
Outside the office, Dr. Sohail enjoys spending time with his wife and kids as well as
Dr. Neil L. Julie graduated from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. He did his Internship and Residency at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He then completed a Fellowship in Gastroenterology/Hepatology at Penn (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) in 1986. He is a Board Certified Gastroenterologist and Internist.
Dr. Julie is past Chairman of the Division of Gastroenterology and past Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. In addition to a busy clinical practice, he has published three medical journal articles on drug-induced liver disease, an area of special interest; however, his main focus is on high quality colonoscopy and endoscopy.
Washingtonian Magazine has recognized Dr. Julie four times as one of the "Top Doctors" in Gastroenterology.
Dr. Faisal Bhinder grew up across the globe in Africa, the Middle East, England and Lahore, Pakistan where he earned his medical degree from King Edward Medical College. Following his training in internal medicine, geriatrics and gastroenterology and hepatology, he entered private practice in Southern Maryland, establishing Calvert Gastroenterology and serving as Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Director of Endoscopy at Calvert Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Bhinder describes gastroenterology as "intriguing, inspiring and challenging" and truly enjoys the hands-on care coupled with practical diagnosis and therapy. He has a particular interest in the field of advanced endoscopy and in 2013 he completed a fellowship in the Advanced Interventional Therapeutic Endoscopy Fellowship Program at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital.
This specialized skillset allows Dr. Bhinder to provide an expanded scope of services to patients with complex digestive diseases. In addition to advanced endoscopic diagnostic procedures, Dr. Bhinder is trained to perform advanced therapeutic procedures with Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancraticography (ERCP) for biliary and pancreatic disease and is proficient as well as authored in Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE).
Mark Birns, M.D., is a founding physicians of digestive health in Montgomery County, and his significant contributions to his specialty began during his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, where his input was instrumental in the development of the flexible sigmoidoscope, a routine screening tool in the detection of lower intestinal diseases.
Immediately following his fellowship, Dr. Birns and his family returned to the East Coast, where he served as assistant chief of gastroenterology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, caring for many generals, dignitaries and members of Congress. During his tenure at Walter Reed, he developed specific and recognized expertise in the field of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, including a new technique for the treatment of internal bleeding. Dr. Birns also successfully performed the first endoscopic sphincterotomy in the United States Army, a procedure whereby gallstones can be removed without surgery in certain situations and subsequently served as the major contributing author to Radiology of the Liver, Biliary Tract, Pancreas, and Spleen, a comprehensive medical textbook which covers his special interest in pancreatic and biliary diseases.
As a result of his academic pursuits and contributions to medicine, he was awarded the distinction of Fellow in the American College of Physicians (FACP), American College of Gastroenterology (FACG) and American Gastroenterological Association (AGAF).
Dr. Birns has been consistently recognized by his peers as a "Top Doctor" in Washingtonian magazine, including the most recent issue in 2012.
Stephen J. Park, MD began his medical training in an accelerated combined Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine program, graduating magna cum laude from Villanova University and earning his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. Thereafter, he completed his residency in internal medicine at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium and followed up there with a fellowship in gastroenterology. Dr. Park was also selected for advanced endoscopic ultrasound training during fellowship.
Prior to joining Capital Digestive Care, Dr. Park served as Medical Director of the Gastroenterology clinic at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland. He also cared for patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, while holding a faculty appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Park has had multiple publications and presentations at national meetings in gastroenterology and hepatology, and he won the Excellence in Research Award during fellowship. Dr. Park served on active duty as an officer in the United States Air Force for 10 years, earning the Air Force and Army Achievement Medals for meritorious service.
Dr. Park comes from a family of health care providers and at an early age understood the importance of patient care, as well as the privilege of providing it. He strives to connect with his patients and finds it rewarding to be able to make a difference in their lives.
In his spare time, Dr. Park enjoys spending time with his wife and children, traveling, trying new restaurants, and playing basketball and tennis. As a native of the D.C. metropolitan area, he is a fan of all the local sports teams.
Job Titles:
- Board Certified Gastroenterologist and Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology
William R. Stern is a Board Certified Gastroenterologist and Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. An active member of the medical community, he has served as president of the Montgomery County Medical Society and member of the Board of Trustees of Med Chi, the Maryland State Medical Society. Currently, Dr. Stern is governor for Maryland for the American College of Gastroenterology.
In 2010, Dr. Stern was recognized by his peers as a "Top Doctor" for the fifth time in Washingtonian magazine. He is also a recipient of the 2010 Patients' Choice Award. His professional interests include colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), liver disease and hepatitis, and he is one of the few physicians in the area to offer a new office-based treatment of hemorrhoids known as the CRH System of Hemorrhoid Banding. He serves as treasurer for Capital Digestive Care and medical director for the Associates in Gastroenterology division.
In his spare time, Dr. Stern enjoys reading, biking, skiing and spending time with his family. In 2008 Dr. Stern and his wife rode a tandem bike in a 200 mile charity bike ride for the Alyn Children's Hospital.