Dr. Nitin Aggarwal, MD

Dr. Aggarwal (he/his) studied Neuroscience, Mathematics, and Chemistry as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh and earned his MD from Drexel University. He subsequently completed his internship and residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and matriculated to fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Cleveland Clinic. There, he received extensive training in various gastrointestinal disorders ranging from functional gastrointestinal diseases to inflammatory bowel disease as well as diseases of the liver. He also served as the Chief Fellow of the division. He has participated in and led various research projects in the field resulting in multiple publications. He is currently an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and an ACG Early Career Leadership Scholar. Dr. Aggarwal leads our Fecal / Bowel Incontinence Program and performs Peripheral Nerve Evaluation (PNE) in the office. In his free time, Dr. Aggarwal enjoys running, dancing, cooking, and traveling with his wife and family.

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Dr. Heidi Ahmed, MD, MS

Dr. Heidi Ahmed (she/her) joins Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants from Boston University, Boston Medical Center, where she completed her gastroenterology fellowship and Master’s degree in Epidemiology. While at BMC, she also received an NIH training grant to study nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Dr. Ahmed’s clinical focus is in hepatology and she leads IGIC’s liver program. She also sees patients in general gastroenterology. Outside of work, she enjoys playing music, reading, running, and traveling with her family.

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Dr. Jacqueline Chu, MD

Dr. Jacqueline Chu (she/her) is a board-certified gastroenterologist and internist and joined Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she completed her gastroenterology and internal medicine training. Prior to MGH, she attended Stanford University for medical school and college. Dr. Chu was also a research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Traverso Lab where she studied drug delivery in the gastrointestinal tract. She has published numerous papers related to gastrointestinal health and research. Dr. Chu sees patients with all gastrointestinal issues including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) / neurogastroenterology conditions, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), liver disease, reflux, and colon cancer screening. She is passionate about patient education. She is an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) where she serves on the ACG FDA Committee, is a mentor to residents and fellows, and was an ACG Early Career Leadership Scholar. Outside of work, Dr. Chu enjoys binge-watching TV shows, exploring new restaurants in Boston and Cambridge, and playing with her goldendoodle puppy Chompers.

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Dr. James Connolly, MD

Dr. James Connolly (he/his) grew up in New York and completed his undergraduate education at Colgate University where he majored in molecular biology with honors. He pursued a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health prior to earning his doctorate at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, where he was elected to the AOA Honor Society. After finishing his Internal Medicine residency at Yale, he was appointed Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine as a practicing hospitalist. He subsequently completed his Gastroenterology fellowship at Boston University Medical Center prior to joining Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants. Dr. Connolly enjoys seeing patients across a broad spectrum of GI and hepatology. In his free time, he likes to travel, ski, and hike with his family and dog. 

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Dr. Allen Hwang, MD, MSCE

Dr. Allen Hwang (he/his) received his undergraduate degree with highest distinction from Indiana University in Bloomington after which he graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from Duke University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine from University of California San Francisco Medical Center. After finishing his fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Hwang completed his training in Advanced/Therapeutic Endoscopy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center after which he joined Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants. Dr. Hwang is board certified in Gastroenterology. In addition to seeing patients with gastroenterologic diseases, he performs colonoscopy (including complex polypectomy and endoscopic mucosal resection), upper endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, enteral stenting, endoscopic mucosal resection, pancreatic necrosectomy, intragastric balloons for weight loss, bariatric endoscopy, endoscopic solutions for GERD, and Barrett's radiofrequency ablation. When not working, he enjoys spending his spare time doing photography, travel, cooking, and spending time with his family.

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Dr. Melanie Kappadakunnel, DO, MPH

Dr. Melanie Kappadakunnel (she/her) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She completed her Bachelor of Science at UCLA, her Masters in Public Health at the University of Michigan, and her medical degree at Touro University in Northern California. She joined Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants after completing both her Gastroenterology fellowship and Internal Medicine residency at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. Dr. Kappadakunnel is fluent in Spanish, and has a passion for both community and global health. Her clinical interests include colorectal cancer screening, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease and nutrition. Her personal interests include cooking, dancing with her toddler daughter, and creating music with her husband.

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Dr. Supriya Rao, MD

Dr. Supriya Rao (she/her) is a quadruple board-certified physician in internal medicine, gastroenterology, obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine who focuses on digestive disorders, gut health, obesity medicine, and women's health and wellness. She received her undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after which she graduated from Duke University School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine from the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. She went on to complete her fellowship in Gastroenterology at Boston Medical Center. She joined Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants in 2014 and is now a managing partner. She completed further certification in obesity and lifestyle medicine and is the Director of Medical Weight Loss at Lowell General Hospital and runs the Metabolic & Lifestyle Medicine Program at IGIC. She also runs the motility program, which focuses on disorders of the esophagus, irritable bowel syndrome and anorectal disorders. She is passionate about empowering people to improve their health through sustainable changes in their lifestyle. She enjoys cooking, traveling, running, yoga and spending time with family and friends. You can also find Dr. Rao on Instagram @gutsygirlmd.

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Melissa Barber, NP

Melissa Barber (she/her) completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. After college, she finished her nursing degree at the University of Massachusetts. Melissa is one of the main gastroenterology clinicians at Lowell General Hospital, helping to care for our sickest patients. She also sees patients in the clinic where she performs anorectal manometry and hemorrhoid banding.

Carla DuPont, PA

Carla DuPont (she/her) is a board-certified physician associate (PA) with diverse experience, including hospital medicine, medical education, bariatric surgery, breast and gastrointestinal oncology, urgent care and public health. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Master of Health Professions in Physician Assistant Studies from Northeastern University. Her clinical interests include nutrition, obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine and general gastroenterology. A former professional ballet dancer, Carla understands that good nutrition, physical fitness and prioritizing self-care are essential to optimizing a healthy and balanced lifestyle. In her free time, she is a dedicated animal rights advocate and enjoys pilates, spinning, novice gardening, making messes in her kitchen, traveling with her family and spoiling her handsome, but naughty, chocolate brown standard poodle, Bodhi. 

Virginia Kelley, NP

Virginia “Gina” Kelley (she/her) received her Bachelors and Masters in the Science of Nursing from the MGH Institute of Health professions. She is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and has special clinical interests in nutrition, health coaching, lifestyle and obesity medicine. Prior to specializing in gastroenterology, Gina worked for 9 years as an internal medicine provider. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her family.

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Kristen McFadden, NP

Kristen McFadden (she/her) completed both her undergraduate degree and Master’s degree at Northeastern University. She is ANCC certified. Prior to joining IGIC, Kristen was a nurse practitioner at Massachusetts General Hospital with the Division of Gastroenterology, where she specialized in pancreatic and biliary diseases.

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Jennifer Murphy, RD

Jennifer Murphy, RD (she/her/hers) is a registered dietician with expertise in nutrition for gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, and Celiac disease among others. Jen’s realistic approach to optimizing individual lifestyle and eating habits includes using the latest nutrition research, adopting a mindfulness approach to eating and emphasizing the mind body connection.

Nell Fay, PT

Nell Fay, PT (she/her) graduated from MGH Institute of Health Professions with a Doctor of Physical Therapy, where she developed an interest in women’s health. She has been working exclusively in women’s health and pelvic floor outpatient physical therapy since 2016. She sees adult patients of all genders with constipation, fecal and/or urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, difficulty with urination, bloating, weak abdominal muscles, pain with sexual intercourse, nighttime urination, urinary frequency, prolapse, gas pain, low back or sacral pain, and abdominal pain, among other conditions.

Amanda Holmes, PT

Amanda Holmes, PT, MS (she/her) has been practicing as a physical therapist since 2000 between and among Massachusetts, Illinois, and the United Kingdom. Amanda obtained her BS and Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Northeastern University. Amanda also obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation and Continence for Physiotherapists from the University of Melbourne. She started evaluating and treating patients who suffered from pelvic floor muscle dysfunction right away, during her Advanced Practicum of her Master’s Program, in 2000-2001.

Amanda brings highly skilled manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and other therapeutic modalities to her evaluation and treatment of patients who suffer and struggle with pelvic pain, urinary and fecal incontinence, constipation, urgency, as well as urogenital prolapse.