Fellow Testimonials

Yasmine Hussein Agha (2024)

My name is Yasmine and I’m one of the first-year fellows. As the end of my first year of fellowship draws closer, I cannot imagine a better place to train. I feel very fortunate to learn how to manage highly complex cases, most of which are referrals from the entire state of Michigan. Our service is continuously filled with patients at different stages of their illness requiring a multi-disciplinary approach by subspecialty teams within our GI division. What stands out to me the most is the way our inpatient consults are split, we have a team of fellows assigned to every subspecialty – hepatology, pancreatico-biliary and general gastroenterology with highly skilled staff that are capable of treating all cases. Our focus is centered on a subset of diseases for several weeks and as a result, we have become very well versed in the management of challenging conditions in pancreatic, biliary, motility and inflammatory bowel diseases. Did I mention how supportive our program director and faculty are? This experience would not be as exciting as it sounds without our top-notch attending staff and mentors who are highly specialized and are contributing to our growth every day. With over 45 faculty gastroenterologists devoted to teaching, we have the opportunity to learn different approaches in disease management, endoscopic skills and work ethics. Most of all, I highly value the camaraderie among our group of fellows and the family-feel that has been fostered over years in this program. As a Lebanese expat, I’m truly grateful to have matched at a program that feels like home away from home.

Kevin Harris (2024)

My name is Kevin and I am currently a first-year fellow. I attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for undergrad where I majored in biology and political science. I then completed medical school at The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. I moved to the midwest for residency training and completed my internal medicine residency and chief resident year at the Cleveland Clinic.

One year into my gastroenterology fellowship, I am thrilled that I chose to train at Henry Ford. The Henry Ford Gastroenterology Fellowship offers world-class training across all disciplines of gastroenterology and hepatology. We rotate in sub-specialty clinics including motility, inflammatory bowel disease, transplant hepatology, therapeutic endoscopy and nutrition. Furthermore, we develop strong skills in ambulatory GI management through our longitudinal general gastroenterology clinic and strong consultative skills on our luminal gastroenterology, transplant hepatology and pancreaticobiliary inpatient services. As a busy tertiary referral center, patients travel from across Michigan to receive sub-specialty care at Henry Ford. This exposure to challenging cases helps fellows develop both the cognitive and endoscopic skills required to be successful gastroenterologists. At Henry Ford, we train in a supportive and inclusive environment. Our attendings treat us as colleagues and are always available to discuss interesting cases, research proposals or career advice. Lastly, the camaraderie between the 15 GI fellows (The Fab 15!) is unparalleled. Whether enjoying a fellowship picnic, catching a Red Wings game or exploring the Detroit restaurant scene, there is never a shortage of fun and excitement when hanging out with my co-fellows. I hope you will take the time to learn more about the wonderful opportunities our program has to offer.

Stephanie Betcher (2025)

My name is Stephanie and I am one of the second year fellows. I feel extremely fortunate to be trained in GI at Henry Ford Hospital. I was drawn to the program for several different reasons. One being the emphasis the program places on fellow education. We have protected education time scheduled into our curriculum. For example, we have noon conference three times weekly. The conferences include GI Grand Rounds, M&M, Journal Club, updates in practice guidelines, and more. They are always well attended and result in a thoughtful discussion. Another reason I was drawn to the program is the depth and breadth of complex clinical cases that we are lucky enough to learn from at Henry Ford. I know it will be invaluable experience for my future clinical practice. We have experienced senior staff in every GI subspecialty including motility, therapeutic endoscopy, IBD and liver transplant who are enthusiastic teachers and mentors. Not only is this fellowship excellent in training, but the support and camaraderie between fellows is unmatched. We travel to a national conference together each year and often spend time together outside of work. We love to try new restaurants around the city, go to top golf, Red Wings and Tigers games, and have rooftop hangouts!

Taher Jamali (2025)

My name is Taher, and I’m currently a second year gastroenterology fellow. I am originally from Houston, Texas. I did my undergraduate training at the University of Texas in Austin. I then proceeded to complete my medical school training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. I then completed my residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. From the Texas heat, I ended up moving to Michigan for my fellowship.

After having a year of fellowship under my belt, I would not have picked any other program for my gastroenterology training. My favorite part about the program is definitely the people I work with. We have over 40 faculty in multiple specialties including IBD, motility, hepatology, advanced GI, and general GI. They are all so supportive, provide individualized mentorship, and want to see you thrive. Furthermore, my co-fellows have all become very close friends, and I can always count on them. The endoscopic training is also world class. Henry Ford is a major transplant center and quaternary referral center, so the pathology and endoscopic exposure is very diverse.

Living in the city of Detroit is icing on the cake. The city has a great food scene, arts and culture scene, and beautiful four season weather. I am so glad I matched at Henry Ford for my fellowship. If I was to go back in time, I would definitely do it all over again

Palak Patel-Rodriques (2026)

I’m really grateful and happy to be a GI fellow at Henry Ford. There are countless opportunities to grow as a future gastroenterologist and hepatologist with the diverse patient population, 45+ attendings, ample endoscopy opportunities, and large hospital. More importantly the people are warm and kind and I’m lucky to have such incredible cofellows and friends here who have made this transition into fellowship so far easy.

Zachary Saleh (2026)

My name is Zac and I’m one of the first year fellows. I grew up in Metro Detroit, went to the University of Michigan Medical School, and trained at the University of Michigan for residency. I was drawn to Henry Ford for GI fellowship for its reputation as a strong training program with a broad clinical footprint. It has been an excellent place to train and learn. I have been able to care for patients with a variety of disease processes, complexities, and backgrounds. There is excellent exposure to transplant hepatology, luminal GI, and advanced therapeutic GI.

One of the greatest strengths of the program is the quality of our staff. They have the strongest clinical and endoscopic expertise, and take the time to impart their wisdoms and help us extract the most out of Henry Ford’s robust endoscopic volume. Lastly, the fellowship would not be the same without the incredible group of supportive, entertaining, and fun co-fellows. They have made my fellowship a truly enriched experience.