Ravy Vajravelu, MD, MSCE, Appointed Program Director of the UPMC Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship Program
July 14, 2026
The University of Pittsburgh's Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition announced that Ravy Vajravelu, MD, MSCE, has been appointed director of the UPMC Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Vajravelu is assistant professor of medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and staff gastroenterologist at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
As a clinician, he cares for patients with conditions ranging from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and performs endoscopy and colonoscopy for cancer screening. As a researcher, he leads the Prediction and Epidemiology for Gastrointestinal Conditions (PEGi) Lab, using big data and biostatistical methods to improve GI disease diagnosis and treatment. His laboratory is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and gastroenterology professional societies.
His research has been published in high-impact journals, such as Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
He is also a longtime mentor to medical trainees, known for teaching consensus guidelines and helping trainees navigate gaps in the literature.
"I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve UPMC by training and mentoring the next generation of leaders in Gastroenterology and Hepatology," Dr. Vajravelu says. "I also want to offer heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ken Fasanella, who led the Fellowship Program with dedication and care for the past 14 years. He leaves behind a legacy that includes a distinguished national network of UPMC Gastroenterology and Hepatology fellowship alumni and one of the strongest training programs in the field. I'm honored to build on the foundation he's left."
