MEET THE TEAM

Dr. Christian Y. Chung pursued his career in medicine by enrolling and completing an accelerated six-year B.S./M.D. program at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 and received his M.D. degree in 1984. He completed three years of Internal Medicine residency training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York between 1984 and 1987. Dr. Chung completed two years of subspecialty training in Gastroenterology and Nutrition at New York Medical College in 1989. He received Board Certification in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in 1987 and 1989 respectively.

Dr. Chung joined our practice in July 1989 and has been on active staff at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center since that time. He has served in various committees at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Dr. Chung is skilled in all areas of gastrointestinal endoscopy including upper endoscopy; colonoscopy; small bowel video capsule endoscopy; and ERCP. During his GI fellowship, Dr. Chung received special training in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for treatment of esophageal cancers and Barrett’s Esophagus. Dr. Chung introduced Flexible Endoscopic Swallowing Study to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in 2000 and was instrumental in training the staff speech language pathologists to perform the procedure for evaluation of swallowing in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia. His areas of interest include Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, swallowing disorders, Peptic Ulcer Disease, Helicobacter Pylori infection, Celiac Sprue, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and colorectal cancer screening.

He is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and an active member of the North Carolina Medical Society and American Gastroenterological Association.

In 2002, Dr. Nakkala received his Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery from Manipal University, India. He earned his Master of Public Health with emphasis on Health Services Administration (MPH) from East Tennessee State University in 2005. He worked for Tennessee Department of Health at NorthEast Tennessee Regional Health Office NETRHO during his internship. He completed his post graduate training in Internal Medicine from Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY in 2008.

Dr. Nakkala completed his post-doctoral Fellowship training in Gastroenterology from 2009-2012 while attending Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He also completed Clinical Fellow in Transplant Hepatology at The Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York.

After completion of his Fellowship, Dr. Nakkala practiced his advanced Gastroenterology skills in Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstown NY for over 3 years. He was appointed as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University and enjoyed teaching medical Student and Post graduate medical residents.

Dr. Nakkala is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Some of his honors that he received during his training include, Chief Fellow, Division of Gastroenterology, Resident of the Year, Internal Medicine, Maimondes Medical Center. He is also recipient of Fellowship2Leadership unrestricted travel grant in 2011 for his academic research. He is active member of AGA, AASLD, ASGE, and ACG.

His interest in Gastroenterology include Endoscopic ultrasound examination, ERCP, Pancreatico Biliary diseases, GI bleeding, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy and Luminal stenting for benign and cancerous obstruction of the digestive system.

He is married with two kids. He enjoys Photography, Biking and traveling.

Dr. Sanjeev Slehria received his schooling in Delhi, India. He graduated from medical school and subsequently specialized in General Surgery from MP Shah Medical College in Gujarat, India. He served on the General Surgery Faculty at PS Medical College in Gujarat, India prior to moving to North America. Dr. Slehria did two years of research at Marion Bessin Liver Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY from 1996 to 1998. He completed three years of Internal Medicine Training at Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein University, NY in 2001. In 2004 he completed three years fellowship training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.

Dr. Slehria is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Slehria is trained in all aspects of gastroenterology and hepatology. His special interests include inflammatory bowel disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, liver, and pancreatobiliary pathology. During his fellowship his research focused on upper gastrointestinal diseases, including Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal cancer and gastroesophageal reflux disease. He joined our practice in August of 2004.

Dr. Slehria has published articles and book chapters related to these topics, and has presented at major national and international meetings. He is skilled in all areas of gastrointestinal endoscopy, including diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and ERCP.

Dr. Bryan Uslick graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University with a B.S. degree in Zoology/ Pre-Medicine in 1987. While at Ohio University, he received a Rush Elliot Pre-Professional Academic Scholarship and was inducted as a Kershner Scholar. He received his M.D. degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1991. While at Ohio State, he was honored with election to Alpha Omega Alpha, and received the Rusoff Award for Academic Excellence for being the top student in his class in the school year 1988-89.

Dr. Uslick attended Duke University Medical Center for his Internal Medicine residency and was honored by being chosen as an assistant chief medical resident in 1993-94. He was board certified in Internal Medicine in 1995. He remained at Duke University Medical Center for his gastroenterology fellowship, finishing in June 1997. During his fellowship, he received special training in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association. He joined our practice in July of 1997.

Dr. Uslick has special interests in inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcer disease, pancreatitis, viral and autoimmune hepatitis, colon cancer screening, and both diagnostic and therapeutic upper and lower endoscopy.

Dr. Colom Steele was born in Guatemala. He graduated with honors in 2012 with a degree in Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the Escuela Autonoma de Ciencias Medicas in San Jose, Costa Rica. He thereafter worked for more than two years at the University for Peace in San Jose as a primary care provider caring for the medical needs of the student body and faculty.

Dr. Colom Steele completed his graduate training in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico in 2017. He then completed his post-doctoral training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology also at the University of New Mexico in 2020. During his time in New Mexico he also proudly cared for the veteran population at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Hospital. He was the Chief Fellow for the division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology for the 2019-2020 academic year and he is an active member of the AGA, ACG, AASLD and ACGE.

Dr. Colom Steele’s interest in gastroenterology includes gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, defecatory disorders, alcoholic liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease and colonoscopy with an emphasis on colorectal cancer prevention. He also has a special interest in caring for Spanish speaking patients.

He is married to a professional horse rider and trainer. He enjoys Cross Fit, reading, traveling and video games.

Meaghan Eddy is a native of Auburn, Ohio. She graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After receiving her degree, she relocated to Fayetteville for the Critical Care Residency program at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. After completing the program, she worked as a bedside nurse in several adult and pediatric intensive care units. She completed her Master’s of Science in Nursing for Family Nurse Practitioner in 2012 through the University of Cincinnati. She is board certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She joined the practice to work with Dr. Bryan Uslick in November 2012. Her primary areas of interest are inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, liver disease, and colon cancer screening. In her “spare” time, she enjoys being with her three children and running.

Samantha Hall is a native of Godwin, North Carolina. She attended Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville. In 2013, Samantha received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Sampson Community College in Clinton. She immediately began working as a Registered Nurse in a 100-bed skilled nursing facility as the Nursing Supervisor, eventually working her way up to Assistant Director of Nursing and Director of Nursing. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Fayetteville State University in 2014.

In March 2017 she joined our practice working as a Registered Nurse at Digestive Health Endoscopy Center. While working at the Endoscopy Center, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing from South University in Savannah, Georgia. She graduated with high honors in June 2019. She began working both inpatient and outpatient alongside Dr. Christian Chung in January 2020.

Samantha is board certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Her primary areas of interest are gastroesophageal reflux disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer screening. In her spare time, she enjoys working in children’s ministry at her church, spending time with her family, and traveling.

Rachel Kellomaki is a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Economics. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she worked as a CNA at UNC Hospital and at a skilled nursing facility. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from South University in Savannah, Georgia. She is board certified by the NCCPA as a physician assistant. She joined Cape Fear Center for Digestive Diseases in 2019 and works alongside Dr. Kiran Nakkala in the clinic and at Cape Fear Valley Hospital. In her spare time, you can find her out for a run or spending time with her husband and two dogs.

Kristin Russell is a native of Stedman, North Carolina. She attended school at Cape Fear High School. She received her Bachelor of Science in the Physician Assistant Program from Methodist University in Fayetteville in 2004 and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She is board certified as a Physician Assistant. She is an active member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants. She joined our practice in November 2005 to function primarily as a Hospital-based PA. Her main interest is in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in the acute care setting.

Candy Thorpe is a native of Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Muskingum University in 2008. She was a Registered Nurse in the GI Lab in Colorado Springs and in the Emergency Department in Columbus, Ohio until obtaining her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati in 2016. After graduation she worked for a GI practice In Newark Ohio until 2020, when she joined Cape Fear Center for Digestive Diseases, PA. She is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. In her spare time she enjoys crafting and spending time with her husband and two children.