Priya Kathpalia, MD

Dr. Priya Kathpalia is a gastroenterologist who cares for patients with conditions affecting the esophagus (the tube that goes from the mouth to the stomach), offering both diagnostic and therapeutic expertise. She treats esophageal motility disorders (problems with food passing through the esophagus), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eosinophilic esophagitis (chronic inflammation of the esophagus likely caused by allergies) and other complex conditions involving the first part of the digestive tract. In addition to performing upper endoscopies and colonoscopies, she uses advanced diagnostic methods, such as esophageal manometry, Bravo esophageal pH monitoring, esophageal impedance pH testing, EndoFLIP and mucosal impedance (MiVu) studies. She serves as medical director of services for patients with issues related to esophageal motility.

Kathpalia earned her medical degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, where she also completed a residency in internal medicine and served as chief resident. She completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at UCSF.

Passionate about medical education and curriculum development, Kathpalia directs UCSF's gastroenterology fellowship program. She also co-chairs the UCSF Medical Staff Committee on Professionalism. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, where she served on the training committee. She also serves on the American Foregut Society's clinical practice committee and previously was a member of the editorial board for the journal Gastroenterology.