High-quality care to Tucson for over 40 years

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Get To Know Our New Doctor

Dr. Abboud is an Interventional Gastroenterologist who specializes in the treatment of diseases of the pancreas, biliary system, liver, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon.
 
He performs diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that include endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasonography, small bowel enteroscopy, enteral stenting, endoscopic mucosal resection, in addition to routine upper endoscopy and colonoscopy.
 
Dr. Abboud is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.  Prior to his appointment at the University of Arizona,  Dr. Abboud served as Director of Gastroenterology at the Conemaugh Health System in Pennsylvania.
 
He completed his training in Gastroenterology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and his Training in Interventional Gastroenterology and Endoscopic Ultrasonography at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, consistently ranked among the top two institutions for gastroenterology in the nation.
 
Dr. Abboud is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has won both patient recognition awards and scholar awards including from the American Liver Foundation.
 
He is a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American Gastroenterological Association and the ASGE Endoscopic Oncology Special Interest Group.  Dr. Abboud has been a lecturer and educational moderator at various local and national symposia, including at DDW (Digestive Disease Week) and presently serves as section editor for the medical journal Current Gastroenterology Reports.
 
By joining Arizona Gastroenterology, Dr. Abboud is partnering with a group of expert gastroenterologists who have been serving the Tucson community for over four decades.

Our Doctors

Dr. Bryan Contreras

M.D.
Bryan Contreras MD was born and raised in California. He received his Medical degree from the University of Southern California. He completed his residency at the University of California San Diego Medical Center and his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. Dr Contreras has been practicing medicine since 2003. Board Certified in Gastroenterology. His clinical interest include; research studies, Radiofrequency ablation for treatment of Barrett’s and Interstim therapy for the treatment of incontinence. His hobbies include; spending time with his children, collecting muscle cars, and practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Dr. Scott Blinkoff

M.D.
Scott Blinkoff, MD was born and raised in Buffalo New York. He received his undergraduate with honors and distinction from Cornell University He went on to receive his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1987 and completed his fellowship in gastroenterology from Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx New York. Dr Blinkoff has practiced in Tucson for over 25 years. He is Board Certified in Gastroenterology since 1990. His clinical interests includes General gastroenterology and hemorrhoid treatment. He is also does Interstim therapy for bowel incontinence. Dr Blinkoff lives in Tucson with his family enjoying outdoor activities of hiking, golfing, and tennis.

Dr. Frederick Klein

M.D.
Fred Klein MD was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois. His Internship, residency and Fellowship were done at Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago Illinois. While at Northwestern he was awarded Top Research Fellow in the Chicago area and wrote 3 NIH grants. Dr. Klein is board certified in Internal medicine and Gastroenterology. His clinical interest lie in the area of cancers and nutritional support. Dr. Klein started his practice in Tucson in 1980. He is the founding physician of Arizona Gastroenterology. During his tenure, he headed the steering committee for Northwest Hospital as well as being the 1st Chief of staff for Northwest Hospital. He was instrumental in developing nutritional support teams in local metro area. He also did the 1st esophageal manometry and Ph monitoring in adults and children in Tucson. Dr. Klein enjoys antique cars, books, and artifacts from the Spanish American War. He loves to travel and experience different cultures. He enjoys being a grandfather to his three grandchildren.

Dr. Leon Tsai

M.D.
Leon Tsai MD was born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana . He has an undergraduate in education with a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Louisiana State University and French Language Studies from the Institute Des Etudiants Estrangers Paul Valery Montpellier III, France. Dr. Tsai earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in a combined program of Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics from 1984 to 1988. He was an Area Peace Corps Medical Officer stationed in the city of Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa for Peace Corps volunteer from 1995 – 1997. His fellowship in gastroenterology was completed from Louisiana State University Medical Center in 2002. Dr Tsai is Board Certified in Gastroenterology. He has practice in Tucson for 2002. His clinical interest include hemorrhoid treatment. He lives in Tucson with his family. He enjoys reading, playing the Ukulele, dancing the Argentina tango, cooking and relaxing at home and outdoors with his wife and daughter.

Dr. Larissa Allen

M.D.
Dr. Allen was raised in Tucson, Arizona. She received her undergraduate degree from Illinois State University where she graduated Cum Laude and also completed a four-year collegiate tennis career. After returning to Tucson, she graduated from medical school in 2008, subsequently completing her Internal Medicine Residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Allen is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Her specialty areas of interest are in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal motility disorders, and colorectal cancer prevention. Practically a Tucson native, she is dedicated to serving the Tucson community. She enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, attending music concerts and performances, and is an avid snow skier.

Dr. Kavitha Tipirneni

D.O.
We are happy to welcome Dr. Kavitha Tipirneni back to Arizona Gastroenterology. Dr. Tipirneni hails from Columbus, Ohio and she earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Michigan. During her collegiate tenure, Dr. Tipirneni was a student athlete. She was a proud member of the Michigan Wolverines tennis team for all four of her undergraduate years. The University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is where Dr. Tipirneni completed medical school. She then proceeded to St. Michael’s Medical Center, which is an affiliate hospital of Seton Hall University in Newark, NJ. It was there that she completed her Internal Medicine residency, and continued on to complete her Gastroenterology fellowship at Largo Medical Center in Florida. Her clinical interests include Hepatology, General Gastroenterology and Women’s Digestive Health. Dr. Tipirneni is board certified in both Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology. She sees patients primarily out of our Northwest office location. She is the proud mother of two daughters. Dr. Tipirneni enjoys tennis, running, and hiking. She is also an avid football fan, supporting her alma mater the Michigan Wolverines.

Guatemala Kimble

FNP
Guatemala began his health education at Northwestern University where he obtained a certificate of Respiratory Therapy in 1986. He continued his educations and received an Associate’s Degree in Nursing in 2006 from Oakland Community College in Auburn, MI.; then he completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing in 2013 from Oakland University in Rochester , MI. Mr. Kimble proceeded on to receive his MSN/ in the Family Nurse Practitioner in 2015 from South University, in Novi, MI. With more than 25 years of diverse professional experience in the medical field including respiratory care and nursing, Mr. Kimble strives to provide patient-focused care that prioritizes a quality patient experience. His clinical career started as a Respiratory Therapist at Detroit, Michigan’s Harper and Children’s Hospital. In 2008, he became a registered nurse working in the pulmonary unit at Botsford Hospital in Farmington, MI. In 2016 Mr. Kimble became a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. He also holds Certifications in Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Mr. Kimble became a member of the Arizona Gastroenterology family in 2018.

Lisa Medeiros

CRNP
Lisa Medeiros was born in North Carolina and raised in Maryland. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1981, and a Master of Science in Nursing degree in 2004 from the University of Maryland. She is a board-certified family nurse practitioner who over the past sixteen years has specialized in gastroenterology. She has experience in diagnosing and managing a variety of gastrointestinal disorders and provides compassionate and individualized care for her patients. Lisa enjoys traveling and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

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