Foundation Leadership

Dr. George Catinis was born in Damascus, Syria, to a Greek Father and a Syrian Mother. His multicultural upbringing helped shape the person he became. He received his medical degree from Damascus University School of Medicine in 1989. He performed his Gastroenterology Fellowship at LSU from 1995 to 1997. He then completed an advanced Fellowship in transplant hepatology and biliary endoscopy at LSU from 1997 to 1998.

Dr. Catinis held the position of Medical Director of the Liver Transplantation Program at LSU from 1998 to 2000, where he taught and supervised physicians in training. He is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and held memberships in other medical organizations, including the American College of Physicians and American Gastroenterology Association. Dr. Catinis is currently Medical Director of the New Orleans Research Institute and has been involved in clinical research for a period spanning nearly two decades.

Dr. Catinis has authored and coauthored numerous articles in the field of gastroenterology and has received multiple awards for his work from various medical societies. He was recognized as a professional with outstanding abilities and featured numerous times in the “Best Doctors” issue of New Orleans Magazine.

He is the Director of Education at GI Alliance, where he directs multiple educational projects including an annual CME course, APP advanced training program. He is the president of the Boards of Directors of the GIANT LEAP Foundation, a non-for-profit he founded in 2022.

Dr. Catinis is an avid athlete, marathon runner, and triathlete Ironman finisher. He served as the Parish Council President at The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans.

Dr. Ritter is board-certified in both gastroenterology and internal medicine and has advanced experience in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Clinical Trials. He completed his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M and went to Medial school at UT Southwestern, where he completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at UT Southwestern/Parkland hospital in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Ritter is an avid reader, loves to travel and is very active with the Boy Scouts. He is an active member of the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, Texas Society for Gastroenterology & endoscopy, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

As Chief Medical Officer for GI Alliance, Dr. Chapman is focused on elevating, and standardizing the quality of care for all patients across the network. Some of the areas Dr. Chapman has direct responsibility over include, but are not limited to are patient care, safety, and outcomes. Additionally, Dr. Chapman is responsible to drive the implementation of efficiencies including care pathways, clinical decision support tools, and methods to measure successes reflecting the constant evolution of care delivery. Like all the executive-physicians at GI Alliance, Dr. Chapman holds himself to the mission of being Patient First, Quality Centric, and Physician Lead. Along with elevating consistent quality care across GI Alliance, he is also focused on driving value as a business.

Dr. Chapman is an actively practicing gastroenterologist, in Baton Rogue, LA, with a focus on Inflammatory Bowel Disease. An expert in this subspecialty, Dr. Chapman, credits his focus on care delivery, care coordination, patient education, and outreach for our patients for his success with chronic conditions. He also believes that the importance of the physician/patient relationship cannot be understated; the correct relationships can drive positive outcomes. He shares his passion for Gastroenterology and patient care with peers as a Board Member of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

Casey Chapman MD
Chief Medical Officer , GI Alliance
Gastroenterologist , Baton Rouge, LA

Dr. Berggreen serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of the GI Alliance and is the Founder and President of Arizona Digestive Health, a part of the GI Alliance and the largest gastroenterology group in the western US. He has been in private practice in Phoenix since 1993 and served as site director of the University of Arizona/Phoenix VA GI fellowship program for 16 years. Dr. Berggreen’s interest in improving patient communication and care coordination has led him to spearhead the Chronic Care Management initiative within the GI Alliance

He has held various executive roles for the Digestive Health Physicians Association (DHPA), a national not-for-profit political advocacy organization supporting over 2300 gastroenterologists and their patients. Currently, he is the chair of data analytics, an assignment that complements his long-term interest in using data to improve patient care and the care process. He speaks nationally about data initiatives in medicine and their practical applications. Additionally, he is also an advisor to Gastro GPO and holds a position on the medical advisory board of AmSurg.

Dr. Berggreen earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans. He completed his internal medicine residency at Good Samaritan Medical Center and his GI fellowship at the University of Arizona/Phoenix VA Medical Center.

Dr. Sarles is a board-certified gastroenterologist with extensive advanced experience in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology, practicing in Rockwall, Texas. He is currently the medical director and principal investigator in clinical research for GI Alliance in Garland, Texas. He is directing trials in multiple fields of gastroenterology including inflammatory bowel disease, (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis), gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome, eosinophilic esophagitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Dr. Sarles personal interests are in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colon cancer prevention and early detection, and esophageal problems. He has extensive training and experience in all endoscopic procedures. He also offers a nonsurgical hemorrhoidal banding procedure in-office to eliminate symptomatic hemorrhoids.

In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Sarles has served as the past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and the Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy.

Dr. Sarles is a board-certified gastroenterologist with extensive advanced experience in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology, practicing in Rockwall, Texas. He is currently the medical director and principal investigator in clinical research for GI Alliance in Garland, Texas. He is directing trials in multiple fields of gastroenterology including inflammatory bowel disease, (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis), gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome, eosinophilic esophagitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Dr. Sarles personal interests are in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colon cancer prevention and early detection, and esophageal problems. He has extensive training and experience in all endoscopic procedures. He also offers a nonsurgical hemorrhoidal banding procedure in-office to eliminate symptomatic hemorrhoids.

In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Sarles has served as the past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and the Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy.

Dr. Rosenblatt earned her Bachelor of Science in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her Doctor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She pursued sub-specialty training in gastroenterology at the University of Washington.

Dr. Rosenblatt earned her Bachelor of Science in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her Doctor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She pursued sub-specialty training in gastroenterology at the University of Washington.