Sydnor Spivak, Emily, RM, MD

Dr. Juan F. Gallegos-Orozco graduated from medical school in Mexico and completed post-graduate medical education in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in both Mexico and the United States, where he completed fellowship training in Transplant Hepatology at the prestigious Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona in June 2012. His main clinical and research interests include the management of chronic viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver transplantation. He has published many research articles on these and other topics and has authored several book chapters pertaining to liver diseases. Dr. Gallegos-Orozco joined the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Utah School of Medicine in July, 2012 and is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and serves as the Medical Director for Hepatology and Liver Transplant.

Kathryn Peterson, MD is Professor of Gastroenterology at University of Utah Health. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Peterson specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the digestive system including Eosiniphilic Esophagitis, Barrett’s Esophagus, and inflammatory bowel disease. She completed her medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern, followed by residency and a fellowship at the University of Utah and a masters program in Epidemiology at Harvard University.

Dr. Colonna specializes in Acute Care Surgery which is composed of Trauma Surgery, Emergency General Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care. His clinical practice includes the University Hospital SICU and the University Trauma and Emergency Surgery (UTES) service. Dr. Colonna also has a General Surgery Clinic focused on basic general surgical pathology with a special interest in complex abdominal wall hernias. He is originally from South Carolina and completed his General Surgery Residency at East Tennessee State University. He went on to complete Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Fellowships at Wake Forest University. After a brief detour in private practice, Dr. Colonna joined the faculty at the University of Utah in 2012. Dr. Colonna has been Army Reservist since 2003 and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has completed multiple deployments to the Middle East to serve as a trauma surgeon taking care of the combat wounded, most recently to Iraq in 2023-2024 where he served as Trauma Medical Director for Operation Inherent Resolve. Dr. Colonna has a focus on medical education, having previously directed the MS-3 and MS-4 surgery clerkships, and is the program director of the SCC/ACS fellowships. His research interests include cost-effectiveness analysis, educational research with a focus on simulation, and acute care surgery/trauma. Dr. Colonna is the inaugural Emergency Surgery Medical Director and is working toward EGS verification by the American College of Surgeons. Finally, he serves has the chair of the Utah State COT.