About Us

 

Dan Merenstein, MD
Principal Investigator

Dr. Merenstein is actively involved in clinical, teaching, and research endeavors in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University.  He has published and presented nationally and internationally on a variety of research topics.  He has a special interest in effectiveness research, or research occurring in real-life situations.  He is the principal investigator on the PRIDE study and has organized and will oversee the research team that is conducting the study.

Dr. Merenstein is a graduate of Brandeis University and Jefferson Medical College.  He completed his residency at Fairfax Family Practice in VA, where he was chief resident.  He is married with 4 boys, ages 3, 6, 9 and a newborn.

 

Caren Palese, MD
Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Caren Palese is actively involved in the care of patients, teaching as well as clinical research in the field of gastroenterology. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center in the Division of Gastroenterology where she subspecializes in the study of gastrointestinal motility and heartburn. In addition to an active endoscopic practice, she performs esophageal manometry, diagnostic pH testing for heartburn, as well anorectal manometry.

She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of NYU. She completed her internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Georgetown University Medical Center. She is double board certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology.

 

Hillary Scott, CRNP
Nutritionist

**Photo coming soon

Hillary Scott is actively involved in the care of patients and clinical research in the field of gastroenterology. She specializes in gastrointestinal motility and esophageal disease, specifically the evaluation of GERD.  She is a nurse practitioner at Georgetown University Medical Center in the Division of Gastroenterology and has been an integral team member of Georgetown's Center for Gastrointestinal Motility.

She received her undergraduate degree in Foods and Nutrition from Radford University.  She received her Masters of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University.

 

Jessy Gonzalez
Project Coordinator

Jessy Gonzalez is a graduate of Brigham Young University, where she earned a degree in Conservation Biology. During her college years, she worked as a Research and Teacher Assistant and participated in the Best Buddies program. After graduating, Jessy worked as a substitute teacher for Challenger School. She then worked at Echo Hill Outdoor School as a science and group development teacher. She has been with the Georgetown University Research Team for over three years and currently serves as Project Coordinator for the PRIDE study. She is fluent in Spanish.

 

Tina Tan
Research Associate
           

Tina Tan is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in East Asian Studies.  Her final research project was a cross-country study on approaches to math and science education in Japan and the U.S.  Prior to joining Georgetown, she worked for a private wealth management firm in her hometown of New York and then as a research assistant for an international development organization in DC.  She currently serves as Research Associate for the Department of Family Medicine and Network Coordinator for CAPRICORN, a practice-based research network in the DC metropolitan area.  She will serve as a liaison to the IRB and the DSMB for the PRIDE Study.

She enjoys traveling, gastronomy, architectural photography and hiking.

 

Alex Hahn
Research Assistant

Alex Hahn is a graduate of Swarthmore College, where he earned his BA as a double major in Biology and Sociology & Anthropology and played lacrosse. His senior sociology thesis focused on the effects of globalization on local indigenous diets in Monteverde, Costa Rica, where he studied abroad for eight months. After college, he worked as a laboratory coordinator in the Department of Human Science at Georgetown University for two years. In addition to participating in research on skeletal muscle, breast cancer, and protein transport, he was a TA for several laboratory courses. He is also currently volunteering at the Arlington Free Clinic in Arlington, VA.