About

Dr. Emily Ching received her medical degree from McMaster University. She then completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Toronto and her gastroenterology fellowship at McMaster University, where she served as the Chief Gastroenterology Resident. Dr. Ching has been a community gastroenterologist and a co-founder of an outpatient-based gastroenterology clinic, GI Health Centre, in Burlington, Ontario, since 2012. Dr. Ching understands various community healthcare needs and has had working experiences in many of Ontario’s hospitals and communities, including Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, Baycrest Geriatric Centre and Hospital, and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. She is a member of the Board of Directors. She was the first female president (Oct 2022-Oct 2024) and is the immediate past president of the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology. Dr. Ching was the past Chair of the OMA Section on Gastroenterology (Feb 2022 – May 2024) and the current Priority and Leadership Group member for the OMA, contributing to advocating, prioritizing, and shaping the future of healthcare. Furthermore, she is an Ontario regional representative for the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology and a Digital Health Steering Committee member for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada for nationwide gastroenterology prioritization and improving patients’ healthcare delivery via digital platforms.

Dr. Sapna Makhija is a Gastroenterologist with a focus on clinical nutrition and obesity management. She earned her medical degree from the University of Saskatchewan, followed by an Internal Medicine residency and Gastroenterology specialization at the University of Calgary, where she served as chief resident. After completing a fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and Obesity at the University of Toronto, she co-founded the GI Health Centre in Burlington in 2012. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Makhija has been actively involved with the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology, where she has played a role in planning some of their annual meetings. She has also given numerous talks to her colleagues, contributing to the education and development of her peers. She has also served as a locum Gastroenterologist at Credit Valley Hospital, Mount St. Joseph, and Sunnybrook Hospital, where she mentored Gastroenterology fellows. With her Diplomate status from the American Board of Obesity Medicine, Dr. Makhija integrates her expertise in gastroenterology, nutrition, and obesity to offer comprehensive, patient-centered care. Her passion for advancing the field is evident in her commitment to education, clinical practice, and patient outcomes.

Dr. Avantika Marwaha completed her Doctor of Medicine at The University of Ottawa in 2004. She completed her internal medicine and gastroenterology fellowships at McMaster University, graduating in 2010. She worked at a variety of different OHPs and opened her own GI clinic and endoscopy practice at GI Health Centre, with partners Dr. Sapna Makhija and Dr. Emily Ching, in June 2012. Along with her colleagues, she has established a successful GI practice. Dr. Marwaha is active on multiple GI committees, including membership on the Executive committee of the Ontario Association of Clinic Endoscopists (OACE), which represents the interests of all Ontario OHPs run by either surgeons or gastroenterologists. She is also the Chair of the Canadian Global Rating Scale (C-GRS) sub committee on the Quality Affairs Committee of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. This committee oversees endoscopy quality indicators that are important in providing quality care to patients using a validated tool (C-GRS questionnaire) and is patient-centred. She is also an Executive member on the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology (OAG) organizing committee for the annual post-research GI conference, held in June of each year.