Our Physicians

Sunil K. Khurana, MD

Sunil K. Khurana, MD, Managing Partner, practicing for over 25 years, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

Dr. Khurana was born in India, attended medical school at The Rohtak Medical School in India. In 1977, he started an internship in New Delhi, and eventually moved to New York City where he entered an internship with New York Medical College. In 1983, Dr. Khurana completed his internship, residency and fellowship in gastroenterology at New York Medical College and began a solo practice in Fishkill, New York. Ten years later, he co-founded Gastroenterology Associates (GI Associates). Today, GI Associates has seven physicians, a nurse practitioner, and a physician assistant.

Dr. Khurana has been very active in hospital and community affairs, starting with Vassar Brothers where he has served in many roles: Chief of Gastroenterology (1991-1998), Chief of Medicine (1998-2000), President of the Medical /Dental Staff (2003-2004). Dr Khurana has been a member of Vassar Brothers Medical Center Board since 2003 and is currently serving as Chairman of the Board. Dr. Khurana also served as a member of both the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Dutchess County (1992- 1995) and the Community Foundation of Dutchess County (1999- 2008). In 1991, Dr. Khurana was chosen as VBMC Physician of the Year, just one year after this prestigious program was initiated.

Dr. Khurana is a fellow American College of Gastroenterology and American Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Khurana is proficient in all endoscopic procedures with a special interest in Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Dr. Khurana is very active in our Research Program serving as Principal Investigator for many studies which include our Crohn’s Disease Study, Humira and Cimzia, and serving as Sub-Investigator for our GERD study and Hepatitis Study.

Peter M. Varunok, M.D.

Peter M. Varunok, M.D. joined our practice in 1993 as a Board Certified gastroenterologist after completing his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and his fellowship at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York.

Dr. Varunok received his undergraduate degree from SUNY Binghamton, New York

He graduated Cum Laude from SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New York in 1988. In 1987 he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society.

Dr. Varunok has extensive experience in all aspects of Gastrointestinal disease including a keen interest in diseases of the Liver. Dr. Varunok has many years of experience with Clinical Trials in Liver Research. Dr. Varunok is very active in our Research Program and is our Principal Investigator for all of our Hepatitis Studies and our primary Hepatologist for Gastroenterology Associates.

Dr. Varunok currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Community Action Agency of Dutchess County as well as advisor to the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. Dr. Varunok is the Hepatology advisor for Dutchess County Department of Health, Gastroenterology advisor for Hudson Valley Community Health Service. He is dedicated to supplying health care to all those in need and has visited Arriquipa, Peru for a Medical Mission.

Dr. Varunok was elected Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association, is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American College of Physicians, New York State and Dutchess County Medical Society.

Salvatore M. Buffa, M.D.

Salvatore M. Buffa, M.D. joined our practice in 1996 as a board certified gastroenterologist after completing his residency and fellowship in Philadelphia. His training was completed at Presbyterian Medical Center and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Dr. Buffa received his undergraduate degree from Emory University before graduating medical school from St. George's University School of Medicine. As a lifelong New York resident, Dr. Buffa returned to his home state after training to join Gastroenterology Associates. He is currently the Chief, Gastroenterology Division at Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Assistant Chief of the Internal Medicine Department.

Robert S. Dean, M.D.

Dr. Dean has raised his family and practiced at Gastroenterology Associates in the Hudson Valley since 1998.

Originally, Dr. Dean is from the Midwest, where he completed medical school at The University of Health Sciences/ The Chicago Medical School. Internal Medicine residency and Gastroenterology Fellowships were completed at The Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Dean’s eastward migration began when he accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester, a position which he held for four years. While in Rochester, Dr. Dean’s responsibilities included clinical research, education and supervision of medical students, medical residents, and GI Fellows as well as a busy clinical practice.

In addition to his interest in the practice of general Gastroenterology, Dr. Dean has special training and experience in advanced endoscopic, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Dr. Dean’s goals are to provide the most up to date techniques that medical science allows, with minimal trauma to the individual. To that end, Dr. Dean has been involved in the research and development of new, less invasive medical devices with both private industry and academic medical centers.

Khurram I. Ashraf, D.O.

Khurram I. Ashraf, D.O. joined Gastroenterology Associates in 2005. Dr. Ashraf was in solo practice in Poughkeepsie for 5 years prior to joining GI Associates. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University in 1990. He then went on to study medicine at University of New England and received a D.O. degree in 1994. Dr. Ashraf finished Internal Medicine residency and then went on to do Gastroenterology fellowship both from Stony Brook University Hospital in Long Island, NY.

Currently, he is a partner in our practice and attending physician at Vassar Brothers Medical center, St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie and St.Luke’s-Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh. Dr. Ashraf practices all forms of Gastroenterology and performs Endoscopic procedures in both Poughkeepsie and Newburgh area. His special interests are in Gastrointestinal Oncology and specializes in Endoscopic Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration of tumors. He is an expert in performing Infrared Coagulation for the treatment of hemorrhoids.

Arif M. Muslim, M.D., F.A.C.G., F.A.G.A, F.A.S.G.E.

Arif M. Muslim, M.D. joined the practice in 2005 as a Board Certified Gastroenterologist after practicing solo in Newburgh, New York for 28 years.

Dr. Muslim received his undergraduate degree from D.J. Government Science College of Karachi University. He attended medical school at King Edward Medical College, Lahore, both in his native country of Pakistan. He moved to the United States in 1970 and completed his medical residency and fellowship in gastroenterology at Nassau County Medical Center, Teaching campus of State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he held the position of Instructor in Medicine.

He moved to Orange County in 1977 and since then has been in active practice of gastroenterology and liver diseases. He has been very active in hospital and community affairs, having served as Chairman of Gastroenterology Medicine, Member of Board of Trustees and President of Orange County Medical Society. Dr. Muslim currently serves as the Chairman of the credentials committee and The Foundation Board at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.

He was awarded a lifetime achievement award from St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and is also a recipient of the pillar of community award by Family Health Center, City of Newburgh. He is a fellow American College of Gastroenterology, American Society of Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and American Gastro Association. He has a special interest in IBD and liver diseases.

Srinivasan Selvaraj, MD

Dr. Selvaraj graduated with a medical degree from University of Madras, India. He has completed his internal medicine training in New Jersey and Gastroenterology fellowship at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center in Bronx, New York. He has taught medical residents and Gastroenterology fellows over the years at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, a major teaching center affiliated with New York Medical College.

Dr. Selvaraj is a Fellow of American College of Gastroenterology and a member of the American Gastroenterology Association.

Dr. Selvaraj was in solo practice for twenty years before moving down to Melbourne, Florida in 2005. He joined a large multi-specialty group and became the Director of Melbourne GI Center. He recently returned to New York and has joined Gastroenterology Associates. His special interests include small bowel capsule endoscopy, colon cancer prevention program and inflammatory bowel disease.

Sven Hida, MD

Dr. Hida was born in Bucuresti, Romania and lived in Haifa, Israel before settling in New York. He returns upstate to join Premier Medical Group after having completed Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Gastroenterology training at Winthrop-University Hospital in Long Island, NY a program academically affiliated with Stony Brook University, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center as well as Jacobi-Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Hida has trained with Dr. James H. Grendell, Stavros N. Stavropoulos, David M. Friedel, Kavita R. Kongara, Bonnie Pollack as well as Peter Malet for a well balanced experience in pancreatology, hepatology, motility disorders an advanced endoscopic procedures including radiofrequency ablation for Barrett's esophagus, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP), choledochoscopy (SpyGlass), video capsule endoscopy and spiral enteroscopy With an emphasis on diagnosis and early detection of gastrointestinal and biliary cancers.

Dr. Hida is proficient in several languages including Spanish, Hebrew and Romanian. Among several interests, Dr. Hida participated actively in a program similar to Doctors Without Borders called Pediatricians for Central America's Children (PFCAC) where he was working closely with both children and adult patients of El Salvador and Guatemala and has captured those experiences on photographs that have been widely publicized.

Dr. Hida has published several papers and studies among which are ones dealing with Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMN), Eosinophilic Esophagitis With Gastric Heterotopia, Synthesis of tri(m-sulfonatedphenyl)phosphine (tppts): The importance of ph in the work-up, Abbreviated Treatment Course of Hepatitis C Genotype III with Pegylated Interferon Alpha and Ribavirin in Non-Responders, Consideration for Prophylactic Antibiotics in an Immunocompromised Patient Receiving Botulinum Toxin for Gastroparesis, Multiple Cystic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms in a Patient Diagnosed via Endoscopic UltrasoundûFine-Needle Aspiration, Endoscopic Submucosal Myotomy for the Treatment of Achalasia and Surrogate Consent for Placing Percutaneous Gastrostomy Tubes in Patients With Primary Diagnosis of Dementia and maintains a strong interest in research and development of advanced endoscopic tools and techniques.

Farshad Elmi, MD

Dr. Farshad Elmi was born in Tehran, Iran. He attended his medical school at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and then came to the United States to continue his medical training. He did his medical internship at Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, CT from 2000-2001 and medical residency at University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa from 2001-2003. He then served as medical Faculty in Internal Medicine at University of Iowa from 2003-2006. Dr. Elmi did a fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at University of Iowa from 2006-2009. During his time in Iowa, Dr. Elmi also attended the school of public health at University of Iowa and received a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation in 2009. After finishing general GI fellowship, Dr. Elmi did an advanced endoscopy fellowship at Yale University in New Haven, CT where he received extensive training in all therapeutic endoscopies including ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

Dr. Elmi is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He has an interest in general gastroenterology and various endoscopic procedures particularly EUS and fine needle aspiration of various GI and pancreatobiliary tumors. He has written numerous publications on a variety of gastrointestinal topics and presented his research at several national meetings.