About the contributor

• Radu Tutuian
• Donald O. Castell

Radu Tutuian

Radu Tutuian obtained his MD at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Daivla" in Bucharest, Romania. He came to the Philadelphia in 1999 where he began his interest in esophageal diseases under the mentorship of Donald Castell. His is currently working with Donald Castell at the Medical University of South Carolina and his main interests are clarifying the functional aspects of esophageal motility abnormalities and understanding the mechanisms of persistent symptoms in GERD patients on acid suppressive therapy.

Donald O. Castell

Dr Donald Castell is a 1960 graduate of the George Washington University School of Medicine, and served as a medical officer in the US Navy from 1959 to 1979. Before retiring with the rank of captain, he spent his last four years of active service as Chairman of Medicine at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He has held faculty positions at George Washington University School of Medicine, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. From April, 1992 to September, 2001 he was the Kimbel Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, PA and Professor of Medicine. In October, 2001 Dr. Castell joined the faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston where he is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Esophageal Disorders Program. Dr Castell was President of the American Gastroenterological Association from 1998 to 1999. Dr Castell is internationally recognized as a leading authority on diseases of the esophagus and esophageal function, and has authored or co-authored more than 500 scientific publications. He is also the editor and principal contributor of The Esophagus, the primary text on this subject.