Core Faculty
Program Director:
Amandeep Kalra, MD
Medical School: Government Medical College
Internal Medicine Internship– University of Illinois at Urbana
Internal Medicine Residency– University of Illinois at Urbana
Gastroenterology Fellowship: University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinic
Dr. Kalra joined Mary Washington Hospital in October 2020. He completed his fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Wisconsin and his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Board-certified in gastroenterology, Dr. Kalra has expertise in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures, including colonoscopy, esophageal dilation, and banding of esophageal varices. His clinical interests include inflammatory bowel disease—shaped by his work in the IBD clinic at Wisconsin—as well as liver disorders such as fatty liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis B and C. He also provides care for patients with irritable bowel syndrome and eosinophilic esophagitis.
From 2011 to 2016, Dr. Kalra served as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was actively involved in teaching internal medicine residents and medical students. During his tenure, he contributed to the medical school admissions process and completed a faculty development fellowship to strengthen his teaching skills. He also completed the Stanford Teaching Course. From 2019 to 2020, he was involved in teaching endoscopic procedures to surgery residents in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
At Mary Washington Hospital, Dr. Kalra serves as the Site Director for Gastroenterology in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, where he develops curricula for both inpatient and outpatient GI rotations and leads lecture series for residents. He also serves as the Director of GI Endoscopy, overseeing quality, education, and standards in endoscopic care. Recognized for his dedication to teaching, he was awarded Best Teacher by the Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2025. He has a strong interest in medical education and is excited to help launch a Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at Mary Washington Hospital.
In 2025, Dr. Kalra was also named one of Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top Doctors in Gastroenterology, reflecting his commitment to clinical excellence and patient care.
In addition to his teaching and leadership roles, Dr. Kalra is actively engaged in research, including studies on capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. He is dedicated to evidence-based medicine and prioritizes patient-centered care, involving patients in their treatment planning.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Kalra enjoys traveling, mountain biking, downhill snow skiing, and hiking.
Core Faculty:
Narayan Dharel, MD, PhD
Division Chief and Medical Director of Gastroenterology Service Line
Medical School: Tribhuvan University
Doctor of Philosophy: University of Tokyo, Japan
Internal Medicine Residency: Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
Gastroenterology Fellowship: Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center
Transplant Hepatology Fellowship: Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center
Dr. Dharel joined Mary Washington Healthcare in July 2015, as a member of Gastroenterology Associates of Fredericksburg, after completing a dual fellowship in Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, a Cornell University affiliate in Brooklyn NY, and worked in Boston for four years as Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School where was a member of Harvard Medical Faculty.
Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Transplant Hepatology, Dr. Dharel has also completed ASGE sponsored Advanced Fellowship in Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) from UVA, and specializes in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures, including EGD, colonoscopy, EUS, hemorrhoid banding, variceal banding, Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) of Barrett’s, stenting of complex strictures, Fibroscan, liver biopsy, etc. His areas of expertise include colon cancer screening and prevention, management of GERD, Barrett’s, IBS, IBD, as well as general and advanced hepatology including Fatty Liver/MASH. He was instrumental in bringing Fibroscan to Fredericksburg, a noninvasive tool to assess liver steatosis (fat) and fibrosis (scarring), and following his advanced EUS training, he now provides advanced endohepatology services for comprehensive and one stop assessment of complex liver diseases including EUS guided liver biopsy, portal pressure measurement (EUS-PPG), elastography among others.
Originally from Napal where he completed his medical school graduating at the top of his class, his clinical experiences include a clinical clerkship at University of Basel, Switzerland and a PhD (in Hepatitis C) from University of Tokyo, Japan. He has authored numerous publications and presented at national and international conferences. He is keen at teaching medical students and residents and has served in various leadership roles. He is a clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He previously served as the Medical Director of Endoscopy at Mary Washington Hospital from 2019-2021. He was the founding Medical Director of the state of art Fredericksburg Endoscopy Center from 2020 to 2025. He now serves as the Division Chief and Medical Director of Gastroenterology Service Line for Mary Washington Health Care.
Dr. Dharel is Fellow of American College of Gastroenterology and currently serves in its Patient Care Subcommittee. He is a member of American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and serves in its Endohepatology SIG and is a member of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
Well-liked by his patients and peers, Dr. Dharel has been recognized as one of the region's top gastroenterologists by Northern Virginia Magazine every year since 2020.
Chetan Pai, DO
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Internal Medicine Residency– Henry Ford Hospital
Gastroenterology Fellowship: Henry Ford Hospital
Chetan Pai, DO, MBA is a board-certified gastroenterologist who has been practicing in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Virginia since 2009. Over the years, Dr. Pai has played a pivotal role in expanding gastroenterology services to better meet the needs of the community.
He earned his medical degree from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital, where he specialized in gastroenterology, hepatology, and advanced endoscopy (ERCP & EUS). His areas of expertise include therapeutic endoscopy, colon cancer screening, GERD, liver disease, and bile duct/pancreatic disorders.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Pai serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs at Mary Washington Hospital. He also holds an MBA from George Washington University. Recognized for his expertise, he has been named one of Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top Doctors in gastroenterology every year since 2012.
Dr. Pai is an active member of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Outside of medicine, he enjoys boating, biking, and working out with his wife and two daughters in Stafford County.
Anwar Dudekula, MD
Medical School: Kurnool Medical College
Internal Medicine Residency– Louisiana State University Medical Center – Shreveport
Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology Fellowship University of Massachusetts Medical Center GME
Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology Fellowship: St. Peters University Hospital GME
Neurological Surgery Fellowship: University of Colorado at Denver
Dr. Dudekula joined the practice in August 2021. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado, a gastroenterology fellowship at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, and an advanced therapeutic endoscopy fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Board-certified in gastroenterology, Dr. Dudekula is skilled in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, including EGD, colonoscopy, luminal stenting, video capsule endoscopy, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for Barrett’s Esophagus. He also has expertise in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), ERCP, and enteral stenting.
Dr. Dudekula has published multiple articles and received several honors during his training.
Lawrence Comerford, MD
Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina
Internal Medicine Residency: Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Gastroenterology Fellowship University of Virginia
Dr. Lawrence W. Comerford has over 25 years’ experience helping patients improve their digestive health.
Dr. Comerford moved frequently as a child because of his father’s career in the US Air Force. After graduating from high school in Pensacola, Florida, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland, graduating in 1983 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He attended Nuclear Power School and spent 10 years in the US Navy as an engineering duty officer working on nuclear submarines and in shipyards. He earned a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.
In 1993, he left the Navy to pursue a career in medicine. He earned his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, South Carolina in 1997. He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, in 2000. He was awarded the Mayo Department of Medicine’s prestigious “Attitude, Commitment, & Excellence Award” in 2000.
In 2003, he completed a Gastroenterology Fellowship at the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, Virginia. He was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Research Training Fellow in Digestive Diseases while at UVA, performing research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). He won the American College of Gastroenterology Fellow Clinical Research Award in 2003. He received his Masters of Science in Health Evaluation Sciences at UVA in 2004.
Dr. Comerford has served on the faculties of the UVA (2003-2005), MUSC (2006-2013), and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA (2017-2019) where he has taught medical students, residents, and GI fellows. He was the Associate GI Fellowship Director at both UVA and MUSC. He received the MUSC Department of Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008. He served as Head of the IBD Section at MUSC and was active in clinical research in IBD publishing papers and book chapters. He has presented abstracts and been an invited speaker at national medical conferences. He has been a guest lecturer at the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences Physician Assistant program (affiliated with Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA) He is Board Certified in Gastroenterology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a Fellow in the American Gastroenterological Association and a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
Dr. Comerford has a general gastrointestinal and liver disease practice with a special interest in treating inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease).
Allan Hardy , MD, FOMA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Internal Medicine Residency: Howard University Hospital
Gastroenterology Fellowship Howard University Hospital Division of Gastroenterology
Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship: University of North Carolina
Dr. Allan L. Hardy is originally from Durham, NC and joined Mary Washington Gastroenterology in May 2025. He received his B.A. from Hampton University in Hampton, VA and attended medical school at the MCV/VCU School of Medicine in Richmond VA. During his residency in Internal Medicine at Howard University Hospital (Washington, DC) he served as Housestaff President where he worked closely with the Director of Graduate Medical Education during an ACGME review. He later served as Chief Resident and completed a 3-year Gastroenterology Fellowship. During his tenure at Howard he received the medical student teaching award for 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. After his initial 3-year Gastroenterology Fellowship at Howard University Hospital he completed a one-year Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill where he was trained in Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). During that time at UNC-Chapel Hill he also received training from the UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders.
Pursuing his interest in Obesity Medicine, Dr. Hardy obtained board certification in Obesity Medicine in 2018 (Diplomate, American Board of Obesity Medicine). The same year he created a “Gastroenterology Metabolic Clinic” for weight loss, which was expanded to the “Lifestyle and Weight Management Program” the following year. Since that time he has served on the Speakers Bureau Committee, Advocacy Committee and is currently on the Membership Committee for the Obesity Medicine Association. In the Spring of 2025 he was awarded Fellowship status with the Obesity Medicine Association (Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association).
Throughout his career he has been involved with educating the community, PA students, medical students, residents and colleagues. Dr. Hardy gave Gastroenterology lectures for the MedStudy Internal Medicine Review Course in Denver, CO in 2017 and 2018. He served as an Assistant Professor with Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) from 2017 to 2021. He was awarded “Lecturer of the year” by the Murphy Deming Physician Assistant program in 2020, 2022, and 2023. For his efforts in advancing the cause of Obesity care he received the Dr. Peter G. Lindner Award from the Obesity Medicine Association in 2021. Dr. Hardy has written articles for the Freelance Star and appeared twice on SiriusXM 126’s “The Karen Hunter Show”. His clinical interests are Biliary/Pancreatic disorders, IBS/Functional GI disorders and Obesity Medicine.