From the Doctor

Treatments and procedures offered:

Dr Akerkar has clinical interest and expertise in inflammatory bowel disease, viral hepatitis and celiac disease. She is particularly interested in issues involving women including managing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis during pregnancy.

Business Summary:

Dr. Akerkar attended Cornell Medical College and then completed a residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston in Internal Medicine. She finished a gastroenterology fellowship at University of California in San Francisco. She returned to the Boston Area and has been in practice at Digestive Health Specialists and Circle Health /Lowell General Hospital for over 15 years. She serves as a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School and is an attending physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Awards and/or Certifications:

Alpha Omega Alpha, Top Doc Castle Connolly Boston Magazine 2018

What’s your background, education and training?

Cornell University - BS
Cornell Medical College-MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Internal Medicine
UCSF - Gastroenterology Fellowship

What inspired your passion for your profession?

Gastroenterology disorders can affect multiple organ systems. Patients may present with diarrhea but have a thyroid problem. It is important to consider the entire body when evaluating a patient. Gastroenterology also allows me to manage a diversity of conditions; infections such as viral hepatitis, autoimmune disease such as Crohn’s or Celiac disease, and precancerous lesions such as Barrett’s or adenomatous polyps of the colon.

What treatments are you most excited to offer?

Managing liver disease including cirrhosis with close clinical management with transplant program. Management of inflammatory bowel disease and pregnancy. Women’s GI health including irritable bowel syndrome and pelvic floor dysfunction.

How many years have you been in business?

Dr. Akerkar has been a partner at Digestive Health Specialists for 15 years and has been providing GI care in the Merrimack Valley for over 35 years.

What do clients have to say about you?

I have been Dr Akerkar’s patient for 10 years and I cannot express how amazing she has been I came all the way up from Florida just to have my procedure yesterday because I really trust her. -Aug 3, 2018 Vitals.com

Saved my life! I had a rare and life threatening medical emergency on Sept 15,2017. I am thankful Dr Akerkar was on call and immediately diagnosed me with pancreatitis and was instrumental in getting me transferred to MGH were the surgical team had the expertise to handle my care . - Dr William French Chelmsford MA

I have been a patient of Dr Akerkar for about 15 years. She is a brilliant Dr with an amazing personality and bedside manner. I never feel rushed, she listens to everything I have to say and remembers it. Several of my family members are under her care now. -Vitals.com June 2015