Alexander W. Koral, MD

Alex Koral, MD, is a pediatric gastroenterologist who treats a variety of issues, including stomachaches, constipation, celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. His particular interest is in eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic condition that occurs in the esophagus.

“More and more people are being diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, and it's becoming a relatively common condition, but we don't really have good treatment options and we don't know a whole lot about it,” Dr. Koral says. “I’m interested in trying to figure out a little bit more about how the disease works and what we can do about it.”

Dr. Koral says he was drawn to the field of gastroenterology (GI) because he had issues when he was growing up. “I had a lot of stomachaches in high school. There was nothing seriously wrong with me, but it bothered me,” he says. “So, to see kids come in and they have all these symptoms and for me to be able to say, ‘I went through what you went through; you're going to be okay,’ and reassure them is a good feeling.”

Likewise, Dr. Koral says he also enjoys being able to help parents. “I’m a parent myself. Seeing families go through issues with their children, it's nice to offer expertise and guidance, especially in cases when the kid is really sick,” he says.

Dr. Koral’s expertise also includes transnasal endoscopy, a way of taking biopsies from the esophagus that doesn’t require fully sedating the child.