Skip to Main Content

William Ravich, MD

Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases)
DownloadHi-Res Photo

Contact Info

Yale School of Medicine

Department of Medicine (Digestive Diseases), PO Box 208019

New Haven, CT 06520-8019

United States

About

Titles

Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases)

Biography

Dr. Ravich received his A.B. degree from the University of Chicago (1971) and his M.D. degree from the Chicago School of Medicine (1975). He did his residency training in Internal Medicine at The Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center in New York City (1975-1978) and fellowship training in Gastroenterology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1978-1981). From 1981 to 2006, he was a member of the full-time faculty of the Division of Gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins, where served as Clinical Director of The Johns Hopkins Swallowing Center (1981-2017), the first multi-disciplinary center for the evaluation and management of patients with swallowing disorders, becoming a model for the development of similar centers around the world. In addition to his work with the Swallowing Cener, he served as Director of the Johns Hopkins GI Clinical Laboratory (1981-2006), Director of Johns Hopkins Hospital GI Endoscopy (1984-1994) and Clinical Director of the Division of Gastroenterology of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1994-1998). In 2006, he left the full-time faculty to start a solo private practice, while remaining on the part-time faculty of The Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine and attending physician at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. In joined the faculty of the Section of Digestive Diseases at the Yale School of Medicine in 2018 where he is Professor of Medicine and serves as the Director of the GI Motility Program. He is a recognized as an authority on swallowing disorders and esophageal diseases. Areas of clinical and academic interest include: swallowing disorders, eosinophilic esophagitis, reflux esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, peptic ulcer disease, and H. pylori gastritis.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

MD
Chicago School of Medicine

Research

Research at a Glance

Publications Timeline

A big-picture view of William Ravich's research output by year.
45Publications
2,186Citations

Publications

2016

2014

2013

2012

2010

2008

2002

Clinical Care

Overview

William Ravich, MD, is a gastroenterologist at Yale Medicine, specializing in swallowing disorders and esophageal disease.

He served as the clinical director of The Johns Hopkins Swallowing Center for over 25 years. The Swallowing Center was the first multi-disciplinary center for the evaluation and management of swallowing disorders. “Swallowing is complex and swallowing disorders don’t fit neatly into any one specialty,” Dr. Ravich explained. “Patients may be sent from one specialist to another, each only considering the conditions with which they are most familiar or throwing up their hands and sending the patient on to another specialty.”

With his unique background, Dr. Ravich brings a more integrated perspective to swallowing disorders than most clinicians. "The patients I particularly enjoy seeing are the ones other clinicians have been unable to help because of the narrow focus of their respective specialty. As a result of my experience with patients with an unusually broad range swallowing problems, I’m in a good position to select the appropriate tests in order to diagnose their condition and to suggest the best approach to manage their symptoms.

Dr. Ravich also has extensive experience in esophageal disorders in general, including achalasia, eosinophilic esophagitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Barrett’s esophagus. He was a member of the first group to study the role of botulinum toxin in the treatment of achalasia and was involved in the development of ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring, a test that revolutionized the diagnosis and management of GERD.

As a gastroenterologist Dr. Ravich enjoys the balance between clinical diagnosis and performing procedures, “It is a good opportunity to use your hands and brain at the same time,” he says.

Clinical Specialties

Gastroenterology

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Gastroenterology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1981
  • Internal Medicine

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1978

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Appointment Number
Mailing Address

Yale School of Medicine

Department of Medicine (Digestive Diseases), PO Box 208019

New Haven, CT 06520-8019

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

  • Patient Care Locations

    Are You a Patient? View this doctor's clinical profile on the Yale Medicine website for information about the services we offer and making an appointment.