David C. Kunkel MD

David C. Kunkel, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), swallowing disorders, gastroparesis, bloating and overgrowth syndromes, diarrhea, fecal incontinence, and constipation. Dr. Kunkel helps direct the gastrointestinal (GI) motility and physiology program at UC San Diego Health. He has received specialized training in advanced motility procedures, including high-resolution esophageal manometry, pH tests, gastric emptying, breath testing, impedance, SmartPill wireless motility capsule, anorectal manometry, Solesta injections, and biofeedback therapy.

Dr. Kunkel's research interests include gastroparesis, short bowel syndrome, innovations in biofeedback therapy, and irritable bowel syndrome. His research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and Neurogastroenterology & Motility. Dr. Kunkel has also been interviewed for articles in popular media such as Weight Watchers Magazine. In 2013, Dr. Kunkel was a recipient of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society Clinical Training Award in Motility, which he used to obtain advanced training in defecatory disorders. His fellowship training in gastroenterology was done at UCLA and he completed his internal medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He earned his medical degree from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and completed a one-year research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. He is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. Dr. Kunkel is a member of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American College of Gastroenterology.