Belen A. Tesfaye, MD

Dr. Belen A. Tesfaye is a board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist who sees patients at the Bethesda Endo Center in Rockville, MD, with a second office on Seven Locks Road. She cares for patients in both English and Amharic, making her a natural fit for the area’s Ethiopian community and anyone who wants to discuss digestive and liver health in their own language.

Background and training

Dr. Tesfaye earned her medical degree from Jimma University in Ethiopia, graduating with top honors, and completed an internal medicine internship at Black Lion (Tikur Anbessa) University Hospital in Addis Ababa. She moved to Washington, DC, for her internal medicine residency at Howard University Hospital, then stayed on for her clinical fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology — during which she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Her fellowship included focused training in general and transplant hepatology at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and she was selected as a visiting fellow in neurogastroenterology and motility at Temple University Hospital, adding expertise in motility disorders to her liver and general GI training.

Why patients choose Dr. Tesfaye

She is board certified in both gastroenterology and internal medicine, and her training spans the full range of digestive care — from routine colon cancer screening and endoscopy to complex liver disease and motility conditions. She is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and a member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, where she has also contributed at the committee level.

Practice focus

Colon cancer screening and colonoscopy, general digestive complaints, liver and hepatology care including transplant hepatology, gastrointestinal motility and neurogastroenterology, and diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy.

Languages and access

Dr. Tesfaye speaks English and Amharic, accepts new patients, and offers virtual visits in addition to in-person appointments in Rockville and North Bethesda. Outside of medicine she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her family.