Meet Our Providers
William F. Vorder Bruegge, M.D.
William F. Vorder Bruegge, M.D., a native of McLean, Virginia, received his M.D. degree from the University of Virginia in 1981. He completed his Internal Medicine training and a Gastroenterology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He was Chief of Womack Army Medical Center’s Gastroenterology Service at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina before joining Fayetteville Gastroenterology Associates in 1994. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Vorder Bruegge has served as Chief of Medicine at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. He is married to Julia E. Little, M.D. and has 4 daughters.
Dr. John E. Poulos, MD
John E. Poulos, M.D., completed his training in Internal Medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, and fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MI. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a native of Wilmington, N.C. Dr. Poulos is a former Fulbright nominee and was recognized by the American College of Physicians as Internal Medicine Resident of the Year. He was also recognized by Who’s Who in the South and Southwest regions of the United States. Dr. Poulos has been an invited speaker at national meetings of the American College of Physicians, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American College of Physicians. He is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Liver Disease. Dr. Poulos received a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health for his work in the study of liver diseases and has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Annals of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Poulos is married to his beautiful wife, Anna, and together they have 5 children.
Dr. Arvind Kumar, MD
Arvind Kumar, M.D., F.A.C.G., completed his training in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, and fellowship in Gastroenterology in 2000 at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, the American College of Physicians, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Medical Association. He has published several articles during his fellowship. Dr. Kumar received a National Merit Scholarship during college and medical school. He graduated as valedictorian from college and summa cum laude from medical school. He is married to Prabha and is blessed with two daughters, Pratiksha and Priyanka, and a son, Abhishek.
Dr. Anthony M. Daniels, MD
Anthony M. Daniels, M.D., completed his training in Internal Medicine (1996) and fellowship in Gastroenterology (1999) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. Dr. Daniels is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He was the Chief of the Gastroenterology Service at Womack Army Medical Center, Ft. Bragg, N.C. from 2000 to 2006. He served as a Battalion Surgeon with the 82nd Airborne during a tour in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American Medical Association, the American Gastrointestinal Association, the North Carolina Society of Gastroenterology, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. He is married to Joan Daniels and has three sons, Anthony, Austin, and Avery.
Joseph B. Henderson, DO
Dr. Henderson has completed an advanced endoscopy fellowship at Aurora St. Luke’s in Milwaukee, WI, where he obtained extensive, advanced training in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). A graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, he completed a residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Mercy Center and served as Chief Resident of Gastroenterology during his gastroenterology fellowship at Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.
Dr. Juan Herrera
Juan G. Herrera, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, FASGE is a graduate of UC Irvine, School of Medicine. He completed his training in Internal Medicine at UCLA-San Fernando Program and then graduated from the University of Florida, Gainesville fellowship program in Gastroenterology with an emphasis-track in pancreatology and advanced endoscopy. He is experienced in upper and lower GI endoscopies, enteroscopy, advanced therapeutic ERCP, and cholangioscopy. Dr. Herrera is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Gastroenterology. For his experience and achievements, he has been elected Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Herrera joined FGA after more than 22 years of experience in Gastroenterology. He is married to Sara and has two sons, Juan and Javier, and three daughters. Ligia, Camila, and Ana. Dr. Herrera is fluent in Spanish and takes pride in providing compassionate and evidence-based medical care for the patients of Fayetteville and surrounding areas.
Our Excellent Mid-Level Providers
Thomas H. Daignault, PA-C
Thomas H. Daignault, PA-C, earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences through the Military Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) in May of 2000. He completed his Master’s Degree with honors in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska in December of 2001 with a focus on family medicine. A native of Woonsocket, RI, he joined the military where he served over 27 years and retired from Ft Bragg, NC in June of 2005. He is licensed in the state of North Carolina and accredited by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). He is a member of the Society of Army Physicians Assistants (SAPA) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Tom has two children, Renee and Derryk.
Jill A. Rys, PA-C
Jill A. Rys, PA-C, earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Gannon University Physician Assistant Program in May 1981. She is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, and has practiced in gastroenterology since 1999. She is licensed in North Carolina and accredited by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Jill is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American Gastrological Association, and the North Carolina Association of Physician Assistants. She is married with three children.
Kathryn (Katie) Locklear, MMS, PA-C
Kathryn (Katie) Locklear, MMS, PA-C completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Health Science and Minors in Mathematics and Chemistry from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2002. Following her undergraduate studies, she attended Methodist University and obtained her Masters of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. She is licensed in the state of North Carolina and accredited by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Katie is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA). Prior to joining Fayetteville Gastroenterology, Katie has worked in cardiology, family practice, and emergency medicine. She is happily married with one son.
Elizabeth (Karri) Locklear, MMS, PA
Elizabeth (Karri) Locklear, MMS, PA-C completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a Biomedical Emphasis from UNC-Pembroke in 2008. She continued on to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in Radiologic Science from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2010. Prior to physician assistant school, she resided in Raleigh, NC where she worked as a Cardiovascular Specialist in the catheterization lab at Wake Med Hospital. Following her undergraduate studies, she attended Wake Forest University where she obtained her Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. She is licensed in the State of North Carolina and accredited by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Karri is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistant (AAPA) and the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA). Karri is the mom of a beautiful son.
Paul A. Sharpless, MMSc, PA-C
Paul A. Sharpless, MMSc, PA-C completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Fayetteville State University in 2007. Following his undergraduate studies, he attended the Physician Assistant program at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, where he obtained his Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. During his tenure at Emory University School of Medicine, he was chosen as a National Health Service Corps Scholar. He is licensed in the state of North Carolina and accredited by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Mr. Sharpless is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA). Prior to joining Fayetteville Gastroenterology Associates, he worked in Pediatrics. He is the proud father of one daughter, Asia.
Jennifer Thomas, FNP
Jennifer Thomas, FNP-C completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Fayetteville State University. Following her undergraduate studies, she attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and obtained her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner. She is licensed in the state of North Carolina and accredited by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Jennifer is a member of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses Association (SGNA) and the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). Prior to obtaining her degree as an FNP, Jennifer worked as the Endoscopy Manager at Fayetteville Gastroenterology. She is happily married and is the proud mother of three beautiful children.
Arien Stebbins, PA-C
Arien (Ari) Stebbins, MMS, PA-C completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Molecular Biology from the University of Central Florida in 2012. Following her undergraduate studies, she completed training as an EMT-B at Valencia College. Prior to her training as a physician assistant, she completed her Master of Science in Aging and Neuroscience at the University of South Florida in 2014. After working in research for 5 years, including 2 years of gastrointestinal clinical research, she completed her Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2021. Ari is licensed in the state of North Carolina and accredited by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants (NCAPA). Outside of the office she enjoys time with family, traveling and hiking in the mountains.