Rodney A. Engel, M.D.
Rodney Engel, MD serves as a general gastroenterologist taking care of specialty diseases of the GI tract, liver, biliary tree and pancreas. He has been a local stalwart in Flagstaff since 2013 prior to joining the team at Flagstaff Surgical Associates. Dr. Engel’s goal is to provide compassionate, contemporary, comprehensive care to his patients. He strives to provide clear communication combined with appropriate care in clinic. He seeks to provide the most effective, efficient and comfortable procedure possible with his endoscopies.
Dr. Engel has many years of experience taking care of the GI issues of Northern Arizona. He has experience with colonoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD or upper endoscopy), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), Bravo pH monitoring, variceal banding, esophageal manometry/motility, capsule endoscopy and other endoscopic interventions. He has many years in management of chronic and complex GI disorders including inflammatory bowel disease, liver cirrhosis, GI cancers and many other issues. Dr. Engel is fluent in Spanish and hopes to continue to serve those patients as well.
Dr. Engel grew up in Mesa, Arizona on the family citrus farm. After graduating in the top 1% of his class in high school, Dr. Engel attended Pomona College in California. In college he majored in Religious Studies while also pursuing his medical school prerequisites. He was the only student asked to be both a Writing tutor and a tutor for Organic Chemistry. After his experience in California he attended medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. He met his wife there and she accompanied him to Mayo Clinic where he did his internal medicine training. Returning to Arizona was a great fit for Dr. Engel and he pursued his academic interests at Mayo Clinic first as Chief Internal Medicine Resident and then on faculty in Internal Medicine. However his passion remained pursuing Gastroenterology training. He chose to remain in the Southwest and completed his GI fellowship at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Dr. Engel is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a member of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Engel returned to Arizona in 2013 and is proud to call Flagstaff his home. His wife works as a Physician Assistant in orthopaedics. He has two daughters who take up much of his time. He loves the Southwest and spends much of his free time outdoors, particularly hiking, mountain biking and skiing. With vacation he loves to travel particularly exploring new areas by bicycle. If time allows he likes reading si-fi/fantasy novels or watching movies with his family. Dr. Engel is thrilled to base his family in a town that fits his love of diversity, education, STEM and the outdoors.
Ashley Mattix, FNP
Ashley Mattix is a family nurse practitioner specializing in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Flagstaff Surgical Associates. She enjoys working with the gastro team to deliver high quality, compassionate and patient focused care to all adult ages. She especially enjoys treating young adults with their GI concerns.
Ashley grew up in Iowa and moved to Flagstaff for college. She graduated from NAU in 1995 with her bachelor’s in nursing. She traveled to Winslow, Denali, AK, and Tucson specializing in CVICU and ER nursing before settling back in Flagstaff in 2002 to raise her two daughters. She has a background in pediatric cardiac and Gl care. She has been an adult Gl nurse practitioner for the past five years at Northern Arizona Gastroenterology. She completed a year at Phoenix Children’s Hospital as their primary inflammatory bowel disease NP. She is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Ashley enjoys the outdoors, being active, traveling, cooking, and practicing Spanish when possible. She has completed three medical missions to Honduras and Nicaragua with HERO. She is immersed in the Flagstaff culture and loves taking care of patients in her community. On her time off, you’ll likely see her with her dog, husband and family in the forest, gym or downtown socializing with her friends. She loves her family time with her daughters, extended family and beautiful granddaughters!
Ashley is committed to working with her patients to develop a plan of care to improve their lifestyle with some of the aggravating symptoms Gl conditions can cause.
Melissa Hakes, FNP
Melissa is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specializing in Gastroenterology and Liver disease. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northern Arizona University. Melissa was raised in Flagstaff and is a proud alumnus of Flagstaff High School (Go Eagles). She gained valuable experience caring for our local community in multiple settings, including primary care, acute care, surgical care, and home health, before advancing to her current role where she works alongside our exceptional gastrointestinal team to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care.
When not caring for patients, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, reading, traveling, and sipping iced Matcha. Her mission is to empower patients with the knowledge and tools they need to achieve optimal health and wellbeing.