Featured & Recent Hepatology Fellows

Education

• M.D. – Hashemite University, Jordan
• Internal Medicine Residency – Cleveland Clinic Akron General - Clinician Educator Track, Akron, OH

I began my training in hepatology under the mentorship of Dr. Jordan Feld at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, working with HCV D+/R– patients. My interest in advanced liver disease continued at the Cleveland Clinic, where I contributed clinically and in a research capacity through the Medical Intensive Liver Unit (MILU) registry. My current research interests include viral hepatitis and transplantation, the eradication of HCV, non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, and the intersection of hepatology and critical care, with a focus on acute and acute-on-chronic liver failure. I am also passionate about rare liver diseases and will serve as Lead Associate Investigator on NIH protocols in non-cirrhotic portal hypertension and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Education

• M.D. - Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan
• Internal Medicine Residency - St. Luke’s Hospital, Chesterfield, Missouri

My interest in hepatology was shaped by early clinical experiences in Pakistan, where I saw firsthand the impact of liver diseases such as viral hepatitis on underserved communities. These formative experiences inspired a lasting commitment to improving liver health through both clinical care and research.

After completing my internal medicine residency, I worked as a hospitalist at Washington University in St. Louis. Over time, I became increasingly drawn to the complexity of liver disease and its multisystem effects. At the NIH, I’m building on these interests through work focused on steatotic liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis, non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, and liver related complications in immunocompromised patients, including those undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

Through this fellowship, I hope to deepen my understanding of hepatology by learning from leaders in the field, contribute meaningfully to ongoing research, and help translate insights from detailed research cohorts into strategies that support earlier diagnosis, equitable access to care, and improved long-term outcomes, both in the U.S. and globally.

Education

• M.D. – Guntur Medical College, India
• Residency – University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus, Baltimore, MD

I developed my interest in hepatology through my fascination with liver physiology, hepatic inflammation, regeneration, and fibrosis. My previous work on hepatocellular carcinoma under dedicated mentorship helped me solidify this path. I am fortunate to work as a hepatology fellow in the Liver Diseases Branch at the National Institutes of Health. My current research focuses on hepatitis B, C, and D. I am working on retrospective studies involving these patient cohorts trying to better understand disease trajectories and develop prognostic markers that inform patient care.

• 2006 AASLD President
• Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Margaret M. and Albert B. Alkek Department of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery
• Chief of Hepatology
• Director of Baylor Liver Health
• Director of Advanced Liver Therapies

“As one of two inaugural Clinical Associates in the NIDDK Hepatology Fellowship Program in 1974, I benefitted from the incomparable training provided by Hans Popper, M.D., Ph.D., Hyman Zimmerman, M.D., the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology’s Liver Section, headed by Kamal Ishak, M.D., and the encouraging leadership of Paul D. Berk, M.D. and Tony Jones, M.D.. Paul’s permission for me to train with Warren Strober, M.D. in the NCI in cellular immune mechanisms of chronic liver diseases and to study copper metabolism in Wilson Disease and Primary Biliary Cholangitis were foundational in my subsequent academic career. I am forever grateful to be an alumnus.”

• Professor of Medicine, U.C. San Diego
• Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, U.C. San Diego
• Director, MASLD Research Center
• Adjunct Professor, Division of Epidemiology

“The fellowship allows you to find your path and purpose in the field. You get to work with amazing mentors/faculty who are at various stages of their academic journey and it helps the fellows and trainees to receive guidance and training from their diverse perspectives and vantage points. My academic life was truly transformed because of the time I spent in the fellowship, and I feel so grateful to my mentors who shaped my vision and continue to support me throughout my career.”

• Associate Professor of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
• Chief, Section of Gastroenterology, Providence VAMC
• Interim Director, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

“The fellowship provided a unique opportunity for me to connect with brilliant minds from different disciplines, and a platform where ideas were exchanged freely. My time at the NIH was a transformative experience that not only enriched my career but also shaped my perspective, fostering a lifelong commitment to continuous learning and making a meaningful impact in the field of Hepatology.”

• Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
• R. Phelan Chair in Translational Liver Disease Research
• Interim Director, Toronto Centre for Liver Disease

“I really cannot say enough about my experience. To say that it was foundational for my career in hepatology would be a massive understatement. The opportunity to do truly translational science - going from the lab to the clinic and back to the lab again – while receiving mentorship from the best minds in liver disease in a friendly and supportive environment was truly an unparalleled opportunity.”

• Professor of Medicine, Academic Institute at Houston Methodist
• Founder of Houston Research Institute
• Weill Cornell Medical College

“One of the pivotal years in my career was my clinical and research hepatology fellowship at the NIH. It wasn't just the fact that I trained with world-renowned hepatologists and scientists; it was also the exceptional quality of training, exposure to both common and rare cases, involvement in cutting-edge research protocols, and the acquisition of valuable research methodology skills. My Hepatology fellowship not only shaped my path but also paved the way for a fulfilling and successful career. It remains one of the best decisions I've ever made.”

• Associate Professor of Medicine, UC San Francisco and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

“Training in the fellowship was a phenomenal experience. The fellowship is an incredible family that fellows are warmly integrated into. The fellowship provides many opportunities, including the chance to receive formal training in clinical research via the Duke partnership, the ability to work on fascinating projects with dedicated, amazing mentors, and membership in the unique hepatology research community of the NIH. The fellowship was an immensely formative part of my training, was instrumental in my professional trajectory, and I enthusiastically recommend it for anyone looking to develop a career in hepatology.”