Featured & Recent Hepatology Fellows

Education:

• M.D – Ravindra Nath Tagore Medical College, Udaipur, India
• Residency - Fairview Hospital/Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

I have always found liver to be one of the most fascinating organs of the body. While there are mechanical alternatives to heart and kidney failure such as left ventricular assist device or dialysis respectively, the only substitute for liver is another liver. Hence, I came to NIH to learn more about the mechanisms of liver fibrosis and find ways to prevent and reverse it.

My current research interests include Fontan associated liver disease, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension.

Education:

• M.D – Universidad Central del Caribe, Puerto Rico
• Residency - Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

I have always been passionate about hepatology for several compelling reasons. The intricate nature of the liver and its vital role in the human body has always interested me. The liver serves as a metabolic powerhouse, detoxifying the body, producing essential proteins, and aiding in digestion. Its complexity offers me a constant challenge, and I find great satisfaction in studying the details of hepatic function. Hepatology also presents a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on patients' lives. Liver diseases can be life-threatening, and by specializing in this field at the NIH, I can contribute to the early diagnosis, effective management, and prevention of these conditions. Finally, it’s a rapidly evolving field which keeps me engaged and continually learning. New research and treatment options emerge regularly, making it a stimulating and dynamic specialty of medicine.

Education:

• M.D – Government medical college Thiruvananthapuram, India
• Internal Medicine Residency - Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

Managing patients with decompensated liver diseases and seeing the difficulties chronic liver disease patients go through, profoundly expanded my interest in hepatology. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to do a hepatology fellowship at the NIDDK. My current research interests include nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis D and liver disease in bone marrow transplant recipients, their complications, diagnostics, and treatment options.

Education:

• M.D. – Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
• Internal Medicine Residency – Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Trenton, NJ

My interest in hepatology started in 2019 when I worked with an MIT research group on a data science project to curb the hepatitis A outbreak in the US. I was excited to see how the power of data could help patients whose liver disease conditions were accelerated by hepatitis A. In the residency, I continued to learn about novel medications and treatments that can prevent liver disease progression and decompensation. This growing curiosity brought me to the NIDDK, where I’m focusing on solving emerging problems in non-cirrhotic portal hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

• 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.”