School of Medicine


Showing 1-20 of 78 Results

  • Aijaz Ahmed, MD

    Aijaz Ahmed, MD

    Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

    BioDr. Ahmed is an internationally recognized hepatologist with expertise in the treatment of acute and chronic liver diseases. He is a board-certified specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology, transplant hepatology, and obesity medicine. Currently, he serves as the Medical Director of the Adult Liver Transplant Program at Stanford University.

    Dr. Ahmed graduated from Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. He completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Brown University, Providence, RI and fellowship training in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stanford University. During his fellowship, he focused on clinical and research training in General and Transplant Hepatology.

    For patients under his care, Dr. Ahmed remains dedicated to creating a personalized, comprehensive, and above-all a compassionate treatment plan. He outlines the diagnostic and follow-up management pathway in an individualized fashion; he updates his patients and their family/support at each step of the decision-making process; and he focuses on prioritizing the wishes of his patients and their family/support for an optimal outcome and quality of life.

    Dr. Ahmed remains clinically active and has been instrumental in establishing a wide network of hepatology outreach clinics in remote and underserved regions of California and Nevada.

    In addition to his patient care responsibilities, Dr. Ahmed remains committed to the educational mission of Stanford ford University. He remains deeply interested in mentoring trainees and students al levels from undergraduates to trainee physicians and junior colleagues. Dr. Ahmed has received several teaching awards during his career.

    Dr. Ahmed’s research interests include 1) multidisciplinary approach to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), 2) disparities in the management of chronic liver disease, 3) improving screening and management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and 4) outcomes research in NAFLD, HCC, viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, and liver transplantation. He heads a busy and productive outcomes research team. In addition, he collaborates with basic scientists and is participating in several translational research projects at Stanford University.

    He has published his findings in textbooks, abstracts, case reports, and high- profile medical journals including Gastroenterology, Journal of Hepatology, Hepatology American Journal of Gastroenterology, and other well-renowned peer-reviewed publications.

    Dr. Ahmed and his team has made presentations to his peers at many national and international conferences: the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, International Liver Congress, European Association for the Study of the Liver, Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver, and more. His presentations have addressed leading-edge approaches to the treatment of chronic liver disease, liver cancer, and liver failure. He also has presented his insights into the gastrointestinal impact of COVID-19.

    For his clinical, research, and teaching achievements, Dr. Ahmed has earned extensive recognition. His honors include being named as one of America’s Top Physicians by the Consumers’ Research Council of America.

    He is an active member of the American Gastroenterological Association and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  • Subhas Banerjee

    Subhas Banerjee

    Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Banerjee is the Director of Endoscopy at the Stanford University Medical Center. His research interests include evaluation of advanced endoscopic procedures (ERCP, choledochoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound) in the diagnosis and management of benign and malignant pancreatic and biliary disease. Additional interests include the development of new endoscopic devices and instruments.

  • Grant Barber

    Grant Barber

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    BioDr. Grant Barber is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University. His clinical passion is in the care of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. After completing his medical training at Harvard Medical School, he completed his training in gastroenterology as well as a Master's degree in clinical research at Stanford. He completed additional training in advanced IBD management at Stanford before joining faculty. His research is focused on male reproductive health in IBD, quality improvement in the provision of IBD care, and economic studies to identify strategies that provide excellent outcomes while being sustainable within the healthcare system. He is an expert in tailoring evidence-based therapies to need of individual people with IBD.

  • Laren Becker

    Laren Becker

    Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology)

    BioI am a physician-scientist in the Division of Gastroenterology at Stanford University. My clinical and research interest has been in neurogastroenterology. Specifically, my research has been exploring the interplay between immune cells and the enteric nervous system, and evaluating how perturbations of this interaction as a result of aging disrupts gastrointestinal neuromuscular function. Ultimately, my hope is that insights from this research provide novel therapies for treating patients with motility disorders like constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.

  • Chris Cartwright, MD

    Chris Cartwright, MD

    Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), Emerita

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMolecular mechanisms of intestinal cell growth control; function and regulation of the Src family of tyrosine kinases in normal cells, and their deregulation in cancer cells.

  • Alice Cheng

    Alice Cheng

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Cheng designs and uses complex defined microbial communities to study and treat gastrointestinal disease. The ultimate goal of her research is to develop synthetic gut microbiomes that will supplant and surpass fecal transplant therapy for conditions such as recurrent Clostridium difficile colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

  • Ramsey Cheung

    Ramsey Cheung

    Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Cheung's research interests focus on liver diseases, with emphasis on viral hepatitis. His past research include investigating the mechanism of viral neutralization of hepatitis B virus at the molecular level and immune response to hepatitis C virus. Dr. Cheung is studing various aspects of hepatitis C, both clinical and translational research.

  • John Clarke

    John Clarke

    Clinical Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    BioDr. John Clarke recently joined the Gastroenterology & Hepatology Division at Stanford University as Director of the Esophageal Program. He previously spent 17 years in Baltimore, including 9 years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University where he was an Associate Professor and at various times Director of Esophageal Motility, Director of Gastrointestinal Motility, Clinical Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, and Clinical Director of the Gastroenterology & Hepatology Division at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

    His career has combined research, education and clinical care. His clinical areas of expertise include achalasia, dysphagia, eosinophilic esophagitis, esophageal dysmotility, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastroparesis, GI-manifestations of scleroderma and GI dysmotility. While at Johns Hopkins University, he was inducted into The Miller-Coulson Academy for Clinical Excellence, an institutional honor society for master clinicians at the time limited to 50 members across the entire university.

    From an education standpoint, he has lectured in over a dozen countries, authored over 25 textbook chapters and serves on the educational affairs committee of the American College of Gastroenterology. He has also won several major teaching awards, including The Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Teaching, given to one faculty member per year in the entire School of Medicine.

    His research has focused on optimization and characterization of diagnostic studies to evaluate motility disorders, as well the relationship between therapeutic endoscopic techniques and treatment of motility disorders. He was an investigator on the NIH Gastroparesis Consortium and is also a former recipient of the AGA Don Castell Award.

  • Meredith Craven, PhD, MPH

    Meredith Craven, PhD, MPH

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Craven’s research reflects her background and interests in psychogastroenterology (GI psychology), public health, and positive psychology. She has collaborated on projects across the spectrum of GI disorders, using quantitative and qualitative methods. She is interested in the role of biopsychosocial factors on symptom perception, experience, and related health outcomes and behaviors. In particular, she is passionate about investigating the role of patient strengths that can be fostered clinically, and mind-body practices.

  • Tami Daugherty

    Tami Daugherty

    Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Daugherty is a transplant Hepatologist with full-time clinical responsibilities. She is particularly interested in the natural course and management of recurrent Hepatitis C after liver transplant, and the effect of immunosuppression on HCV recurrence.

  • Renumathy Dhanasekaran

    Renumathy Dhanasekaran

    Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe overall goal of my research is to understand the molecular pathogenesis of liver cancer and identify biologically relevant prognostic biomarkers and molecular targets for therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). My long-term objective is to improve the clinical outcome of patients with liver cancer.

  • Nikki Duong

    Nikki Duong

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests focus on quality improvement and patient reported outcomes in people with cirrhosis. I also have interests in expanding our breadth of knowledge in caring for patients with gastrointestinal and liver disorders who identify as a sexual and gender minority.

  • Chiazotam Ekekezie

    Chiazotam Ekekezie

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    BioPrior to Stanford, Dr Ekekezie completed internal medicine training and chief residency at Brown University. She moved to Stanford for GI and hepatology fellowship, and served as a chief fellow in her final year. After fellowship, she stayed on joining as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director for the GI fellowship program. She has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to medical education, psychological safety, and inclusion.

    Clinically, Dr Ekekezie welcomes seeing patients with a diverse range of GI-related issues as part of Stanford’s general GI group. She is dedicated to advancing a career in academic medicine that is balanced on her “core-four” pillars: humanism-centered patient care, community-engaged advocacy, service-oriented leadership, and mentoring the next generation of clinicians. She has received numerous awards for excellence in patient care, professionalism, communication, and collaborative consultation, as well as for her skills as an effective leader, mentor, and educator.

  • Samer Eldika

    Samer Eldika

    Clinical Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    BioDr. Eldika received his medical education at the American University of Beirut. He completed his General Gastroenterology Fellowship at the State University of New York in Buffalo and Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship at the University of Virginia. At Ohio State University, he served as the Director of Interventional Endoscopy and Endoscopic Quality. His time at Ohio State University contributed to the growth and maturity of his experience and skills in interventional endoscopy. During his tenure there, he played a major role in building the program of interventional endoscopy in general, as well as interventional endoscopy for the pediatric age group, and the endoscopic quality program. Over the years, he was involved in training several gastroenterology fellows and interventional endoscopists. He recently joined Stanford University where he continues to practice interventional endoscopy and train fellows.
    He is a board-certified Gastroenterologist with clinical interests in pancreaticobiliary diseases, gastrointestinal neoplasia, and related interventional endoscopic procedures. As an endoscopist, he has extensive experience in performing a variety of interventional endoscopic procedures. These procedures include endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided procedures like fine needle aspiration/biopsy, injections, fiducial placement, pseudocyst drainage/necrosectomy, biliary drainage, gastrojejunostomy, transgastric ERCP, and needle-based confocal endomicroscopy for the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions. He also performs endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic mucosal resection, enteral and stenting, enteral feeding tube placement, as well as deep enteroscopy.
    His research interest evolves around interventional endoscopy, more specifically in the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions. Dr. Eldika has received multiple awards in his career, his most recent one being the “Reviewer Award, April 2020,” for his superior contributions to the journal of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, both through completing high numbers of reviews and for submitting the highest quality of work.
    Dr. Eldika is a fellow of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, and American Pancreatic Association.
    When not working Dr. Eldika enjoys reading, listening to music, watching sports and walking in nature.

  • Nielsen Fernandez-Becker

    Nielsen Fernandez-Becker

    Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology

    BioI am the director of the Celiac Disease Program at Stanford and I am highly experienced in diagnosis and management of celiac disease and gluten associated disorders.
    My objective is to provide excellent and compassionate clinical care for my patients while seeking a better understanding of diseases I treat, particularly Celiac disease (CeD), eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). My top priorities are patient care and translational research to make new discoveries and improve the care my patients.