Mary Ann Huang, MD
Gastroenterology
Transplant Hepatology

Mary Ann Huang, MD, believes in serving as an empathetic guide for patients as they navigate their liver issues, and provide them with as much information as possible to make educated decisions about their care.

Dr. Huang completed her gastroenterology and transplant hepatology fellowships at the University of Michigan. Her practice encompasses all of gastroenterology and hepatology, including a continued focus in patients with cirrhosis and liver transplant. She also has a long-standing interest in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis C and autoimmune liver disease along with medical education.

Sylvie M. Lebel, MD

Education & Training
Board CertificationPediatric Gastroenterology; General Pediatrics
Medical School / EducationMcGill University
ResidencyUniversity of Manitoba (Pediatrics), McGill University (Pediatrics; Anatomical Pathology)
FellowshipMcGill University (Pediatric Gastroenterology); University of Toronto (Pediatric Liver Transplant; Immunology Research)
InternshipUniversity of Manitoba

Academic Affiliations
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Arizona

Professional Affiliations
North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition; American Gastroenterology Association; American Society of Transplantation

Richard Manch, MD

Dr. Manch joins Arizona Liver Health after spending 18 years developing successful liver transplant programs in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Manch is board certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology and has extensive experience as a practicing physician specializing in Hepatology, as well as significant administrative experience.

Michael Narkewicz, MD

Michael Narkewicz, MD is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine in Aurora Colorado. He serves as Executive, Provider Strategic Partnerships for Children’s Hospital Colorado. Dr. Narkewicz received his AB from Dartmouth College, his MD from the University of Vermont and did his residency and fellowship at the University of Colorado in Denver CO.

His major areas of clinical interest are Pediatric Liver Disease, Viral Hepatitis, Acute Liver Failure and Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease. He has research grant funding from the NIH and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Industry funding for viral hepatitis clinical trials for hepatitis B and C in children.

Neil J. Shernoff, MD
Clinical Professor
Internal Medicine

As one peruses Neil Shernoff, MD, curriculum vitae, many awards, leadership positions, innovations and publications that may be seen, they all validify a fine career. However, there are two specific items that remind Dr. Shernoff as to why he wanted to be a doctor, he wanted to teach and make a difference.

Dr. Shernoff grew up in an era of malignant professors and vowed, as a medical student, that if he would ever be in a teaching position, he would make learning fun. Having devoted a portion of his entire career to teaching and having been Teacher of the Year thrice, he believes he has fulfilled that vow.

In addition, Dr. Shernoff was a Founding Father of Arizona’s 1^st Liver Transplant Program. This was useful later when he had a case where the Arizona Medicaid system denied a liver transplant to a young married mother with terminal autoimmune liver disease. Dr. Shernoff went on to fight for her, something three prior Gastroenterologists were unwilling to do. As a result, not only did she receive her transplant but for the next two years, Dr. Shernoff teamed with a lawyer to overturn the state statute prohibiting liver transplants in adult Medicaid patients. Furthermore, Dr. Shernoff became a Founding Father of the Arizona Chapter of the American Liver Foundation.

Mentor

Fellows

Sakolwan (Bow) Suchartlikitwong, MD

Medical Education
07/2019-current University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Arizona
Gastroenterology fellowship
07/2016-06/2019 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
Internal Medicine Residency
07/2006-06/2012 Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Graduated M.D. with First Class Honor
Membership and Honorary/Professional societies
2018-present Member of American Gastroenterological Association
2017-present Member of American College of Gastroenterology
2016-present Member of American College of Physicians
2012-present Member of the Medical Council of Thailand

Kelly Zucker, DO

Dr. Kelly Zucker graduated from medical school at Western University of Health Sciences COMP-NW in 2017. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix where she was awarded both intern of the year and resident of the year during her training. She is currently a first year Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellow at University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix. She is interested in pursuing a career in Transplant Hepatology.

Mentor

Justin Reynolds, MD
Hepatologist
Gastroenterologist

Justin A. Reynolds, MD, is the Medical Director of Liver Transplant in the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Reynolds is board certified in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Transplant Hepatology.

Dr. Reynolds received his medical degree from the University of Michigan. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford University. He then completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of California Los Angeles and an additional fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Reynolds’ expertise includes liver disease and transplantation. He is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Society of Transplantation, European Association for the Study of the Liver, and the International Liver Transplantation Society. He has also authored and contributed to multiple book chapters and research studies presented at both national and international meetings.

Fellow

Brett W. Hughes, MD

Education
2017 – Present
Creighton University School of Medicine – St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, Post Graduate Education in Internal Medicine
2013 – 2017
St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies, Doctor of Medicine
2009 – 2013
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, BS in Biochemistry with Honors, Honors Thesis: Ultrasound on the Central Nervous System

Honors and Awards
Arizona ACP Residency Quiz Bowl Member 2018
Magna Cum Laude Graduate, St. George’s University 2017
Legacy of Excellence Merit Award Scholar, St. George’s University 2013 – 2017
Iota Epsilon Alpha, Honor’s Society, St. George’s University 2013 – 2017
Dean’s List, St. George’s University School of Medicine 2013 – 2015
Summa Cum Laude Graduate, Arizona State University 2013
Dean’s List, Arizona State University 2009 – 2013
President’s Merit Scholarship, Arizona State University 2009 – 2013

Tanuj Sharma, MD

07/20 – Current Gastroenterology Fellowship, Creighton University-Phoenix program, Arizona
07/18 – 06/19 Clinical Hepatology and Liver Transplant Fellowship, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
06/15 – 06/18 Internal Medicine Residency, MedStar Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC
08/11 – 05/15 Doctor of Medicine, MD St. George’s University, School of Medicine (SGU), Grenada, West Indies
01/09 – 07/11 Master of Science in Biotechnology, MS Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Baltimore, MD
08/07 – 12/08 Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, BS North Dakota State University (NDSU) Fargo, ND
08/05 – 07/07 Advanced Diploma in Biotechnology, Ansal Institute of Technology (AIT), Haryana, India

Honors and Awards:
2011- 2015 Iota Epsilon Alpha, International Medical Honor Society, SGU
2011- 2015 1/3rd tuition – The Chancellor’s Circle of the Legacy of Excellence (LOE) Scholarship, SGU
2011- 2015 Dean’s List, SGU
2008 Golden Key International Honour Society, NDSU
2008 $4000 Research Grant – NIH: IdeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), NDSU
2008 Best poster presentation, Capstone Project Presentation, University of Cincinnati
2008 Gold medal for Academic Performance, NDSU
2007 – 2008 Dean’s List, NDSU
2007 – 2008 $12,000 Merit Scholarship, NDSU
2006 – 2007 $1000 John Deere Academic Scholarship, AIT & NDSU
2005 – 2007 $6000 Merit Scholarship, AIT
2005 – 2007 Chairman’s and Director’s Awards for Academic Performance, AIT

Mentor

Hugo Vargas, MD

I am very interested in the manner in which Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) injures liver grafts after transplantation. Along with my collaborators Drs Laskus and Rakela we have been making inroads into the mechanisms by which HCV behaves after liver transplantation. We have described the effect of viral genotypes on the course of post-transplantation hepatitis, the behavior of the virus when two viral strains are present in the recipient of a transplant and extra hepatic infection with HCV. We have pioneered the effort with respect to central nervous system infection with HCV in this patient population. I have obtained NIH funding to study the importance of viral quasispecies development in two viral regions during the course of the post-transplantation period. My clinical practice has delved in to the more practical issues of post liver transplantation HCV infection, where I am an active participant in several trials of antiviral therapy in this clinical setting. We have published several articles that deal with the challenges of treating HCV in this patient population.
The second area of interest is the effect of the immunosuppressive regimen on viral behavior after liver transplantation. Collaborating with investigators from 15 centers in the United States, I hope to characterize the effect three different regimens of immunosuppresion (anti-rejection medications) have on viral behavior. We are actively studying the virus from 312 patients randomly assigned to one of these three regimens and followed long-term. The long term objective is to formulate optimal immunosuppression for patients transplanted for HCV-related disease. The third area of interest is the hypothesis that HCV infects the brain in patients who do not have immune impairment. I have funding to study the neuropsychiatric, radiological, immunological and virological characteristics of patients infected with HCV. My study aims to link well described changes in this population of patients with evidence of CNS infection. I am very excited about the possibility of developing this important area of research.

Fellows

Mentors

Juan Gallegos-Orozco, MD

Dr. Juan F. Gallegos-Orozco graduated from medical school in Mexico and completed post-graduate medical education in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in both Mexico and the United States, where he completed fellowship training in Transplant Hepatology at the prestigious Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona in June 2012. His main clinical and research interests include the management of chronic viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver transplantation. He has published many research articles on these and other topics and has authored several book chapters pertaining to liver diseases. Dr. Gallegos-Orozco joined the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Utah School of Medicine in July, 2012 and is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and serves as the Medical Director for Hepatology and Liver Transplant.

George Rofaiel, MD, FACS
Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Utah School of Medicine

Academic Appointments
07/2010-06/2012 University of Washington Medical Center, Instructor, Department of Surgery

Hospital Appointments
01/2018-Present University of Utah Health, Transplantation and Advanced Hepatobiliary Surgery
05/2018-Present Primary Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery
06/2012-01/2018 Medical City Fort Worth (Formerly Plaza Medical Center), Staff Surgeon, General and Transplant Surgery
06/2012-01/2018 Medical City Dallas, Staff Surgeon, General and Transplant Surgery
07/2015-10/2018 Medical City Alliance, General and Transplant Surgery
07/2016-10/2018 Medical City North Hills, General Surgery
01/2016-01/2017 Texas Health Resources, Southwest, General Surgery

Administrative Responsibilities
2019-Present Surgical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation-University of Utah
2017-2018 Surgical Director -Medical City Fort Worth Transplant Institute
2012-2017 Surgical Director/Founding Member, Fort Worth Transplant Institute
2015-Present Premiere Surgical Associates, Senior Partner
2012-2015 Fort Worth Transplant Group, Founding Member

Fellows

Sentia Iriana, MD, MSc

EDUCATION
• University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT, Gastroenterology & Hepatology Fellowship July 2018-present
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA, Clinical and Research Hepatology Fellowship (non-ACGME) July 2016 – June 2018
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA, Internal Medicine Residency June 2013-June 2016
• Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School North Chicago, IL, Medical Degree August 2009-June 2013
• Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School North Chicago, IL, M.S. Healthcare Administration August 2009-August 2010
• Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School North Chicago, IL , M.S. Biomedical Sciences August 2008-August 2009
• University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA, Bachelor of Science in Biology August 2003- July 2007

CERTIFICATION & LICENSURE
• Medical Board of California
• American Board of Internal Medicine August 24, 2017

• State of Utah Division of Occupational/Professional Licensing Issued February 2018

Babu Mohan, MD
Gastroenterology Fellow, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology,
University of Utah Health – School of Medicine

INTERESTS & CAREER GOALS
Explore and expand the applications of artificial intelligence in Gastroenterology. Specifically, my interests are on the application of convolutional neural network-based machine learning algorithms, in computer vision and natural language processing. The field of Gastroenterology is unique owing to the use of patient clinical information and endoscopy-based image/ video inputs to formulate a patient diagnosis; and therefore, is an ideal area where artificial intelligence can make a big impact. If combined with medical internet of things, the possible outreach of AI in GI seems exciting.