Amreen Dinani, MD
The Mount Sinai Hospital

Amreen Dinani, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Liver Diseases. Dr. Dinani completed her undergraduate degree in Human Biology at University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada and received her Masters in Science and Doctorate of Medicine from the American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at New York Hospital Queens/ New York Presbyterian Queens in Flushing, New York. She received her Gastroenterology training from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and Hepatology training at University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Dinani is a member of many professional societies including American College of Gastroenterology and American Association of the Study of Liver Diseases. She introduced non-invasive markers of liver fibrosis and vibration controlled transient elastogrpahy (VCTE) during her 4 year tenure at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Centre, Lebanon, New Hampshire. She has served as an Associated Program Director to Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, New York.

Dr. Dinani’s clinical and research interests are in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). She is an investigator for many ongoing clinical trials in NALFD.

Melissa Palmer, MD
Gannex Pharmaceuticals

Melissa Palmer, MD is an internationally renowned Hepatologist (KOL) and an experienced biotech/pharma executive. She was in a solo practice devoted to treating patients with liver disease from 1991-2009, at which time she became Clinical Professor at NYU Langone/ Director of Hepatology at NYU Plainview. From 1991-2011 she was a consultant to > 40 biopharma companies as a liver disease expert. Dr. Palmer left NYU Langone to become SVP Clinical Research and Head of Hepatology at Kadmon Corporation. After 1 year Dr. Palmer was promoted to Global Head of Hepatology, and was made SVP Pharmacovigilance in addition to SVP Clinical Research.
Dr. Palmer left Kadmon in 2015 to become Global Lead on Shire’s NASH program, as well as other liver-related issues within the company, such as orphan cholestatic liver diseases PFIC Alagilles, PSC and PBC, and liver-related safety issues (DILI), and was rapidly promoted to Global Development Lead – Hepatology and led the formation of the liver safety group. Shire was acquired by Takeda in 2019 at which time she was recruited as Head of Liver Disease Development at Takeda.
Dr Palmer is currently consulting on innovative trial designs for NASH and other liver diseases such as PSC, regulatory interactions (having co-authored numerous guidelines with FDA colleagues ), DILI. In addition skills include formation of and sitting on advisory boards, DSMCs, commercialization and pipeline assessment, leading matrix teams etc.

Dr. Palmer graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. and was trained in Hepatology (as well as medical school) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She has authored numerous medical and lay-public books and book chapters and contributed to three encyclopedias on liver-related topics. Her scientific publications in Hepatology have appeared in such peer-reviewed journals as Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Seminars of Liver Disease, Transplantation, AP&T and she is a contributing editor of several peer-reviewed journals. She has been on the NY ALF medical advisory board for >30 yrs.

Specialties: Hepatology, Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) Liver Disease, Clinical Research, Pharmacovigilance, Clinical trial Innovation. Drug Development, Cholestatic Liver disease, Drug-Induced Liver Injury, DILI , cholestatic liver disease, primary Biliary cholangitis, Primary sclerosing cholangitis, Phase 1,2,3, Hepatitis, PFIC, leading Matrix teams

Nadia Ovchinsky, MD, MBA
Montefiore Children’s Hospital and Goryeb Children’s Hospital

Nadia Ovchinsky, MD, MBA is the Director of Pediatric Hepatology, Medical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplantation, and an Associated Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine – Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown (NJ).  She trained in Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology, and Pediatric Hepatology at Columbia University Medical Center – Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian. Dr. Ovchinsky’s research interests involve improving quality and enhancing the delivery care for children with chronic liver disease, optimizing long-term outcomes of pediatric liver transplantation, as well as advancing therapies for children with cholestatic liver disorders. In addition to Dr. Ovchinsky’s role as a clinician, teacher, and researcher, she is actively involved in public policy and advocacy efforts to benefit children with liver disease. She serves in leadership positions with professional societies such as the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the American Liver Foundation. Dr. Ovchinsky has been recognized with numerous academic and humanism in medicine awards, as well as teaching awards for her commitment and dedication to the education of medical students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Ovchinsky has a strong connection to the American Liver Foundation. She has been the team organizer and co-captain at the Liver Life Walk in NY and NJ, speaker at the events such as Re-birthday, Ask the Experts, and Pediatric Education Day. She serves on the Executive Committee of Greater NY Medical Advisory Council and on Professional Education Subcommittee of the National Medical Advisory Council of the American Liver Foundation. When she has time away from her clinical and academic work, Dr. Ovchinsky enjoys traveling the world with her husband and two daughters, running, hiking, and skiing.

Mentor

David Feldman, MD

Dr. David Feldman is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine and a Faculty Attending Hepatologist at NYU Langone Medical Center. 

Board certified in both Gastroenterology, liver diseases and Internal Medicine, Dr. Feldman’s practice is focused on Hepatology (liver diseases). He is highly experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of liver diseases, including sub specializing in alcohol related liver disease, hemochromatosis and cirrhosis. He is experienced in the prevention, treatment, and management of general and advanced liver diseases, and served as the former director of the In- Patient Hepato-biliary service at NYU Tisch Hospital. Currently Dr. Feldman serves as the Educational Director of the Hepatology Education Service at NYU. He is a member of the Liver Selection Committee at NYU Langone Medical Center. He is the author of several publications on liver disease including the Review of Hepatitis E in Transplant, Review of the Pathophysiology of Thrombocytopenia in Liver Disease. He is also a former CDC Quarantine Medical Officer, a licensed commercial pilot and a flight surgeon. Dr. Feldman volunteers as a physician in the medical clinic at a homeless shelter and as the medical doctor serving yearly at “Don’t Walk By” for the homeless. 

Dr. Feldman is actively involved in teaching medical students, resident physicians and fellows in Gastroenterology. He often provides lectures on various topics in liver disease to the medical community and patient support groups. 

Dr. Feldman is active in clinical research at NYU Langone Medical Center including studies on liver transplant and coagulopathy of cirrhosis. A Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and American College of Gastroenterology, Dr. Feldman is also a member of the American Society of Gastroenterology, New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 

Dr. Feldman completed his internship, residency, and fellowship training in Gastroenterology and Liver Disease at the New York Medical College at Saint Vincent’s Hospital Medical Center. 

Fellow

Saamia Faruqui, MD

Saamia Faruqui, MD is a fellow at the New York University Langone Hospital. She attended medical school at Louisian State University School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed her residency at Tulane University School of Medicine. 

Fellow

Fidelis Okoli, MD

Fidelis Okoli, MD is a fellow in transplant hepatology at the New York University Langone Hospital. He attended medical school at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN/UNEC) and completed his internship and residency programs at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Mentor

Brett Fortune, MD

Brett Fortune is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and a transplant hepatologist at the Center of Liver Disease and Transplantation for New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Fortune actively participates in several professional societies and committees and has contributed over 100 publications or presentations. He is currently on the editorial boards for Hepatology and Digestive Disease Interventions and is an Associate Editor for Liver transplantation. His clinical interests include management of those with advanced liver disease or suffering from complications related to portal hypertension. His research interests are clinical outcomes and healthcare services research focused on patients with cirrhosis or liver transplantation.

Fellow

Anthony Choi, MD

Anthony Choi was born and raised in Southern California. He started his medical training in New York City, and is excited to begin his Transplant Hepatology fellowship later this year at New York Presbyterian Columbia/Cornell. Academic interests include hepatocellular carcinoma and living donor liver transplantation.

Fellow

Wei Zhang, MD, PhD

Dr. Wei Zhang completed his medical program at Nanjing Medical University in clinical medicine and received his PhD in Liver Surgery and Liver Transplantation. He completed his residency at Nanjing Medical University and at Saint Louis University.

Mentor

Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos, MD, PhD, MBA, FACP, AGAF

Dr. Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos completed his medical degrees (MD and PhD) at the University of Athens in Greece, followed by residency and fellowships at Sismanogleio General Hospital in Athens and the University of Miami School of Medicine . Dr. Pyrsopoulos is board certified in the areas of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology. He received his M.B.A. from the University of Miami School of Business He formerly served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami and Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. He was an Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Chief of Hepatology, Medical Director of Liver Transplantation and the Hepatology Fellowship Program Director at Florida Hospital where he was one of the founding members of the liver transplant program and the Hepatology Fellowship in Central Florida. His publications include various scientific journals, including the Journal of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Transplantation and one of the authors of the unique in the field of abdominal transplantation book: Intestinal and multivisceral transplantation. Dr. Pyrsopoulos is also a Fellow of The American College of Physicians, and the American Gastroenterological Association. He is a member of various medical associations such as the American Association of the Study of Liver diseases among others.

Fellow

Ali Kadhim, MD

Dr. Ali Kadhim is a Hepatology fellow at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He attended medical school at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Bahrain. He then completed internal medicine residency at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland where he served as a chief resident.

Fellow

He Qiu, MD

Dr. He Qiu graduated from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University of Buffalo. He completed his internal medicine residency at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He is currently a first year gastroenterology and hepatology fellow at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Mentor

Albert Do, MD, MPH

Dr. Do received his Bachelor’s Degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology and Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, and a medical doctorate and Master’s in Public Health at Boston University. He completed his residency and fellowship training at Yale University, concurrently obtaining board certification in obesity medicine.

He is the Clinical Director of the Yale University Fatty Liver Disease Program, and has expertise and interest in hepatology, obesity medicine, gastroenterology, and general internal medicine. He is particularly interested in all forms of fatty liver disease, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and associated obesity, as well as alcohol-associated fatty liver disease, which are significant clinical and public health problems. He also is interested in clinical research, in particular the development of observational cohorts and epidemiological research with large databases. Dr. Do has been recognized with several awards including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Emerging Liver Scholar Award, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Young Investigator Award, and the Samuel Kushlan Award for Excellence in Research, and the Yale School of Medicine Samuel Kushlan Award for Excellence in research.

Fellow

Lindsay Meurer, MD

Dr. Lindsay Meurer is a second year gastroenterology fellow at Yale University. She attended medical school at the University of Illinois and completed residency at Case Western Reserve University. 

Fellow

Saad Saffo, MD

Dr. Saad Saffo is a second-year gastroenterology and hepatology fellow at Yale University. He attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University and completed internship and residency at Yale University.