Lab Members

Our Staff

Photo of Jake Liang
M.D. – Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Internal Medicine Residency – New York University/Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY
Gastroenterology Fellowship – Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Photo of Edward Doo
Adjunct Investigator
M.D. – Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY
Internal Medicine Residency – The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY
Marc Ghany.
M.D. – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Internal Medicine Residency – Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, CT
Gastroenterology Fellowship – Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Liver Diseases Fellowship – NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
M.H.Sc. – Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
Photo of Theo Heller.
M.D. – University of Witwatersrand Medical school
Internal Medicine Residency – Georgetown University Hospital
Viral Hepatitis Fellowship – NIAID, Bethesda, MD
Gastroenterology Fellowship – University of Maryland School of Medicine
Liver Diseases Fellowship – NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
Photo of Jay Hoofnagle
M.D. – Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Internal Medicine Residency – University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
Internal Medicine Residency – VA Medical Center, Washington, DC
Gastroenterology Fellowship – VA Medical Center, Washington, DC
Photo of Christopher Koh.
M.D. – Saba University School of Medicine, Netherlands-Antilles
M.H.Sc. - Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
Internal Medicine Residency – Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, MD 
Liver Diseases Fellowship – NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
Gastroenterology Fellowship – University of Maryland/NIH Scholars Program, Baltimore, MD & Bethesda, MD
Photo of Yaron Rotman
M.D. – Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
M.Sc. – Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
Internal Medicine Residency – Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tiqwa, Israel
Gastroenterology Fellowship – Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tiqwa, Israel
Liver Diseases Fellowship – NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
Photo of Averell Sherker
M.D. – Queens University Faculty of Health Sciences, Kingston, Canada
Internal Medicine Residency – Mt. Sinai Hosptial University, Toronto, Canada
Gastroenterology Fellowship – University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Liver Diseases Fellowship – Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Hepatology Clinical Fellows

Photo of Nehna Abdul Majeed.
Nehna Abdul Majeed
Clinical Fellow

Education:

MBBS: Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Kerala, India
Internal Medicine Residency: Medstar Health Internal Medicine Residency, Baltimore, MD
Chief Residency: Medstar Health Internal Medicine Residency, Baltimore, MD

My research interests include treatment trials of hepatitis B and D, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, drug induced liver injury, non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, primary sclerosing cholangitis and impact of systemic diseases on liver diseases. After graduating from the Hepatology fellowship at NIH, I plan to pursue Gastroenterology fellowship and practice at an academic center as a clinical Hepatologist where I will have the opportunity to dedicate my time to teaching, clinical work and research.

Photo of Asif Hitawala.
Asif Hitawala
Clinical Fellow

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.

Dr. Harish Kumar Gopalakrishna Pillai.
Harish Kumar Gopalakrishna Pillai, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

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.

Dr. Maria Mironova.
Maria Mironova, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

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.

Clinical Specialists

Jaha Norman-Wheeler
Jaha Norman-Wheeler, BA, RN, CCRC
Supervisory Nurse Manager
T: 301-435-6122
F: 301-435-9160
F: 301-480-5329
Patricia Alcivar
Patricia Alcivar
Patient Care Coordinator
T: 301-435-6121
F: 301-435-9160
F: 301-480-5329
Jose Linan
Jose Linan
Patient Care Coordinator

T: 301-435-6121
F: 301-435-9160
F: 301-480-5329

Elenita Rivera
Elenita M. Rivera, BSN, RN
Research Nurse Specialist
T: 301-435-6125
F: 301-451-9160
F: 301-480-5329
Anna Liza Rivero
Anna Rivero, BSN, RN
Research Nurse Specialist

T: 301-451-7007
F: 301-435-9160
F: 301-480-5329

Shani C. Scott.
Shani C. Scott, BSN, RN
Research Nurse Specialist

T: 301-451-6983
F: 301-435-9160
F: 301-480-5329

Alaina Magnani, RN
Research Nurse Specialist

T: 301-451-6984
F: 301-435-9160
F: 301-480-5329

Zahra Sarrafan-Chaharsoughi
Zahra Sarrafan-Chaharsoughi, MD
Research Assistant, M.D. – Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Yazd, Iran
T: 301-480-7057
F: 301-451-9160
F: 301-480-5329