Positions
- Vice President of the Learning Health System
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
- Chair and Professor
-
Margaret M. and Albert B. Alkek Department of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
- Director
-
Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center
Houston, Texas
- Gastroenterology Section Chief (2007-2016)
-
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Houston, Texas
- Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
- Editor in Chief (2012-2017)
-
Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology
American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Journal
Addresses
- Baylor Medicine at the McNair Campus (Clinic)
-
7200 Cambridge St., 8th Floor
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-0950
Clinic Website
Education
- MPH from University of New Mexico
- 01/1998 - Albuquerque, NM, United States
- Fellowship at University of New Mexico
- 06/1997 - Albuquerque, NM, United States
- Gastroenterology
- Internship at St. Michael's Medical Center
- 06/1993 - Newark, NJ, United States
- Residency at Greenwich Hospital/Yale University
- 06/1995 - Greenwich, United States
- Internal Medicine
- MD from Al-Arab Medical University
- 01/1991 - Benghazi, Libya
Certifications
- Internal Medicine
- American Board of Internal Medicine
- Gastroenterology
- American Board of Internal Medicine
Honors & Awards
- 2025 - Texas Super Doctors
- 2024 - William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology
- 2024 - “World's Most Influential Scientific Minds” in the area of Clinical Medicine by Thomson Reuters, 2014-2024
- 2023 - Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2023 - Texas Top Doctors, 2011-2023
- 2022 - Internal Medicine and Educators, Who’s Who in America
- 2020 - Houston’s Best Doctors, 2009-2020
- 2016 - Ben Quarah Award, NAAMA Local Chapter Prestigious Award
- 2016 - Michael E. DeBakey Excellence in Research Award
- 2015 - Best Doctors in America®, 2009-2015
- 2014 - Top Doctors of the Year
- 2011 - Blue Faery Award for Excellence in Liver Cancer Research
- 2010 - Charles Mörtel Lecture, International Cancer Society
- 2008 - American Society for Clinical Investigators (ASCI)
- 2006 - American Gastroenterological Association's Masters Award in Clinical Research
- 2002 - American Gastroenterological Association's Young Clinical Investigator Award
- 1999 - Research Mentor Award, University of New Mexico
Professional Interests
- Barrett's esophagus
- Dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Viral hepatitis
- Chronic liver disease
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Screening and surveillance of GI and liver cancers
- Epidemiology and outcomes of digestive disorders
- Colonoscopy and Upper Endoscopy
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Fatty Liver
Professional Statement
I currently serve as the Vice President of the Learning Health System and the Chair of the Margaret M. and Albert B. Alkek Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where I also direct the NIH-funded Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center and practice clinically at Baylor Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
My vision centers on integrating data-driven insights into patient care and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration. In 2023, I launched the Learning Health System Initiative at Baylor College of Medicine to accelerate evidence-based genomic medicine and create a continuously improving healthcare ecosystem.
My research focuses on digestive disorders, particularly chronic liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and Barrett’s esophagus. I have published over 680 peer-reviewed articles (H-index 165), consistently ranking among the world’s top 1% most-cited clinical researchers. My work has shaped national guidelines and earned recognition from NPR and The New York Times. I have secured more than 70 research grants and served as Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology and President of the American Gastroenterological Association (2019).
Before joining Baylor in 1999, I earned my MD from Al-Arab Medical University in Libya, completed residency at Yale’s Greenwich Hospital, and a G.I. fellowship and MPH at the University of New Mexico. I am passionate about mentoring future physician-scientists and advancing healthcare through bold initiatives in research and education.
My vision centers on integrating data-driven insights into patient care and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration. In 2023, I launched the Learning Health System Initiative at Baylor College of Medicine to accelerate evidence-based genomic medicine and create a continuously improving healthcare ecosystem.
My research focuses on digestive disorders, particularly chronic liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and Barrett’s esophagus. I have published over 680 peer-reviewed articles (H-index 165), consistently ranking among the world’s top 1% most-cited clinical researchers. My work has shaped national guidelines and earned recognition from NPR and The New York Times. I have secured more than 70 research grants and served as Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology and President of the American Gastroenterological Association (2019).
Before joining Baylor in 1999, I earned my MD from Al-Arab Medical University in Libya, completed residency at Yale’s Greenwich Hospital, and a G.I. fellowship and MPH at the University of New Mexico. I am passionate about mentoring future physician-scientists and advancing healthcare through bold initiatives in research and education.
Selected Publications
-
Stephen Lam Chan, Hui-Chuan Sun, Yang Xu, Hongmei Zeng, Hashem B El-Serag, Jeong Min Lee, et al.. " The Lancet Commission on addressing the global hepatocellular carcinoma burden: comprehensive strategies from prevention to treatment " Lancet. 2025 Aug 16; 406 (10504) : P731-778.
Pubmed PMID: 40744051. -
Kanwal F, Kramer JR, Li L, Yang YX, Cao Y, Yu X, Samuel R, Ali B, Desiderio R, Cholankeril G, Bajaj M, Asch SM. " GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Risk for Cirrhosis and Related Complications in Patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease " JAMA Intern Med.. 2024 Nov 1; 11 (184) : 1314–1323.
Pubmed PMID: 39283612. -
Rustgi A, El-Serag HB. " Esophageal Carcinoma " N. Engl. J. Med. 2015 Apr ; 372 (15) : 1472-3.
Pubmed PMID: 25853757. -
El-Serag HB, Kanwal F, Davila JA, Kramer J, Richardson P. " A New Laboratory-Based Algorithm to Predict Development of Heptocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis " Gastroenterology. 2014 May ; 146 (5) : 1249-55.e1.
Pubmed PMID: 24462733.
Log In to edit your profile