Faculty Biographies
             
Hashem B. El-Serag, MD, MPH
Chief, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX


Dr El Serag is the Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Hashem El-Serag completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Greenwich Hospital/Yale University, CT, then completed a fellowship in clinical gastroenterology. Dr El Serag earned his Masters degree in Public Health at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM.

Dr El-Serag’s research focuses on the clinical epidemiology and outcomes of several liver disorders, most notably hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis C, as well as luminal gastrointestinal disorders including GERD and Barrett’s esophagus. Dr El Serag has made use of cancer registries, administrative databases, and endoscopic registries to examine the outcomes and effectiveness of several diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. He also used and planned primary data collection in large prospective epidemiologic studies in which several techniques have been employed (surveys, molecular markers, radiological tests, endoscopy). He has recently received NIH funding to conduct translational studies using gene arrays in Barrett’s esophagus.

Dr El-Serag is actively involved both clinical and research teaching, mentoring junior faculty, clinical fellows, and post-doctoral fellows both at Baylor and at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Dr El-Serag is the author or co-author of more than 140 original papers, including publications in leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, Gut, and The American Journal of Gastroenterology. He has also written several reviews and book chapters. Dr El-Serag is an Associate Editor for Gastroenterology, the leading international GI journal.
G. Anton Decker, MBBCh, MRCP (UK)
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, AZ


G. Anton Decker gained his medical qualification at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He completed his post-graduate training in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN,He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) before returning to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where he specialized in gastroenterology. In 2004 he moved to Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale, where he is currently a consultant gastroenterologist and serves as the medical director of the Pancreas Clinic and the medical director of gastroenterology hospital practice.

Dr. Decker’s clinical practice and research both focus on pancreatology, the gastrointestinal complications of obesity surgery and double-balloon enteroscopy. He has a keen interest in medical practice innovation as well as education. He has received a practice innovation grant for research on improving the efficiency of patient and has also received an sward as outstanding educator at the Mayo Clinic.
David A. Peura, MD, FACP, MACG, AGAF 
Professor of Medicine
University of Virginia Health Sciences Center
Charlottesville, VA

David Peura is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Dr. Peura graduated from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and did his internal medicine training at Letterman Army Medical Center where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. GI fellowship training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC followed this. He served on the clinical staff and later became Chief of Gastroenterology at Walter Reed and Consultant in Gastroenterology to the Army Surgeon General. Retiring from the Army in 1990 with the rank of Colonel, he joined the faculty at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

Throughout his career, Dr. Peura has been actively involved in clinical investigation relating to acid peptic disorders, particularly peptic ulcer disease. Most recently, his research efforts have centered on Helicobacter pylori and its role in ulcer pathogenesis. He serves as a reviewer for most of the major medicine and gastroenterology subspeciality journals and has authored or co-authored more than 100 original articles, book chapters and reviews on a wide range of digestive disease topics.

Dr. Peura has demonstrated expertise and innovation in the area of medical education. While Chair of the ACG Board of Governors and AGA’s Clinical Practice section, he assisted in the organization’s annual clinical and scientific education program development. As Chair of the AGA education committee and Digestive Health Initiative Ulcer Campaign, Dr. Peura coordinated the planning and implementation of a number of highly regarded physician and lay education programs. He continues to serve as an advisor and faculty for regional, national and international teaching projects. He received the AGA’s annual Distinguished Educator Award in 2002.

Over the years, he has held leadership positions in the major national gastroenterology organizations and received numerous commendations and awards for his subspeciality contributions. He is an internationally recognized clinician and educator, and a popular speaker in the area of upper gastrointestinal disease.
 
Virender K. Sharma, MD, FACG, FASGE 
Professor of Medicine
Director, Esophageal Clinic
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, AZ

Virender Sharma graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. He completed his internship in internal medicine at SUNY HSC Brooklyn, NY, his residency at SUNY HSC Syracuse, NY, and his sub-specialty training in gastroenterology at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. He has also completed coursework towards a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Sharma was an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UMAS) in Little Rock, AR. He is currently a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Medical School and a consultant in gastroenterology and director of the esophageal clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, in Scottsdale, AZ.

Dr. Sharma’s research interests are in the areas of acid-peptic diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal cancer, endoscopic treatment of GERD, casule endoscopy, and endoscopic outcomes research. He is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). He received the ASGE’s Endoscopic Research Award in 1999.

Dr. Sharma has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, research abstracts, and book chapters. He serves as a reviewer for multiple prestegious gastroenterology journals. He has a keen interest in medical education and is a regular speaker at various regional, national and international educational symposia.