FoundationAnnualReport2022

evolving. For example, hepatitis C was identified in 1989, and within almost 25 years, we can cure nearly 100% of hepatitis C cases. Such a short time from discovery to cure is unusual in medicine. Hepatologists are curing diseases and changing lives. It is an exciting field that combines both knowledge and procedural skills. I like how it includes both in one specialty. After completing my fellowships, I spent several years as the head of the liver clinic at Cleveland Metro. I established a liver clinic on the west side of Cleveland for the Cleveland Clinic. I had achieved as much as possible in Cleveland and thought the Sandusky area would be a great place to establish a hepatology practice. I am the only hepatologist between Cleveland and Toledo and plan to begin a liver clinic at Firelands in the coming months. Liver disease is very prominent in the United States, with 1 in 3 Americans developing non- alcoholic fatty liver disease, which occurs when fat builds up in the liver, causing inflammation or liver cell damage. A clinic would allow us to treat more patients locally without having to refer them out of the area. When not practicing medicine, I enjoy spending time with my wife, young daughter, and son. I like to play tennis, go to the gym, and travel. Born and raised in Syria, I received my medical degree from the University of Aleppo Faculty of Medicine. Most of my family pursued careers in healthcare as dentists, pharmacists, and physicians, and I decided to do the same. I like helping people and contributing to the community. Some of my family members have had medical problems, and I saw how medicine helped them. So, I decided to become a physician. During medical school, I did a rotation at a hospital in London. My sister was a dermatologist at the same hospital, and I planned to practice there, too. One of the physicians I trained with in London recommended that instead of relocating to England, I should move to the United States because of its reputation as the world’s leader in the medical field. I followed his advice and completed my clinical rotations at the University of North Carolina, which allowed me to compare my experiences in Syria, London, and the US. I liked what I was learning in the US and was accepted into an internal medicine residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. After completing my residency, I did a gastroenterology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University/ Metro Health, Cleveland, Ohio and a transplant hepatology fellowship at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. Gastroenterology is a vast umbrella involving several parts of the body, including the liver. I enjoyed studying the liver and was fascinated by how rapidly the field of hepatology was Imad Asaad, MD Gastroenterology/Hepatology Gastroenterology is the study of the normal function and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver. Hepatology is the study, prevention, diagnosis and management of diseases that affect the liver. 28