Sahar Ghassemi, MD

Section of Digestive Diseases

Clinical Interests

Nutrition, Motility and Clinical Gastroenterology.

Research Interests

Medical education of providers and patients in the areas of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. I am also interested in curriculum development for gastroenterology fellows and novel approaches to education.

Currently among chronic diseases, cirrhosis is currently the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Given that there are identifiable milestones in managing patients with cirrhosis (screening for varices and hepatocellular cancer, immunizations) it is important to identify knowledge deficits among patients and providers and design educational tools that address these deficits. In the HCRC at the VA, I am involved in developing web based and paper based resources for primary care providers to use throughout the veteran’s hospitals nationwide. Additionally my research focus has been to exam knowledge deficits within the cirrhotic patient population and exam how these can be addressed within the clinics. Lastly I am interested in fellowship education. As one of the core faculty involved in the in-patient service, I am interested in designing teaching aids that will enhance the fellow’s learning and enhance the quality of patient care.

Recent Publications

• Ghassemi S, Garcia-Tsao L. Managing the Complications of Cirrhosis. Care of the Liver Transplant Patient 2007 (Textbook)
• Ghassemi S, Garcia-Tsao L. Prevention and Treatment of Infections in Patients with Cirrhosis. Best Practice and Research in Clinical Gastroenterology. 2007;21(1):77-93.
• Ghassemi S, GI and Liver Complications in the Cancer Survivor 2007 (Book Chapter, In press)