Dr. Nicholas Shaheen had served as interim division chief since July 1, 2013, after Robert Sandler, MD, MPH, stepped down to focus his efforts on the research activities of the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease.
Nicholas Shaheen, MD, MPH, has been appointed chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, effective Feb 28.
“Dr. Shaheen is an internationally recognized clinician, educator and investigator and has excelled in a number of important administrative roles at UNC,” said Marschall Runge, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Medicine and Executive Dean for the School of Medicine. “I am confident that he will do an outstanding job in leading one of the world’s elite programs in gastrointestinal diseases.”
Dr. Shaheen is Professor of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the UNC School of Public Health. He joined the UNC faculty in 1998, after earning his medical degree at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also fulfilled his internship and residency requirements.
He is the Director of the Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing and is an expert on Barrett’s esophagus, reflux disease, and esophageal cancer. Dr. Shaheen has authored national guidelines for GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, eosinophilic esophagitis, and the use of upper endoscopy, and serves as Senior Associate Editor for the American Journal of Gastroenterology.