Meet Our Team
Shahid Habib MD
Transplant Hepatologist
Dr. Shahid Habib is a Hepatologist in Tucson, Arizona and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System and St Joseph’s Hospital. He also has Interstate medical licensure to practice outside of Arizona. His practice emphasis is comprehensive liver disease care. He attended Quaid-e-Azam Medical College and completed residency and fellowship (Internal Medicine & Gastroenterology) training at Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute and King Edward Medical University, Mayo Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. He subsequently has further advanced training at Western General Infirmary, University of Glasgow UK, Banks town Hospital, University of New South Wales (NSW) Sydney. Australia (Gastroenterology) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Hepatology and Liver Transplantation). His special interests include liver failure, liver transplantation and NASH (fatty liver disease). His goal of practice is cure and prevention of liver disease.
Board certifications
American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
MRCP Internal Medicine UK
MRCP Gastroenterology & Hepatology UK
EUROPEAN Specialty Certification in Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Transplant Hepatology UPMC trained
FCPS Pakistan
Ruwani Alwis MD
Transitional Trainee Doctor
Dr. Ruwani Alwis earned her medical degree from Tianjin Medical University, China, and is certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). She is currently a Transitional Trainee Physician working under the supervision of Dr. Shahid Habib, providing patient care at the Fatty Liver Clinic. She completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Tucson Medical Center and serves as a Sub-Investigator for clinical trials at the Liver Institute, contributing to research in liver disease. Dr. Alwis completed her clinical training at Puttalam Base Hospital in Sri Lanka and Tucson Medical Center. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. As part of her commitment to community service, Dr. Alwis leads a Free Liver Health Clinic on the first Friday of each month, providing consultations and liver health education for uninsured and underserved patients. Dr. Alwis is passionate about advancing liver health through compassionate patient care, clinical research, medical education, and community outreach.
MD: Tianjin Medical University,Tianjin, China 2012
Yataco-Marquez MD
Trainee Doctor
Yataco-Marquez MD, graduated from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She also earned a Master of Science in Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. After several years of clinical and translational research in emerging infectious diseases in Oregon, Dr. Marquez relocated to Arizona to pursue advanced training at the Liver Institute. She currently serves as a Clinical Sub-Investigator on multiple interventional clinical trials, contributing to research focused on advancing the treatment of liver disease. In addition, she works alongside Dr. Shahid Habib in the clinical setting, assisting in the care and management of patients as part of her advanced clinical training. Dr.Marquez is committed to combining clinical care with research to improve patient outcomes and expand access to innovative therapies.
MD: McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX. USA
Ashwinikumar Shandilya MD
Transitional Trainee Doctor
Ashwinikumar Shandilya, MD is a medical doctor graduated from Rural Medical College in India, He is an ECFMG certified physician working as a transitional trainee physician under the supervision of Dr. Shahid Habib. He actively participates in clinical care under the supervision of Dr. Habib and works as a sub-clinical Investigator in clinical trials conducted at the Liver Institute. Currently Dr. Shandilya is also affiliated with the University of Edinburgh getting a Masters in stem cell and regenerative medicine. He is also a part of various research teams across the United States participating in a variety of research projects. He is also an AHA certified BLS instructor.
MD: Rural Medical College, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences India. (2019)
MSc: Stem cell and Regenerative Medicine (2030)
Our Exceptional Students
Mona Sheikh MD
Dr. Sheikh was a medical doctor trained at the Liver Institute. She graduated in 2011 from Egypt and completed her initial training there. She became Arizona board-certified to work as a training doctor in 2022. She is pursuing her master's in public health at the University of North Texas while training full-time at the Liver Institute. Dr. Sheikh was part of the research team at the Liver Institute until June 2024. She completed two years of transitional medical doctor training at the Liver Institute and was offered a residency after her training.
DEGREE
- MD: University Faculty of Medicine Egypt, 2011
- MPH: University of North Texas, expected 2023
LISA ARRETT NP
Lisa Arrett earned her Master of Science in Nursing with an emphasis on Adult-Gerontology from Grand Canyon University in 2018. Lisa has over 9 years of nursing experience, with a background in cardiology and the ER as an RN. She was affiliated with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, and the American Red Cross Disaster Health Services Team. In April 2019, she joined the Liver Institute as a nurse practitioner NP where she was trained to care for chronic liver patients as a provider. She worked under the direct supervision of the primary hepatologist for two years.
DEGREES
· MSN (Master of Science in Nursing): Grand Canyon University, 2018
· BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing): North Dakota State University, 2013
· ADN (Associate’s in Nursing): Kirkwood Community College, 2010
Lindsey M Schader PHD
Lindsey Schader was the first undergraduate student at Liver Institute from November 2017 to July 2018. Her work in Investigator Initiated Research Studies at the Liver Institute was significant. Her research was published. She was accepted at Emory University for a Biostatistics PhD program in 2018.
Janay Hall
Janay Hall joined the Liver Institute after completing her undergraduate studies in August 2020. She worked as a medical scribe until March 2023. Her dedication and precision toward her work were noteworthy. She was accepted into the Forensic Pathology program in 2024.
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson joined the Liver Institute after completing his undergraduate degree in Aug 2022. He started as a medical scribe but was transferred to the Research department due to his thoroughness within a few months. Since then, he has participated in pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical trials as a junior research coordinator. He successfully ran and closed a study at this time. He is assisting in three clinical research studies and aiding the principal investigator in writing and publishing the studies. Andrew has successfully secured his position at medical school in Arizona to start his journey in 2025.