Executive Vice Chair of Internal Medicine, Interim Division Director of Digestive Diseases, Associate Chief Medical Officer
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, MHCM, FACG is a Professor of Medicine and a Gastroenterologist that specializes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). She has recently transitioned to the University of Cincinnati, after successfully building the first standalone multidisciplinary IBD Center and serving as the Medical Director at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center the past five years. Dr. Afzali is now the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati and Associate Chief Medical Officer of UC Health Systems. She received her medical degree and then completed an Internal Medicine residency and Gastroenterology and Advanced IBD fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. While in fellowship, Dr. Afzali worked in outcomes research and epidemiology, and also graduated with a Master’s in Public Health. She recently also obtained another Master's in Health Care Management for physician executive leadership and business administration from Harvard University. Her areas of research interests include clinical outcomes and clinical trials for investigative therapies and diagnostics in IBD. She is a healthcare redesign leader and with interests in clinical operations and transformative medical care delivery. Dr. Afzali has extensive peer-reviewed publications, a clinical trialist in over 20 investigative drug and diagnostic trials, an invited lecturer on national and international programs, and serves on several international advisory boards and scientific committees. She serves as Chair of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Educational Affairs Committee and the Vice Chair of the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) Publications Committee and Co-Editor of the WGO quarterly global newsletters. She currently also serve as the Interim Division Director of Digestive Diseases at the University of Cincinnati.