Dr. Ala’ Sharara is Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Gastroenterology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. He is also a Consulting Professor at Duke University in Durham, NC, United States. He has American Board Certification in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and of the American Gastroenterological Association. He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Italian Association for the Study of the Liver, American College of Gastroenterology, and the Lebanese Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Sharara has over 120 published articles and book chapters and serves on the editorial boards of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Journal of Gastroenterology, World Journal of Gastroenterology, Liver International, and is an ad-hoc reviewer for other premier journals including Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Hepatology, and Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology. He has lectured widely as an invited speaker in local, regional, and international scientific events as well as a visiting professor at leading medical centers in the United States. His main research interests are inflammatory bowel disease, viral hepatitis and portal hypertension, adverse events of PPI, colonoscopy screening and preparation, Helicobacter pylori, C. difficile, and functional bowel disorders.