Ahmed A. Eltahir, MD

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

Colorectal surgery, an intricate and specialized branch of medicine, presents a complex interplay between anatomical intricacies, physiological systems, and surgical techniques. It is used to treat the most morbid diseases such as rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease on one end while treating more benign diseases like hemorrhoids at the other end. Regardless, all these diseases can have devastating consequences on patients and leave them feeling isolated due to the social stigma of talking about these diseases.
I am currently pursuing a Master of Population Sciences to gain valuable skills to study medicine and diseases from a broader scale. I hope to use my skills as a colorectal surgeon and as a scientist to study clinical outcomes and health services. I hope to study questions that address how we can improve access to care, decrease healthcare disparities, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately improve clinical outcomes.