Natalia Imad Khalaf, MD, MPH, FACP

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Natalia Imad Khalaf, MD, MPH, FACP

Assistant Professor

Email

nikhalaf@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor: Medicine-Gastroenterology
Baylor College of Medicine

Clinical Investigator: Clinical Effectiveness and Population Health Program, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

Core Faculty Member in Health Policy, Quality & Informatics (HPQI) Program: Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt). MEDVAMC

Education

BA from Rice University: 05/2007 - Houston; Biological Sciences

MD from Baylor College of Medicine: 05/2011 - Houston

Residency at Baylor College of Medicine: 05/2014 - Houston; Internal Medicine

Residency at Baylor College of Medicine: 06/2015 - Houston; Chief Medical Resident

Clinical Fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital: 06/2018 - Boston; Gastroenterology and Hepatology

MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: 06/2018 - Boston; Epidemiology

Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine

Board certified in Internal Medicine.

American Board of Internal Medicine

Board certified in Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Honors & Awards

Chief Medical Resident and Instructor in Medicine, BCM, Houston, TX: 07/2014 - 06/2015

Introduction to Clinical Medicine Course Preceptor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA: 07/2017 - 06/2018

AGA Academy of Educators Elected Member: 05/2018

Partners in Excellence Quality Treatment and Service Award: Harvard Medical/Partners System (05/2017)

Bob Parsons Inaugural Fellow in Pancreatic Cancer Research: Dana Farber Cancer Institute (01/2017 - 06/2018)

American Gastroenterological Association Certificate of Recognition as an Early Career Investigator for an oral presentation at Digestive Disease Week: 05/2017

GI Fellowship Mentoring Award,: Brigham and Women's Hospital (06/2017)

Soma Weiss Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching: Brigham and Women's Hospital (06/2017)

Ambulatory Lecturing Fellow Award: Brigham and Women's Hospital (06/2017)

Clinical Teaching Skills Workshop Grant Recipient, Center of Expertise in Medical Education: Harvard Medical School (03/2016)

Gold Humanism Honor Society, Elected Residency Chapter President: Baylor College of Medicine (06/2010 - 06/2015)

Bobby Alford Award for Clinical Professionalism Selection Committee: Baylor College of Medicine (01/2013 - 06/2015)

Dean of Medical Education Outstanding Resident Teacher Award: Baylor College of Medicine (06/2013)

Outstanding Achievement Award for Continuity Clinic: Baylor College of Medicine (06/2014)

Michael E. Debakey VA Hospital Intern of the Month: Baylor College of Medicine (01/2011)

Phi Beta Kappa: Rice University (06/2007)

Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) Faculty Excellence Award - Teaching and Evaluation: Baylor College of Medicine (05/2025)

Fellowship: American College of Physicians (FACP) (07/2019)

Selected for the 2024 class of the National Academy of Medicine Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence program.: Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, this collaborative program in partnership with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies offers a one-year, part-time experience for exceptional professionals to advance their diagnostic skills, make significant contributions to improve clinical diagnosis at the national level, and accelerate their career development as national leaders in the field; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (07/2024 - 06/2025)

Professional Statement

I am a clinical gastroenterologist and researcher with a focus on gastrointestinal (GI) cancer care. I am an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM, tenure track), an investigator in the Clinical Effectiveness and Population Health Program, and a Health Policy, Quality & Informatics (HPQI) Program Core Faculty member at the Houston Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt). I was a Brigham and Women’s Hospital/ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (BWH/DFCI) NIH-funded T32 Clinical Research fellow with a research focus on GI cancers. I received my Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. I have successfully performed epidemiological and health-services related studies in several large datasets including the Nurses’ Health Study, Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, and the national Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system.

I serve as site co-PI for the VA’s CONFIRM trial, the largest VA clinical trial in history, which studies colonoscopy vs. fecal immunochemical test (FIT) testing in reducing mortality from colorectal cancer. I am recipient of a VA Health Services Research & Development Career Development Award and a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Diagnostic Excellence grant. I have been selected to the 2024-2025 National Academy of Medicine Diagnostic Scholars Fellowship Program.

My scholarship centers around improving the timeliness of cancer diagnosis through the use of health IT or informatics tools. My research leverages “big data” generated from electronic health records to develop automated algorithms that learning health systems can then use to measure and mitigate preventable diagnostic delays as it relates to cancer care.

Selected Publications

Sharara A, Mokahal A, Harb A, Khalaf N, et al. "A Novel Risk Prediction Rule for Advanced Neoplasia at First Screening Colonoscopy for Average-Risk Individuals.." World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020 Oct; Pubmed PMID: 33088163
Babic A, Zhang X, Moralez-Oyarvide V, Yuan C, Khalaf N, et al. "Acid-suppressive Medications and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: Results from Three Large Prospective Cohort Studies." Br J Cancer. 2020; Pubmed PMID: 32541871
Babic, A., Rosenthal, M.H., Sundaresan, T.K., Khalaf, N, et al "Adipose tissue and skeletal muscle wasting precede clinical diagnosis of pancreatic cancer." Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 18;14(1):4317. Pubmed PMID: 37463915
Qian ZR, Rubinson DA, Nowak JA, Morales-Oyarvide V, Dunne RF, Kozak MM, Welch MW, Brais LK, Da Silva A, Li T, Li W, Masuda A, Yang J, Shi Y, Gu M, Masugi Y, Bui J, Zellers CL, Yuan C, Babic A, Khalaf N, et al "Association of Alterations in Main Driver Genes Predict Patient Outcomes in Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.." JAMA Oncology. 2018 Mar;4(3):e173420. Pubmed PMID: 29098284

Khalaf N, El-Serag H, Abrams H, Thrift A "Burden of Pancreatic Cancer: From Epidemiology to Practice." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2019;
Khalaf N, Ali B. "Challenges and Opportunities in Pancreatic Cancer Screening Among High-Risk Individuals.." Gastroenterology. 2022 Jun;162(7):2113-2120. Pubmed PMID: 35364067
Murthy S, Khalaf N, Shah S, Ma B, Goldsmith C, Kass J "Churg-Strauss Syndrome: An Uncommon Cause of Intracerebral Hemorrhage." JAMA Neurology. 2013;70:1580-1. Pubmed PMID: 24126465
Khalaf N, Crews J, DuPont HL, Koo HL "Clostridium difficile: An Emerging Pathogen in Children." Discovery Medicine.;14:105-13. Pubmed PMID: 22935207
Saini SD, Schoenfeld P, Goebel S, von Rosenvinge EC ... Khalaf N, et al. "CONFIRM Study Group. Baseline Features and Reasons for Nonparticipation in the Colonoscopy Versus Fecal Immunochemical Test in Reducing Mortality From Colorectal Cancer (CONFIRM) Study, a Colorectal Cancer Screening Trial.." JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Jul 3;6(7):e2321730. Pubmed PMID: 37432690
Khalaf N, Liu Y, Kramer JR, El-Serag HB, Kanwal F, Singh H "Defining and Understanding Diagnostic Delays Among Pancreatic Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study." Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Jul 27; Pubmed PMID: 39074521
Claridge H, Price CA, Ali R, Cooke E, de Lusignan S, Harvey-Sullivan A, Hodges C, Khalaf N, et al "Determining the feasibility of calculating pancreatic cancer risk scores for people with new-onset diabetes in primary care (DEFEND PRIME): study protocol." BMJ Open. 2024 Jan 22;14(1):e079863. Pubmed PMID: 38262635
Khalaf N, Kramer J, Liu Y, Abrams D, Singh H, El- Serag HB, Kanwal F "Diabetes Status and Pancreatic Cancer Survival in the Nationwide Veterans Affairs Healthcare System." Dig Dis Sci.. 2023 Sep;68(9):3634-3643. Pubmed PMID: 37474717
Yuan C, Babic A, Khalaf N, et al. "Diabetes, Weight Change, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk." JAMA Oncol. 2020 Oct;6(10):e202948. Pubmed PMID: 32789511
Szafron D, Kim H, Turin C, Benzi E, Khalaf N, Hernaez R "Duodenal and liver lesions in an adult with generalized weakness." Gut. 2019;
Khalaf N, Ali B, Liu Y, Kramer JR, El-Serag H, Kanwal F, Singh H "Emergency Presentations Predict Worse Outcomes Among Patients with Pancreatic Cancer." Dig Dis Sci. 2023 Dec 16;69(2):603-614. Pubmed PMID: 38103105
Hamada T, Yuan C, Yurgelun MB, Perez K, Khalaf N, et al "Family history of cancer, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and pancreatic cancer risk." Br J Cancer. 2019 Apr;120(8):848-854. Pubmed PMID: 30867564
Yurgelun M, Chittenden A, Morales V, Dunne R, Kozak M, Quian ZR, Welch M, Brais L, Da Silva A, Bui J, Yuan C, Li T, Li W, Masuda A, Gu M, Bullock A, Chang D, Clancy T, Linehan D, Findeis-Hosey J, Doyle L, Thorner A, Ducar M, Wollison B, Khalaf N, et al "Germline cancer susceptibility gene variants and paired somatic analyses in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma." Genetics in Medicine. 2019 Jan;21(1):213-223. Pubmed PMID: 29961768
Khalaf N, Mittal S "Hepatic portal venous gas: an ominous sign of mesenteric ischemia." Image of the Month, Clinical Gatroenterology and Hepatology. 2014;12(6):A29-30. Pubmed PMID: 24440213
Zaid M, Elganainy D, Dogra P, Dai A, Widmann L, Fernandes P, Wang Z, Pelaez MJ, Ramirez JR, Singhi A, Dasyam A, Brand R, Park W, Rahmanuddin S, Rosenthal M, Wolpin B, Khalaf N, et al. "Imaging-based subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma exhibit differential growth and metabolic patterns in the pre-diagnostic period: implications for early detection." Frontiers in Oncology. 2020 Dec 2;10 Pubmed PMID: 33344245
Jacob J, Millien V, Berger S, Ketwaroo A, Flores A, Hernaez A, Hou J, Jarbrink Sehgal M, Khalaf N, et al. "Improving Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines for Managing Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia among Gastroenterologists at a U.S. Academic Institution.." J Clin Gastroenterol.. 2023 Jul;58(5):432-439. Pubmed PMID: 37436841
Khalaf N, El-Serag H, Kuzniarek J, Ramsey D, Tabasi S, White D, Kanwal F "Intake of Coffee and Caffeine are Associated with Decreased Risk of Advanced Hepatic Fibrosis among Patients with Hepatitis C." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2015;13:1521-1531. Pubmed PMID: 25777972
Khalaf N, Anish R, Buehler G "Intragastric Balloon in the Emergency Department: An Unusual Cause of Gastric Outlet Obstruction." Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2014;46:113-6. Pubmed PMID: 24495937
Khalaf N, Felice F, Sejpal D "Jejunal Dieulafoy’s Lesion: A Rare Cause of Lower Gastrointestinal Bleed." Practical Gastroenterology. 2014;37(10)
Morales-Oyarvide V, Rubinson DA, Dunne RF, Kozak MM, Bui JL, Yuan C, Qian ZR, Babic A, Da Silva A, Nowak JA, Khalaf N, et al "Lymph node metastases in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: predictors of disease recurrence and survival. British Journal of Cancer 2017 Dec 5." Br J Cancer. 2017 Dec;117(12):1874-1882. Pubmed PMID: 28982112
Khalaf N, Wolpin BW "Metabolic Alterations as a Signpost to Early Pancreatic Cancer.." Gastroenterology. 2019 May;156:1560-1563. Pubmed PMID: 30926350
12. Khalaf N, Ying J, Mittal S, Temple S, El-Serag H "Natural History of Untreated HCC in a U.S. Cohort and the Role of Cancer Surveillance." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2016;16:30517-1. Pubmed PMID: 27521507
Khalaf N, Ali B. "New-onset Diabetes as a Signpost of Early Pancreatic Cancer: The Role of Screening." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2022 Sep;20(9):1927-1930. Pubmed PMID: 35181568
Khalaf N, Nguyen T, Ramsey D, El-Serag H "Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and the Risk of Barrett’s Esophagus." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2014;12:1832-9. Pubmed PMID: 24793026
Millenia V, Abrams D, Khalaf N "Not all terminal ileitis is Crohn’s disease: Intestinal tuberculosis causing small bowel obstruction." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2020;
Khalaf N, Kramer J, Ramsey D, El-Serag H "Personal and family history of cancer and the risk of Barrett’s esophagus in men." Diseases of the Esophagus. 2015;28:283-90. Pubmed PMID: 24529029
Hamada T, Khalaf N, Yuan C, et al "Pre-diagnosis Use of Statins Associates With Increased Survival Times of Patients With Pancreatic Cancer." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2018 Aug;16(8):1300-1306. Pubmed PMID: 2947497
Yuan C, Morales-Oyarvide V, Khalaf N, et al. "Prediagnostic Inflammation and Pancreatic Cancer Survival.." J Natl Cancer Inst.. 2021 Sep 4;113(9):1186-1193. Pubmed PMID: 33739411
Hamada T, Yan C, Bao Y, Zhang M, Khalaf N, et al "Prediagnostic Leukocyte Telomere Length and Pancreatic Cancer Survival." Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.. 2019 Aug 19;28(11):1868-1875. Pubmed PMID: 31427306
Pan S, Brand R, Lai L, Dawson D, Donahue T, Kim S, Khalaf N, et al. "Proteome heterogeneity and malignancy detection in pancreatic cyst fluids.." Clin Transl Med.. 2021 Aug;11(8):e506. Pubmed PMID: 34459141
Abrams H, Lee M, Dahdal S, Khalaf N "Rapid Rectal Polyposis Development in a Patient with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis." ACG Case Reports. 2020 Oct 26;7(10):e00469. Pubmed PMID: 33134403
Khalaf N, Yuan C, Tsuyoshi Hamada, et al "Regular Use of Aspirin or Non-Aspirin Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Is Not Associated With Risk of Incident Pancreatic Cancer in Two Large Cohort Studies." 2018 Apr;154(5):1380-1390. Pubmed PMID: 29229401
Khan N, Husain SA, Husain SI, Khalaf N, George J, Raissi F, Segura A, Biswajit K, Bogaev R, Frazier O "Remission of Chronic Anthracycline-Induced Heart Failure with Support from a Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device." Texas Heart Institute Journal. 2012;39:554-556. Pubmed PMID: 22949777
Sharara A, Mokahal A, Harb A, Khalaf N, et al. "Risk prediction rule for advanced neoplasia on screening colonoscopy for average-risk individuals.." World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020 Oct 7;26(37):5705-5717. Pubmed PMID: 33088163
Hamada T, Khalaf N, Yuan C, et al "Statin Use and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Two Prospective Cohort Studies." Journal of Gastroenterology. 2018 Aug;53(8):959-966. Pubmed PMID: 29362938
Khalaf N, Xu A, Nguyen T, Kramer J, Liu Y, Singh H, El-Serag, Kanwal F. "The Impact of Race on Pancreatic Cancer Treatment and Survival in the Nationwide Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.." Pancreas. 2024 Jan 1;53(1):e27-e33. Pubmed PMID: 37967826
Khalaf N, El-Serag H, Kanwal F, et al. "The Influence of Gut and Tumor Microbiome on Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes." Gastroenterology,. 2020 Sep;159(3):1184-1185. Pubmed PMID: 32681921
Jiang K, Bazarbashi AN, Dahdal S, Voiculescu A, Khalaf N "The Spiraling Case of a Yellow Chef: Isolated Hyperbilirubinemia." Case Reports Hepatol. 2018 Aug;23:5876718. Pubmed PMID: 30210882
3. Srivatsav A, Ghanayem R, Dahdal S, Khalaf N "Treatment of Esophageal Stricture After Lye Ingestion: A Case of Dysphagia following Colon Interposition." ACG Case Reports. 2020;
Khalaf N, Samadder NJ "Utility of Genetic Testing In Persons With Multiple Colorectal Polyps." Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2019 Mar 12;3565(19):30259-9. Pubmed PMID: 30876960
Khalaf N, Abrams H, Chemezian E, Kanwal F, El-Serag H. "Why Do Small IPMNs Create Such a Huge Management Challenge? How International Classification of Diseases Codes Have Failed Us.." Pancreas. 2022 Feb 1;51(2):e13-e15. Pubmed PMID: 35404900
Khalaf N, Ali B, Zimolzak A, Liu Y, Wei L, Kanwal F, et al. "Digital Quality Measure of Potentially Avoidable Emergency Presentations Among Patients with Colorectal Cancer.." BMJ Quality & Safety.. 2025 Oct 9; Pubmed PMID: 41027729
Khalaf N, Ali B, Zimolzak A, Liu Y, El-Serag HB, Kanwal F, et al. "Prevalence and Outcomes of Emergency Presentations of Colorectal Cancer in Veterans Affairs Health Care System." Dig Dis Sci.. 2025 Jan;70(1):179-181. Pubmed PMID: 39661278

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Memberships

Texas Digestive Disease Center

National Arab American Medical Association, Houston Chapter: Vice President (01/2019 - 12/2021)

Texas Gulf Coast GI Society: Member (01/2019)

National Pancreas Foundation: Member (01/2017)

American Pancreatic Association: Member (01/2016 - 12/2020)

Massachusetts Gastroenterology Association: Member (01/2016 - 12/2019)

Massachusetts Medical Society: Member (01/2015 - 12/2019)

American College of Gastroenterology: Member (01/2015)

Texas Medical Association: Member (01/2014)

American Gastroenterological Association: Member (01/2013)

American Medical Association: Member (01/2012 - 12/2019)

American College of Physicians: Member (01/2011)

Harris County Medical Society: Member, Council on International and Affiliated Medical Societies (01/2020 - 12/2021)

National Arab American Medical Association,: Member (01/2019)

Gold Humanish Honor Society: Inducted Member (01/2010)

Funding

Acute Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer: Improving Early Detection: ( 04/01/2019 - 03/01/2021 ); 2018 Young Investigator Grant

Precision Risk Stratification for Pancreatic Cancer: A Deep Learning Approach: $50,000.00 ( 01/01/2020 - 12/01/2021 )

A Clinical Validation Center for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer - #U01CA200468: $50,000.00 ( 01/01/2020 - 03/31/2022 ); Co-Investigator for MEDVAMC site

Predicting Risk of Long-term Complications of Acute Pancreatitis in a U.S. Veteran Population: $38,000.00 ( 01/01/2021 - 06/30/2022 )

Health Informatics Approaches to Improve Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer - #1 IK2 HX003346-01A2; NIH Appl. ID:10425951: $1,090,647.00 ( 04/01/2022 - 09/01/2027 )

Systematic improvement in care through the study of emergency cancer diagnosis: $50,000.00 ( 01/01/2022 - 12/31/2023 )

Implementing Digital Quality Measures into Learning Health Systems for Diagnostic Excellence in Cancer Care - #SCON-10001155: $40,000.00 ( 07/01/2024 - 06/01/2026 )

Clinical Quality Measures to Improve the Diagnosis for Gastrointestinal Cancers - #GBMF 11505.01: $453,448.00 ( 09/01/2022 - 12/31/2026 )

Colonoscopy Versus Fecal Immunochemical Test in Reducing Mortality from Colorectal Cancer (CONFIRM) Trial - #CSP #577: ( 05/01/2012 - 12/31/2028 ); Co-local Site Investigator

Clinical Quality Measures to Improve the Diagnosis for Colorectal, Gastric, Pancreatic, and Liver Cancers project. - #GBMF 11505: $499,864.00 ( 09/01/2022 - 12/31/2024 )

T32 NIH Institutional Training Grant, Gastroenterology fellowship Funding: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award - #2T32DK007533-31: ( 07/01/2016 - 06/30/2018 )

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Languages

Arabic

General Inquiries

Baylor College of Medicine

Natalia Imad Khalaf

Natalia Imad Khalaf, MD, MPH, FACP

Natalia Imad Khalaf, MD, MPH, FACP

Assistant Professor

Email

Positions

Education

Certifications

Honors & Awards

Professional Statement

Selected Publications

Memberships

Funding

Languages