Tarek Sawas, M.D.

Tarek Sawas, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. He specializes in pancreaticobiliary diseases, bariatric endoscopy, esophageal cancer, and endoscopic resection.

I am driven by UT Southwestern's collaborative, multidisciplinary approach that focuses on assuring the best care and putting patients' interests above all.

Dr. Sawas earned his medical degree at Damascus University Faculty of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University Washington Hospital Center. He then completed advanced training through fellowships in gastroenterology and hepatology and advanced endoscopy, both at the Mayo Clinic. He also holds a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from Harvard University.

Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in gastroenterology, Dr. Sawas joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2020.

Dr. Sawas’ clinical practice includes endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP); endoscopic ultrasound (EUS); and endoscopy to treat weight gain, such as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), transoral outlet reduction (TORe) in patients with weight regain after weight loss surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), and endoscopic mucosal resection to treat early cancer in a minimally invasive way.

As a clinical researcher, he has received the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) early career investigator award, and the 2019 Summerskill’s award from the Mayo Clinic. He has published extensively in prestigious journals on esophageal cancer, bile duct cancer and bariatric endoscopy. He also serves as a reviewer to multiple journals.

Dr. Sawas is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the American Gastroenterological Association.

Personal Note

Dr. Sawas’ interests outside of medicine include spending time with his family, playing tennis, and hiking.

Medical School

Damascus University School of Medicine, Syria (2010)

Residency

Washington Hospital Center/Georgetown University Hospital (2014), Internal Medicine

Other Post Graduate Training

Harvard University T.H Chan School of public health (2017)

Graduate School

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2017)

Fellowship

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (2019), Gastroenterology

• Bariatric Endoscopy Outcomes
• Esophageal Cancer Risk Factors and Treatment
• Pancreaticobiliary Cancer

Featured Publications

Risk Factor Profiles Can Distinguish Esophageal Adenocarcinoma From Barrett's Esophagus.

Sawas T, Dilmaghani S, Dhaliwal L, Wang KK, Iyer PG, Katzka DA, Am J Gastroenterol 2021 01 116 1 198-201

Laparoscopic hernia repair and fundoplication with endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty for complex hernia and GERD management in morbid obesity.

Sawas T, Marya NB, Storm AC, Blackmon SH, Abu Dayyeh BK, VideoGIE 2020 Nov 5 11 555-556

Every trick in the book: EUS angiotherapy for management of refractory bleeding secondary to a complicated duodenal ulcer in a patient with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Marya NB, Sawas T, Chandrasekhara V, Jaruvongvanich V, Maselli D, Levy MJ, Matar R, Storm AC, Abu Dayyeh BK, VideoGIE 2020 Oct 5 10 461-463

Utilisation of artificial intelligence for the development of an EUS-convolutional neural network model trained to enhance the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis.

Marya NB, Powers PD, Chari ST, Gleeson FC, Leggett CL, Abu Dayyeh BK, Chandrasekhara V, Iyer PG, Majumder S, Pearson RK, Petersen BT, Rajan E, Sawas T, Storm AC, Vege SS, Chen S, Long Z, Hough DM, Mara K, Levy MJ, Gut 2020 Oct

Start of a new TREnD: TransRemnant Endoscopic Drainage for management of walled-off necrosis in a patient with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Marya NB, Sawas T, Chandrasekhara V, Jaruvongvanich V, Maselli D, Levy M, Martin J, Petersen BT, Storm AC, Abu Dayyeh BK, VideoGIE 2020 Sep 5 9 421-424

Surgical outcomes of ERCP-guided transpapillary gallbladder drainage versus percutaneous cholecystostomy as bridging therapies for acute cholecystitis followed by interval cholecystectomy.

Kaura K, Bazerbachi F, Sawas T, Levy MJ, Martin JA, Storm AC, Wise KB, Reisenauer CJ, Abu Dayyeh BK, D Topazian M, Petersen BT, Schiller HJ, Chandrasekhara V, HPB (Oxford) 2020 Jul 22 7 996-1003

ERCP-directed electrohydraulic lithotripsy for treatment of cystic duct and remnant gallbladder stones.

Marya NB, Martin JA, Sawas T, Abu Dayyeh BK, Levy MJ, Storm AC, Petersen BT, Chandrasekhara V, VideoGIE 2020 Jul 5 7 300-303

Cholangioscopy Biopsies Improve Detection of Cholangiocarcinoma When Combined with Cytology and FISH, but Not in Patients with PSC.

Kaura K, Sawas T, Bazerbachi F, Storm AC, Martin JA, Gores GJ, Abu Dayyeh BK, Topazian MD, Levy MJ, Petersen BT, Chandrasekhara V, Dig. Dis. Sci. 2020 May 65 5 1471-1478

Safety and histologic outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection with a novel articulating knife for esophageal neoplasia.

Genere JR, Priyan H, Sawas T, Hanada Y, Visrodia K, Zakko L, Iyer PG, Wong Kee Song LM, Wang KK, Gastrointest. Endosc. 2020 Apr 91 4 797-805

An innovative technique using a percutaneously placed guidewire allows for higher success rate for ERCP compared to balloon enteroscopy assistance in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass anatomy.

Sawas T, Storm AC, Bazerbachi F, Fleming CJ, Vargas EJ, Chandrasekhara V, Andrews JC, Levy MJ, Martin JA, Petersen BT, Topazian MD, Abu Dayyeh BK, Surg Endosc 2020 02 34 2 806-813

• Digestive Disease Week Poster of Distinction
  American Gastroenterological Association (2021)
• William H. Summerskill Outstanding Research Award
  Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine (2019)
• Digestive Disease Week Poster of Distinction
  American Gastroenterological Association (2018)
• Early Career Investigator
  American Gastroenterology Association (2018)
• Excellence in Research Award
  Medstar Research Institute (2014)
• Excellence in Research Award
  MedStar Research Institute (2014)
• Presidential Poster Award
  American College of Gastroenterology (2013)

• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
• American College of Gastroenterology
• American Gastroenterology Association
• American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy