A nephrologist from one of the top U.S. health systems specializing in kidney transplants is among more than 30 new faculty physicians joining Banner – University Medical Center and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson in the next 90 days.
![[Asjad Sardar, MD, Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD, and Pradeep Kadambi, MD]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/sardar_roy-chaudhury_kadambi-png_310x150px-96dpi.png "Asjad Sardar, MD, Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD, and Pradeep Kadambi, MD")
Asjad Sardar, MD, an assistant professor in the UA Department of Medicine, came to Tucson last month from a transplant nephrology fellowship at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, whose hospital is ranked No. 5 in the country by the National Kidney Registry for kidney transplants.
Dr. Sardar earned his medical degree from Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan, and did his residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, N.Y. He worked as a hospitalist in Indiana and internal medicine specialist in Yuma, Ariz., before completing a general nephrology fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. In Texas, he served under Pradeep K. Kadambi, MD, now Banner – UMC medical director of solid organ transplantation, who recruited him to Tucson. He is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.
“I believe the combination of Dr. Sardar’s outstanding training at one of the country's top transplant programs together with his commitment to multidisciplinary care, honed during his time as an internist, will be a potent stimulus to the rapid growth of the transplant program at Banner –UMC,” said Nephrology Division Chief Prabir Roy-Chaudhury, MD, PhD. “This will allow us to provide kidney patients within the Tucson community and the region with the high quality, patient-centric care that they deserve.”
In addition to Dr. Sardar, Banner – University Medicine and the UA College of Medicine also welcomed the following new faculty physicians in July:
Krystal Chavez, DO, clinical assistant professor in the UA Department of Psychiatry, received her degree of osteopathic medicine from A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Mesa, Ariz. She completed her residency in psychiatry at Banner – University Medical Center South earlier this year. Dr. Chavez will practice there and the adjacent Behavioral Health Pavilion. Her specialty is adult general psychiatry with a special interest in eating disorders.
Jasleen Chhatwal, MD, clinical assistant professor in the UA Department of Psychiatry, received her medical degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth University Medical College in India, and completed her residency in psychiatry at the UA College of Medicine in 2015. Dr. Chhatwal will practice at Banner – University Medical Center South and in the adjacent Behavioral Health Pavilion. Her special interest is integrated care and early intervention.
Gary Hellmann, MD, clinical assistant professor in the UA Department of Psychiatry, received his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. At the UA College of Medicine he completed a pediatric internship and residency, a psychiatry residency and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. Dr. Hellmann will practice at Banner – University Medical Center South. His special interest is the interface between pediatrics and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Laura Lee, MD, assistant professor in the UA Department of Medical Imaging, specializes in diagnostic radiology and musculoskeletal imaging. She received her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in 1999, and completed her residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, followed by fellowship training in diagnostic radiology and musculoskeletal imaging at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. She is board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
Meg Hill, MD, assistant professor in the UA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, specializes in maternal-fetal medicine. She earned her medical degree in 2005 from the University of Adelaide in Australia and her residency in obstetrics and gynecology from Palmetto Health Richland Medical Center in South Carolina. She is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Safal Shetty, MD, assistant professor in the UA Department of Medicine, specializes in pulmonology and sleep medicine. He received his medical degree in 2001 from M.S. Ramaiah Medical College in Bangalore, India, held several house officer (residency) and clinical posts in India and the United Kingdom, and completed a residency in internal medicine at Franklin Square Hospital Center in Baltimore and a fellowship in sleep medicine at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson.
About Banner – University Medical Center
Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and Banner – University Medical Center South are part of Banner – University Medicine, a premier academic medical network. These institutions are academic medical centers for the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Included on the two campuses are Banner Children’s – Diamond Children's Medical Center and many clinics. The two academic medical centers are part of Arizona-based Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. Banner Health is in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/UniversityTucson or http://www.bannerhealth.com/UniversitySouth
About the UA College of Medicine & University of Arizona Health Sciences Center
The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The center includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences Center reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater desert Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the center employs almost 5,000 people, has nearly 1,000 faculty members and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: http://ahsc.arizona.edu.
Media Contact: Katie Riley