Niharika Samala, MD

Dr. Samala moved to the United States after graduating from Osmania Medical College in India. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. She pursued a hepatology research fellowship in the Liver Diseases Section at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Samala has been an integral part of the GI Division since graduating from the Gastroenterology fellowship at Indiana University. She is a clinical researcher with an interest in metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD), particularly in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and post-menopausal women, the impact of sarcopenia in MASLD, and acute viral hepatitis. Dr. Samala is the director of the MASLD clinic, which serves as an interface between clinical care for patients referred to IU for MASLD and clinical research offered by our Division. As an Associate Program Director for Research and Advocacy of the fellowship program, she helps fellows find research endeavors of their interest and serves as a conduit for feedback to improve the quality of the training experience for the fellows.