Dr. Ashok N. Shah received his MBBS from BJ Medical College of Ahmedabad, India, where he was an
outstanding student, the recipient of numerous awards, and from which he graduated with distinction in
1962. He received his Master of Surgery (MS) from Gujarat University in 1966.
Before beginning his career in the U.S., Dr. Shah was Assistant Professor of Surgery at KM School of
Postgraduate Medicine in India. In 1967, Dr. Shah was awarded a scholarship from the Internal College
of Surgeons to study Gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in 1967‐1968.
He changed his career to Medicine and completed two years of residency and two years of GI fellowship, one at the Lahey Clinic in Boston and the second at the University of Rochester. Dr. Shah is board
certified in Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the
American College of Gastroenterology and Bockus International Society of Gastroenterology.
Since 2002, he has been Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in
Rochester, New York. Dr. Shah has trained more than 100 fellows in Gastroenterology since 1973. He
was Co‐Director for the Annual GI Postgraduate Seminars from 1980‐2001, which were conducted in
order to educate internists, family physicians and physicians on recent advances in gastroenterology and
hepatology. From 1978 to 1992 Dr. Shah was Director of Endoscopy at the Isaac Gordon Center of
Gastroenterology at the Genesee Hospital affiliated with the University of Rochester. He moved to the
University of Rochester Medical Center in 1992 and was appointed as Director of Endoscopy from 1994‐
2002.
Dr. Shah was a Founding Member of the Rochester Chapter of Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America
(CCFA) in 1978. He was honored by the local CCFA in 1995 for his voluntary services over many years. In
1987, he founded the Celiac Society of Rochester and has been their consultant since then.
Dr. Shah’s research involves epidemiologic studies of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Rochester, H.
pylori negative ulcers, and nogastrin secretogugue in ulcerognic tumors. He was one of the first
investigators to treat acute exacerbation of Chronic Ulcertice Colitis (CUC) with Remicade. Dr. Shah has
published over one hundred (100) articles and abstracts in journals such as The American Journal of
Gastroenterology and Gastroenterology, and has presented his work at ACG annual meetings as well as
international in both India and China.
In recognition of his continued contributions to the field of gastroenterology, the College was proud to
honor Dr. Ashok N. Shah with the distinction of Master, in 2007. Dr.Shah continues his educational,
teaching activities, clinical research as well as producing many yearly publications.