Udeme D. Ekong, MD, MPH, FAASLD

Udeme D. Ekong, MD, MPH, FAASLD
Attending Physician, Pediatric Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology
Medstar Georgetown Transplant Institute
Washington D.C.

ALF National Medical Advisory Council Member

Dr. Ekong specializes in treating babies and children with a wide range of liver diseases including autoimmune diseases, biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis syndromes, other genetic/metabolic liver diseases, non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, and chronic hepatitis B and C. She also provides care for children who need a liver transplant and those who have undergone liver transplantation.

She is triple-board certified in general pediatrics, pediatric gastroenterology and transplant hepatology, in addition to being a member of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. Dr. Ekong attended medical school at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. She then earned her Master of Public Health degree at Northwestern University in Chicago and did a pediatrics residency at Lincoln Hospital, Bronx, NY. She completed a fellowship in pediatrics/pediatric gastroenterology at Columbia University in New York and a fellowship in pediatrics/transplant hepatology at Northwestern University.
Dr. Ekong’s approach to treating her patients focuses on providing care from a skilled, compassionate multidisciplinary team consisting of clinical psychologists, registered dieticians, transplant pharmacists, and hepatobiliary and transplant surgeons. The team is dedicated to supporting not only the patient, but also the patient’s family as they deal with their child’s illness.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Ekong is an active researcher. Her laboratory focuses on developing ways to improve the long-term function of the transplanted liver in children and investigates the pathogenesis of autoimmune liver diseases both before and following liver transplantation. She has published numerous articles in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Journal of Gastroenterology, Pediatric Transplant, and Hepatology, as well as book chapters.

Dr. Ekong is a member of several national societies including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutrition (NASPGHAN), American Society for Transplantation (AST), Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT) and American Association of Immunologists (AAI). She has held leadership positions with many of these societies.

She is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology/Hepatology) at Georgetown University.

When not at work, Dr. Ekong enjoys traveling and running.