Dr. Sohail Husain, MD, is the Chambers-Okamura Endowed Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Stanford. He assumed the position as Chief in 2019, with the mission to “heal children with digestive disease through innovation.”

Sohail’s academic goal is to marry science and medicine. Early in his career, he became captivated by the mechanisms underlying disorders of the exocrine pancreas. His research investigates three broad areas relating to the exocrine pancreas: (1) Crucial molecular and immune signaling pathways that initiate and transduce pancreatitis; (2) Factors that promote pancreatic regeneration and recovery after pancreatic injury; and (3) Mechanisms underlying drug-induced pancreatitis. The overarching goal is to advance the needle in science and medicine and elevate the quality of research in the exocrine field. To this end, his work leverages big data, novel preclinical ex vivo and in vivo models, and multidisciplinary collaborations that span the broad spectrum from biochemists to clinical researchers. The mission of Sohail’s research group is to "make breakthroughs in the pancreas and beyond that benefit patients and society through innovation, partnerships, inclusion, and integrity."

Sohail takes pride in the institutions that trained him. This includes Tufts University, where he earned an MD, New York University, where he did his Pediatric residency, and Yale University, where he trained as a Pediatric GI fellow. Before moving to Stanford, Sohail was Director of the Pediatric Exocrine Pancreatic Disorders Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

Sohail is passionate about humanitarian endeavors. He has worked with Humanity First USA and has taken disaster relief trips, for example, during the 2005 Asian Tsunami, 2006 Hurricane Katrina, and the 2010 Haitian Earthquake. He was born in India, raised in Brooklyn, and now resides in the Bay Area.