University of Pittsburgh logo

Feras Alissa, MD

  • Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Administrative Assistant: Marcy Kegges

Feras Alissa, MD, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Alissa is a recognized expert in pediatric intestinal failure, short bowel syndrome and long term use of total parenteral nutrition. Dr. Alissa has special interest of pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy and serves as the director of the endoscopy suite at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He is a co-investigator for multiple studies conducted by the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. 

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • North America Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
  • Jordanian Medical Association

Education & Training

  • Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), University of Jordan, 1995
  • Rotating Internship, University of Jordan, 1995-1996
  • Residency in Pediatrics, University of Jordan, 1996-2000
  • Residency in Pediatrics, St-Joseph's Children's Hospital, 2000-2003
  • Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2003-2004
  • Research Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2004-2006

Selected Publications

Santos RG, Alissa F, Reyes G, Teot L, Ameen N. Fulminant Hepatic Failure: Wilson’s disease or autoimmune hepatitis? Implications for transplantation. Pediatr Transplantation. 2005 Feb; 9 (1):112-116. PMID:15667623.

Alissa F, Shneider B, Jaffe R: Update on Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2008 Mar; 46 (3):241-52. PMID:18376240.

Ningappa M, Higgs BW, Weeks DE, Ashokkumar C, Duerr RH, Sun Q, Soltys KA, Bond GJ, Abu-Elmagd K, Mazariegos GV, Alissa F, Rivera M, Rudolph J, Squires R, Hakonarson H, Sindhi R. NOD2 gene polymorphism rs2066844 associates with need for combined liver-intestine transplantation in children with short gut syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol. 2011 Jan;106(1):157-65. PMID: 20959815.

Ashokkumar C, Ningappa M, Ranganathan S, Higgs BW, Sun Q, Schmitt L, Snyder S, Dobberstein J, Branca M, Jaffe R, Zeevi A, Squires R, Alissa F,Shneider B, Soltys K, Bond G, Abu-Elmagd K, Humar A, Mazariegos G, Hakonarson H, Sindhi R: Increased expression of peripheral blood leukocyte genes implicate CD14+ tissue macrophages in cellular intestine allograft rejection. Am J Pathol. 2011 Oct;179(4):1929-38. PMID:21854741.

Ningappa M, Ashokkumar C, Ranganathan S, Schmitt L, Higgs BW, Sun Q, Branca M, Mazariegos G, Zeevi A, Abu-Elmagd K, Squires R, Rudolph J, Alissa F, Hakonarson H, Sindhi R. Mucosal plasma cell barrier disruption during intestine transplant rejection. Transplantation. 2012 Dec 27;94(12):1236-42. PMID: 23269450.

Celik N, Stanley K, Rudolph J, Al-Issa F, Kosmach B, Ashokkumar C, Sun Q, Brown-Bakewell R, Zecca D, Soltys K, Khanna A, Bond G, Ganoza A, Mazariegos G, Sindhi R. Improvements in intestine transplantation. Semin Pediatr Surg. 2018 Aug;27(4):267-272. PMID: 30342602.

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »

Research Grants

408482, Site Protocol for Ursodeoxycholic Acid Therapy in Pediatric Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: A Pilot Withdrawal/Reinstitution Trial (Co-I), 2010-Present

129573, Biliary Atresia Study in Infants, Children and Adults (Co-I), 2009-Present

124826, A Multi-Center Study of the safety and Efficacy of N-acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Acute Liver Failure Not Caused by Acetaminophen in Pediatric Patients (Co-I), 2009-Present

124826, Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Study Group Registry and Biological Samples (Co-I), 2008-Present