Sahar Sawani, MD
Department of General Internal Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of General Internal Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2020 | Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, US, Doctor of Medicine |
| 2016 | Rice University, US, Economics with Minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Bachelor of Arts |
Postgraduate Training
| 2023-2025 | Rheumatology Fellowship, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| 2020-2023 | Internal Medicine Residency, Baylor College of Medicine,, Houston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2025 | Texas Medical License |
| 2023 | American Board of Internal Medicine |
| 2023 | State of North Carolina |
Experience & Service
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Fellows-In-Training Representative, American College of Rheumatology RheumPAC, American College of Rheumatology RheumPAC, 2025 - Present
Fellowship Representative, Program Evaluation Committee, University of North Carolina, 2025 - 2025
Speaker Coordinator, Grand Rounds Committee, University of North Carolina, 2024 - 2025
Fellowship Liaison, Internal Medicine Noon Conference, University of North Carolina, 2024 - 2025
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2025. Antiphospholipid Syndrome. Invited. Rheumatology Core Conference. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2025. Rheumatologic Emergencies. Invited. UNC Internal Medicine Noon Conference. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2024. Exploring Outcome Disparities in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Invited. UNC Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology Division Grand Rounds. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2024. Large Vessel Vasculitis. Invited. Rheumatology Core Conference. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2024. Psoriatic Arthritis. Invited. Rheumatology Core Conference. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2024. Paraneoplastic Syndromes and irAEs. Invited. Rheumatology Core Conference. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2024. Cancer Incidence and Screening in Rheumatologic Diseases. Invited. UNC Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology Division Grand Rounds. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2024. Reviewing Infusion Center Practices. Invited. UNC Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology Morbidity & Mortality Conference. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2022. Rheumatologic Immune-Related Adverse Events. Invited. M.D. Anderson Immunotoxicity Conference. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2018. Human Trafficking: The Role of the Medical Professional. Invited. Baylor St. Luke’s Grand Rounds. Houston, Texas, US.
Formal Peers
- 2023. Rheumatology Core Conference Series. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2023. Rheumatology Teaching Fellow. Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US.
- 2022. Clinical Reasoning Workshop. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Simulation Lab. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2021. Intern Boot Cam. Houston, Texas, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2024 - 2025 |
| Title: | Bridging the Gap: Overcoming Healthcare Barriers for Patients with Lupus Nephritis |
| Funding Source: | UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center |
| Role: | Co-PI |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Al-Ward R, Brondani VB, Sawani S, Potter CL, Xu G, Waguespack SG, Varghese J, Habra MA, Lu Y, Jimenez C. High-Specific-Activity 131 I-MIBG for the Treatment of Advanced Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma. Clin Nucl Med 49(7):610-620, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38630996.
- Sada A, Foster TR, Al-Ward R, Sawani S, Charchar H, Pishdad R, Ben-Shlomo A, Dy BM, Lyden ML, Bergsland E, Jasim S, Raj N, Shank JB, Hamidi O, Hamrahian AH, Chambo JL, Srougi V, Fragoso MC, Graham PH, Habra MA, Bancos I, McKenzie TJ. The effect of hormonal secretion on survival in adrenocortical carcinoma: A multi-center study. Surgery 175(1):80-89, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 37945477.
Other Articles
- Sawani S, Alvarez C,, Yates K, Arbeeva L, Schwartz T, Savage-Guin S, Renner J, Bakewell C, Kohler M, Lin J, Samuels J, Nelson A Patterns of Shared Variation in Knee Ultrasound for Osteoarthritis: A Machine-Learning Approach. Osteoarthritis Imaging.
Abstracts
- Triska J, Lavere P, Shah A, Padgett A, Louie B, Chapman L, Sawani S, Bhakta P, Schauer E, Nemeh C, Gay L, Vaclavik L. The Effect of Early Involvement of the Primary Care Team on Rapid Response Time: A Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Project. Baylor Department of Medicine House Staff Research Symposium.
- Sawani S, Lu H. A Double Hit to the Immune System: Immunotherapy and Hydralazine Precipitating ANCA Vasculitis. Baylor Department of Medicine House Staff Research Symposium.
- Al-Ward R, Sawani S, Bassett R, Xu G, Waguespack S, Varghese J, Lu Y, Habra MA, Jimenez C. High Specifi c Activity 131 I-MIBG for the Treatment of Advanced Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma: A Real-World Study.
- Sawani S, Alvarez C, Yates K, Arbeeva L, Schwartz T, Savage-Guin S, Renner J, Bakewell C, Kohler M, Lin J, Samuels J, Nelson A. Patterns of Shared Variation in Knee Ultrasound for Osteoarthritis: A Machine-Learning Approach. The American College of Rheumatology Convergence Conference.
- Yates K, Alvarez C, Sawani S, Arbeeva L, Schwartz T, Savage-Guin S, Renner J, Bakewell C, Kohler M, Lin J, Samuels J, Nelson A. Cross-sectional Associations Among Sonographic and Radiographic Features and Symptom Scores in a Population-Based Cohort. The American College of Rheumatology Convergence Conference.
- Englund T, Sawani S, Derebail V, Phan T, Clark R, Parkinson S, Timon C, Sheikh S. Bridging the Gap: Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care for Patients with Lupus and Lupus Nephritis. Lupus 2025 Conference.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified February 05, 2026