It is with much sadness that the BSG announce the passing of Dr Ahmed Elsharkawy, Consultant Hepatologist at University Hospitals Birmingham.

Ahmed graduated from the University of Southampton in 1999 with a distinction in biomedical and clinical sciences. He undertook specialist training in Newcastle, where he was awarded the Ella Forster Memorial Award for GI and Hepatology Research. He was awarded a PhD in 2011 by the University of Newcastle and the University of Southampton for his research on the role of the p50 subunit of NF-kB in the Hepatic Inflammation-Fibrosis-Cancer Axis.

Ahmed joined the liver unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, in 2012 as a Transplant Hepatologist. Ahmed was an outstanding hepatologist and made significant contributions to improve the care of patients with liver disease.

Amongst his numerous “hats”, Ahmed was Treasurer of the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL), previous chair of the British Viral Hepatitis Group, Trustee of the British Liver Trust and Children’s Liver Disease foundation, and a member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Governing Board, serving as Internal Affairs Councillor.

Ahmed had a particular interest in viral hepatitis with a focus on diagnosis and outcomes of patients both in secondary care and in the wider community settings. He was involved with the NIHR Liver Research Partnership, helping to improve patient engagement in hepatitis B care. He also led several impactful clinical trials in decompensated liver disease and acute liver failure. As a previous member of the Liver Advisory Group, he revised the national super-urgent listing criteria.

He worked tirelessly, showed incredible resilience, and possessed a rare ability to make everyone he worked with feel special and respected. He was passionate about fairness and inclusion and supported trainees in making the journey to a successful career in academic or clinical hepatology. Amongst his many talents was his attention to detail and aptitude in articulating his views, always putting the interests of his patients first and foremost.

Ahmed was active within his local community, and his strength came from the support and love of his family and friends. Ahmed will be missed by all those who have had the privilege of knowing him and the hepatology community.

Ahmed is survived by his wife, Sarah, and his children. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.

The BSG are profoundly sorry at the loss of Dr Ahmed and pass on our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.