Sami Alasfar, M.D., M.P.H.

Sami Alasfar, M.D., M.P.H., FASN, is a transplant nephrologist, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Medical Director of the Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant Program at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. His clinical and academic work focuses on kidney transplantation, with particular expertise in kidney transplant rejection, recurrent and de novo glomerular diseases after transplantation, immunosuppression, and complex post-transplant complications.

Dr. Alasfar joined Mayo Clinic Arizona in 2022 after seven years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University. At Johns Hopkins, he served as Director of the Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program, Director of the Inpatient Kidney Transplant Service, and Co-Chair of the Kidney Transplant Recipient Selection and Waitlist Management Committee. He completed his internal medicine residency and chief residency at Temple University Hospital, followed by fellowships in nephrology and transplant nephrology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He subsequently earned a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Alasfar provides clinical and programmatic leadership in kidney transplantation and serves as core faculty for the Nephrology Fellowship Program. His research program focuses on improving kidney transplant outcomes, particularly the diagnosis and treatment of antibody-mediated rejection and optimization of immunosuppression. He serves as principal investigator for federally and industry-funded clinical studies examining novel approaches to antibody-mediated rejection and reduced immunosuppression in older kidney transplant recipients. His broader research interests include recurrent glomerular disease after transplantation, cardiovascular and vascular complications of kidney transplantation, biomarkers, and long-term allograft outcomes.

Dr. Alasfar has authored more than 45 peer-reviewed publications as well as reviews and book chapters spanning transplantation, glomerular disease, transplant immunology, and kidney care in humanitarian crises. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology. He is also an active peer reviewer for major journals in nephrology, transplantation, and cardiovascular medicine and has presented his work at national and international scientific meetings.

A major focus of Dr. Alasfar’s work is improving kidney care in regions affected by war, disaster, and health-system disruption. In collaboration with the World Health Organization and academic and humanitarian partners, he helped lead a multiyear initiative to assess and improve the quality of hemodialysis services in conflict-affected Northwest Syria. His work has contributed to frameworks for dialysis quality, infection prevention, workforce development, monitoring, and delivery of kidney care in unstable settings. He continues to study and advocate for sustainable kidney and transplant care for populations affected by humanitarian crises.

Education and mentorship are central to Dr. Alasfar’s academic work. He previously directed the Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins and currently serves as core faculty for nephrology fellowship education at Mayo Clinic. He teaches transplant nephrology fellows and general nephrology fellows. He also participates directly in undergraduate medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, where he leads annual small-group teaching sessions in the medical school nephrology curriculum. He actively mentors trainees and junior investigators in clinical research and academic career development.