Amit Singal, M.D.

Medical Director of the Liver Tumor Program and Chief of Hepatology

  • Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care
  • Willis C. Maddrey, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Liver Disease
  • Internal Medicine - Digestive and Liver Diseases
  • Liver Cancer
  • Liver Disease

Biography

Amit Singal, M.D., M.S., is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in treating patients with liver cancer and other liver diseases. He is a Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care and the David Bruton Jr. Professor in Clinical Cancer Research.

Dr. Singal earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington and then received advanced training in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology through separate fellowships at the University of Michigan. He also holds master’s degrees in health and health care research and in clinical science with distinction from the University of Michigan.

Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2010.

Dr. Singal’s research focuses on diagnosing and treating liver cancer before it becomes incurable. He has received numerous grants, including from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CPRIT, and the Department of Defense, and he lectures on his work frequently throughout the world.

He has published more than 200 articles in many peer-reviewed publications, such as JAMA, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, and GUT. In addition, he is an associate editor for both Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Seminars in Liver Disease.

Dr. Singal has received Investigator Awards from the International Liver Cancer Association and the American Gastroenterological Association, and he recently received the Blue Faery Award for Excellence in Liver Cancer Research by a liver cancer patient advocacy group.

He is a member of multiple professional organizations, including the American Gastroenterological Association, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. For the latter, he served as Vice Chair of the Practice Guidelines Committee, and currently he serves on the International Liver Cancer Association’s Executive Committee.

In 2018, he was named a Super Doctor by Texas Monthly.

Personal Note

During his time off, Dr. Singal likes to travel internationally. And he loves to cheer on his home teams – the Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Lions, and Detroit Red Wings – when they are in Dallas. 

Meet Dr. Singal

Dallas Hepatologist

Amit Singal, M.D., M.S., has declared war on liver cancer, which is the ninth leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. and the fastest-growing cancer in Texas.

“I’m going to work as hard as I can to give my patients the care they deserve,” he says. “Cancer patients want a doctor who cares and will go the extra mile. I’m dedicated to doing that.”

A hepatologist, Dr. Singal treats patients with liver cancer and other liver diseases. He is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Additionally, he serves as Medical Director of the UT Southwestern Liver Tumor Program and as Chief of Hepatology.

A native of the Detroit area, Dr. Singal came to Texas and UT Southwestern so he could help do something about liver cancer in the Lone Star State. Texas has the highest incidence rate of liver cancer in the nation, and he believes that it will only become an increasingly more important problem over the next two decades. Dr. Singal believes UT Southwestern has the cutting-edge therapies and committed doctors who can make a difference in this field.

Most of his research examines how to diagnose and treat liver cancer when curative therapies are still possible. He believes it is important to work with primary care physicians and other hepatologists to follow published guidelines for liver cancer screening among at-risk patients. People with liver diseases who are at risk for liver cancer should get screened every six months, but fewer than 25% of patients are currently having this done. Dr. Singal’s goal is to improve this care over the next several years.

“If we diagnose liver cancer at an early stage, we can often cure it,” he says. “Patients can live over five years if we diagnose and treat liver cancer early. However, when it’s found at a late stage, the average survival is typically less than one year.”

Dr. Singal works closely with patients to help them choose the best treatment options, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get his patients through the process.

He is hopeful about new advances in medicine.

“We’ve made incredible strides in treatments for liver cancer already over the past decade,” he notes. “Over the next decade, we will see even more advances in therapeutic options for this cancer.”

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Education & Training
  • Fellowship - University of Michigan Medical Center (2009-2010), Transplant Hepatology
  • Fellowship - University of Michigan Medical Center (2006-2009), Gastroenterology
  • Residency - University of Washington School of Medicine (2003-2006), Internal Medicine
  • Medical School - University of Michigan Medical School (1999-2003)
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • American Gastroenterological Association
  • American College of Gastroenterology
  • American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  • International Liver Cancer Association
Honors & Awards
  • D Magazine Best Doctor, (2018, 2020 – 2021)
  • Internal Medicine Outstanding Research Mentor 2020, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Outstanding Mentor Award 2019, Center for Translational Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Internal Medicine Outstanding Research Mentor 2018, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Blue Faery Award for Excellence in Liver Cancer Research 2017, Blue Faery: Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association
  • Young Investigator Award 2015, American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
  • Junior Investigator Award 2013, International Liver Cancer Association
  • Lyman Bilhartz Memorial Teaching Award 2012, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care 2010, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society 2008
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society 2002
Books & Publications
Research
  • Quality of Care in the Cirrhotic Patient
  • Impact of Patient and Physician Knowledge/Attitudes on Receipt of Care
  • Effectiveness of Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Clinical Focus

  • Liver Cancer
  • Liver Disease

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Q&A by Dr. Singal

Dr. Amit Singal on delivering patient care.