Syed Nabeel Zafar, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Division of Surgical Oncology

zafars@surgery.wisc.edu
(608) 262-2025

Education

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Aga Khan University Medical College
Master of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
General Surgery Residency, Howard University Hospital
Advanced GI and Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship, University of Maryland Medical Center
Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship, MD Anderson Cancer Center

Clinical Specialties

Dr Zafar is fellowship trained in both Minimally Invasive Surgery and in Cancer Surgery. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Medical Quality. Dr Zafar is an active member of several professional societies including the Association of Academic Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology, the American College of Surgeons, and the Association of Global Academic Surgeons.

His clinical focus is in gastrointestinal malignancies and especially laparoscopic and Robotic approached to cancer surgery. Dr Zafar specializes in malignant disease of the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, stomach, small intestine, neuroendocrine tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, retroperitoneal sarcoma and in peritoneal surface malignancies including cytoreductive and HIPEC procedures.

Research Interests

Dr. Zafar conducts health services research and research on global oncology/global surgery. He analyzes large datasets to study outcomes after cancer surgery, as well as disparities in outcomes after surgical care. His research also focuses on improving cancer care delivery and cancer surgery in low-and middle-income countries.

Dr. Zafar was awarded a two-year, $311,000 pilot grant from the Department of Defense Pancreatic Cancer Research Program. Read more here.

Dr. Zafar was awarded a 3-year, $120,000 grant from the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment to support work he is doing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Read more here.

Dr. Zafar and Dr. Murtaza were awarded a $50,000 Translational basic and Clinical Research Pilot Award from the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and the UW Carbone Cancer Center. Read more here.

Dr. Zafar received a one-year, $60,000 Institutional Research Grant from the American Cancer Society and the UW Carbone Cancer Center. Read more here.

Recent Publications

ASO Visual Abstract: Association of Social Determinants of Health with Delays in Diagnosis and Treatment of Resected Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Ali MM, Hammad YM, Zhu P, Al Rubaye MZ, Cher BA, Marcinak CT, LoConte NK, Idrees K, Varley PR, Zafar SN
Ann Surg Oncol 2026 Sep 12;
[PubMed ID: 42732023]
Where the Young Go to Die: A National Study of Place of Death for Young Adults With Gastrointestinal Cancers.
Sherwani M, Admani Z, Kim S, Chawla E, Zafar SN, Khan A
J Surg Res 2026 Sep 10; 326: 1153-1160
[PubMed ID: 42721934]
A Novel Metric to Guide Cancer Priorities in Pakistan.
Aslam A, Zafar SN
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2026 Sep; 36(9): 1210-1213
[PubMed ID: 42698255]
When ambulances are not enough: An interview-based needs assessment of governance and accountability gaps in prehospital emergency care in Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Abu-Hamdan F, Bhatti N, Tesfasilassie T, Gari T, Meshesha B, Mellese B, Wirtu ZM, Shimber ET, Jayaraman S, Zafar SN, Dodgion C, Iverson KR
Surgery 2026 Aug 29; 200: 110564
[PubMed ID: 42767165]
Prognostic Determinants of Overall Survival After Resection for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Consensus-Based Conceptual Framework.
Ali MM, Ahmed KS, Marcinak CT, Hasan SAT, Letocha AD, Ahmad N, Khalid HB, Kainat Fatima , Zafar SN
J Surg Oncol 2026 Aug 26;
[PubMed ID: 42656018]

All Publications on PubMed