Specialties
- Cancer Surgery
- Pancreas Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Robotic Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Hepatobiliary Surgery
- Peritoneal Surface Malignancy
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 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
Rectal Cancer Disparities Among the American Indian/Alaskan Native Populations.
Kelley BS, Carroll CB, Hampton JM, Walker MR, Zafar SN, Hayden D, Schiefelbein A, Vidri RJ, Thompson BB, LoConte NK
Cancer Med 2025 Apr; 14(8): e70892
[PubMed ID: 40251934]ASO Visual Abstract: Machine Learning-Driven Modeling to Predict Post-Discharge Venous Thromboembolism after Pancreatectomy for Pancreas Cancer.
Ahmed KS, Issaka SM, Marcinak CT, Virani SS, Jaraczewski T, Afshar M, Mayampurath A, Churpek MM, Mathew J, Zafar SN
Ann Surg Oncol 2025 Mar 27;
[PubMed ID: 40146491]Machine Learning-Driven Modeling to Predict Postdischarge Venous Thromboembolism After Pancreatectomy for Pancreas Cancer.
Ahmed KS, Issaka SM, Marcinak CT, Virani SS, Jaraczewski T, Afshar M, Mayampurath A, Churpek MM, Mathew J, Zafar SN
Ann Surg Oncol 2025 Feb 20;
[PubMed ID: 39979688]Neoadjuvant SBRT plus Elective Nodal Irradiation with Concurrent Capecitabine for Patients with Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Survival Analysis of a Prospective Phase 1 Trial.
Basree MM, Witt JS, Uboha NV, Lubner M, Minter R, Weber S, Ronnekleiv-Kelly S, Abbott D, Kratz J, Patel M, Zafar SN, LoConte N, Lubner SJ, Deming D, Ritter MA, Mohindra P, Bassetti MF
Pract Radiat Oncol 2025 Feb 07;
[PubMed ID: 39924052]Disparities in Cancer Mortality Worldwide: A Novel Metric for Measuring Global Disparities and Prioritizing Cancer Control Efforts.
Diehl TM, Ahmed KS, Pourdashti S, Stalter L, Hellner J, Harrison EM, Zafar SN
JCO Glob Oncol 2025 Jan; 11: e2400336
[PubMed ID: 39819127]