Sonal Kumar

Dr. Sonal Kumar, M.D., MPH, serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where she directs the Clinical Hepatology program. Board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology/Hepatology, she specializes in complex liver disease management and performs advanced endoscopic procedures.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. from Washington University (2002), summa cum laude
• M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine (2006)
• M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health (2012)

She completed internal medicine training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Gastroenterology/Hepatology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Kumar's research centers on metabolic liver disease pathogenesis and treatment, with emphasis on MASLD mechanisms, endoscopic bariatric interventions, and liver-cognition interactions. Her work bridges clinical hepatology with public health through studies on dietary impacts, telehealth implementation, and disease awareness campaigns.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals three dominant research thrusts: 1) Evaluation of endoscopic weight-loss procedures (ESG) for metabolic liver disease, 2) Pharmacological interventions including GLP-1 agonists, and 3) Systems-level approaches to MASLD care pathway implementation. These works consistently address translational gaps between clinical evidence and real-world practice.

Dr. Kumar maintains active professional memberships in AASLD, EASL, Empire Liver Foundation, and ACG. Her external collaborations include consulting roles with Boehringer Ingelheim, Gilead, and Novo Nordisk, plus advisory positions at Intercept Pharmaceuticals.

She leads the Clinical Hepatology program within Weill Cornell's Department of Medicine and contributes to the Innovative Center for Nutrition and Gastroenterology (ICHANGE), focusing on multidisciplinary management of obesity-related liver conditions through integrated clinical and research initiatives.