Hina Arif-Tiwari, MD, FSAR

2023 Women In Medicine and Science Awardee

Hina Arif-Tiwari, MD, is the Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and Chief of the Division of Abdominal Imaging at the UArizona Department of Medical Imaging. Additionally, Dr. Arif-Tiwari serves as Assistant Dean of Women in Medicine and Science Program (WIMS), at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Her primary appointment is Professor of Medical Imaging, and she holds joint appointments as Professor in the College of Medicine Departments of Surgery, Pathology and Medicine. Dr. Arif-Tiwari is a member of the Medical Imaging Executive Committee and served as the Abdominal Radiology Fellowship Program Director for over four years. A long-time member and affiliated Faculty Member at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, she also serves as the Director of the Oncology Imaging service line for Banner University Medicine.

In 2019, Dr. Arif-Tiwari was awarded the prestigious College of Medicine Clinical Investigator Fellows Award. She was further honored as a Fellow by the Society of Abdominal Radiology and received the Distinguished Reviewer Award by the Abdominal Radiology Journal. Dr. Arif-Tiwari has participated in more than 70 peer-reviewed international publications, and presently serves as Editorial Board Member for the Austin Journal of Clinical Medicine.

As an appointed clinical expert and contributor to the Body MRI course offered by the American College of Radiology, Dr. Arif-Tiwari is involved in the quarterly training of radiologists worldwide.  She regularly contributes to appropriate practice guidelines for Gastrointestinal Imaging and has served as co-author on national imaging guidelines for diseases of the liver and pancreas. Dr. Arif-Tiwari earned her M.B.B.S. at Barkatullah University where she was awarded the Gold Medal for General Surgery and the prestigious President of India Award for achieving first place in all her M.B.B.S. exams. She earned her Medical Degree of Radiodiagnosis at NSCB Medical College in Jabalpur, India.  After her radiology residency training, Dr. Arif-Tiwari completed several advanced imaging fellowships, including an Abdominal Imaging and Intervention Fellowship at the University of British Columbia, and subsequently an MRI Translational Science and Imaging Fellowship at the University of Arizona.

Research Interests:

With a self-described “passion for science,” Dr. Arif-Tiwari’s mission is to improve the health outcomes of patients with severe and life-threatening abdomino-pelvic conditions.  She specializes in image guided biopsies and interventions involving non-invasive, advanced MRI techniques. Her main areas of interest include rectal cancer, prostate cancer and Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer with a high fatality rate.  Dr. Arif-Tiwari’s collaborations with the University of Arizona colorectal surgical oncology team have led to advances in rectal cancer staging and best treatment determinations.  Currently, Dr. Arif leads a team of scientists and physicists, who along with industry collaborators, are developing, testing and implementing a highly accurate method for prostate biopsies. Additionally, through her most recent University of Arizona Cancer Center “Sparking Bench to Bedside Team Science Project” award, Dr. Arif-Tiwari is researching the response of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma to immunotherapy.  As Imaging Investigator, Dr. Arif-Tiwari leads multiple clinical trials for skin cancer, liver cancer and pancreatic cancer.  Additionally, she has specific expertise in the diagnosis and management Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.