Firas Ahmed, MD
Overview
Dr. Firas Ahmed is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He completed his radiology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University. Dr. Ahmed has subspecialization in body imaging after completing his fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School focusing on abdominal imaging and intervention. Dr. Ahmed is interested in gastrointestinal and genitourinary imaging in general and in body oncology in specific.
Before his radiology training, Dr. Ahmed attended Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar where he graduated with a Master's degree in Public Health, majoring in Epidemiology. He participated as a statistical analyst for the MESA-Lung study, a clinical study at Columbia University Medical Center focusing on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Dr. Ahmed is active in conducting clinical research focusing on kidney cancer, radiomics, and pulmonary emphysema.
Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated
- Abdominal Imaging
- Interventional Radiology
- Radiology
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor of Radiology at CUMC
Hospital Affiliations
- NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Gender
- Male
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Insurance Accepted
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Aetna
- EPO
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- NYP Employee Plan
- NY Signature
- POS
- PPO
- Signature Administrators
- Student Health
AgeWell
- Medicare Managed Care
- Special Needs Plan
Capital District Physician Health Plan
- Capital District Physician Health Plan
Cigna
- EPO
- Great West
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
Emblem/GHI
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Emblem/HIP
- ConnectiCare
- EPO
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
- Select Care (Exchange)
- Vytra
Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- EPO
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Local 1199
- Local 1199
MagnaCare
- MagnaCare
Multiplan
- Multiplan
MVP Health Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
- MVP Health Care-HMO/EPO (Westchester Only)
- MVP Health Care-PPO (Westchester Only)
Oxford Health Plans
- Freedom
- Liberty
UnitedHealthcare
- Columbia University Employee Plan
- Compass (Exchange)
- HMO
- Medicaid (Community Plan)
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- MD, 2001 Medicine & General Surgery, University of Baghdad
- Internship: 2011 Albert Einstein / Montefiore Medical Center
- Residency: 2015 Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
- Fellowship: 2016 Brigham & Women's Hosp/Harvard Med
Board Certifications
- Diagnostic Radiology
Honors & Awards
2007 Anna C. Gelman Award for Excellence in Epidemiology - Mailman School of Public Health/ Columbia University, New York, NY
2005 Fulbright Scholarship - Funded the MPH program at Columbia University
2007 Anna C. Gelman Award for Excellence in Epidemiology - Mailman School of Public Health/ Columbia University, New York, NY
2005 Fulbright Scholarship - Funded the MPH program at Columbia University
Research
Selected Publications
- Noninvasive tests for the diagnostic evaluation of dyspnea among outpatients: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis lung study. Oelsner EC, Lima JA, Kawut SM, Burkart KM, Enright PL, Ahmed FS, Barr RG. Am J Med. 2015 Feb;128(2):171-180.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.09.023. Epub 2014 Oct 15. PMID: 25447621
- Variation in the percent of emphysema-like lung in a healthy, nonsmoking multiethnic sample. The MESA lung study. Hoffman EA, Ahmed FS, Baumhauer H, Budoff M, Carr JJ, Kronmal R, Reddy S, Barr RG. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2014 Jul;11(6):898-907. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201310-364OC. PMID: 24983825
- Emphysema predicts hospitalisation and incident airflow obstruction among older smokers: a prospective cohort study. McAllister DA, Ahmed FS, Austin JH, Henschke CI, Keller BM, Lemeshow A, Reeves AP, Mesia-Vela S, Pearson GD, Shiau MC, Schwartz JE, Yankelevitz DF, Barr RG. PLoS One. 2014 Apr 3;9(4):e93221. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093221. eCollection 2014. PMID: 24699215
- Plasma sphingomyelin and longitudinal change in percent emphysema on CT. The MESA lung study. Ahmed FS, Jiang XC, Schwartz JE, Hoffman EA, Yeboah J, Shea S, Burkart KM, Barr RG. Biomarkers. 2014 May;19(3):207-13. doi: 10.3109/1354750X.2014.896414. Epub 2014 Mar 21. PMID: 24649875
- Pulmonary emphysema subtypes on computed tomography: the MESA COPD study. Smith BM, Austin JH, Newell JD Jr, D'Souza BM, Rozenshtein A, Hoffman EA, Ahmed F, Barr RG. Am J Med. 2014 Jan;127(1):94.e7-23. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2013.09.020. Epub 2013 Oct 9. PMID: 24384106
- APOM and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are associated with lung function and percent emphysema. Burkart KM, Manichaikul A, Wilk JB, Ahmed FS, Burke GL, Enright P, Hansel NN, Haynes D, Heckbert SR, Hoffman EA, Kaufman JD, Kurai J, Loehr L, London SJ, Meng Y, O'Connor GT, Oelsner E, Petrini M, Pottinger TD, Powell CA, Redline S, Rotter JI, Smith LJ, Soler Artigas M, Tobin MD, Tsai MY, Watson K, White W, Young TR, Rich SS, Barr RG. Eur Respir J. 2014 Apr;43(4):1003-17. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00147612. Epub 2013 Jul 30. PMID: 23900982
- The myth and reality of contrast-induced nephropathy. Ahmed FS, Newhouse JH. Applied Radiology. 2013 Dec; 42 (12): (16-18)
- Asthma and lung structure on computed tomography: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Lung Study. Donohue KM, Hoffman EA, Baumhauer H, Guo J, Ahmed FS, Lovasi GS, Jacobs DR Jr, Enright P, Barr RG. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Feb;131(2):361-8.e1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2012.11.036. PMID: 23374265
- The association of systemic microvascular changes with lung function and lung density: a cross-sectional study. Harris B, Klein R, Jerosch-Herold M, Hoffman EA, Ahmed FS, Jacobs DR Jr, Klein BE, Wong TY, Lima JA, Cotch MF, Barr RG. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e50224. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050224. Epub 2012 Dec 20. PMID: 23284634
- Subclinical atherosclerosis, airflow obstruction and emphysema: the MESA Lung Study. Barr RG, Ahmed FS, Carr JJ, Hoffman EA, Jiang R, Kawut SM, Watson K. Eur Respir J. 2012 Apr;39(4):846-54. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00165410. Epub 2011 Oct 27. PMID: 22034646
- Percent emphysema, airflow obstruction, and impaired left ventricular filling. Barr RG, Bluemke DA, Ahmed FS, Carr JJ, Enright PL, Hoffman EA, Jiang R, Kawut SM, Kronmal RA, Lima JA, Shahar E, Smith LJ, Watson KE. N Engl J Med. 2010 Jan 21;362(3):217-27. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0808836. PMID: 20089972
- Health risk behaviors and prostate specific antigen awareness among men in California. Ahmed FS, Borrell LN, Spencer BA. J Urol. 2008 Aug;180(2):658-62; discussion 662. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2008.04.007. Epub 2008 Jun 12. PMID: 18554651