Hira Ahmad
Biography
Hira Ahmad, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine, and a pediatric surgeon at Children's Hospital of Orange County. She received her Doctor of Medicine from Creighton University School of Medicine in 2012 and completed general surgery residency at Cleveland Clinic Florida in 2018. Ahmad completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric colorectal and pelvic reconstruction at Nationwide Children's Hospital from 2018 to 2021, followed by a pediatric surgery fellowship at Seattle Children's Hospital from 2021 to 2023. She is board certified in both general surgery and pediatric surgery.
Ahmad's clinical and research focus centers on pediatric colorectal and pelvic reconstruction, with particular emphasis on anorectal malformations, Hirschsprung disease, and functional bowel disorders. She has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications addressing surgical outcomes, bowel management programs, and quality of life in children with congenital colorectal conditions. Her work includes studies on transition of care barriers, sexual and reproductive health outcomes in females with cloacal malformations, and the psychological impact of colorectal conditions on patients and families.
Ahmad serves on the Research Committee of the American Pediatric Surgical Association and the Diversity, Surgical Care Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has participated in multiple international surgical missions through Colorectal Team Overseas, providing care and training in Honduras, Spain, Norway, and South Africa. Ahmad completed the APSA MORE Leadership Program and the Intermountain Healthcare Advanced Training Program in quality improvement and outcome measurement.
Return to topEducation
- MD, Creighton University School of Medicine, 2012
- BS in Biology, University of San Francisco, 2008
Distinctions
- Board Certified in Pediatric Surgery, American Board of Surgery, 2024
- Board Certified in General Surgery, American Board of Surgery, 2018
- Rosenkrantz Clinical Research Award, 2020
- 13th Annual Residents & Fellows Research Week 2nd place recipient, 2017
- Intern of the year award, 2012
- Clinton and Gilbert Endowed Medical Scholarship, 2010
- Dr. Yoshiikazu Shiiba Student of the Year Award, 2007
Areas of Expertise
- Pediatric Colorectal Surgery
- Anorectal Malformation Management
- Hirschsprung Disease Treatment
- Bowel Management Programs
- Cloacal Malformation Reconstruction
- Gynecologic Anomaly Assessment
- Psychosocial Outcomes Evaluation
Recent Publications
- Giron A, Flyer Z, Schomberg J, Chogle A, Wartman E, Gonzalez AU, Bone A, Yu PT, Shaul D, Ahmad H, “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Patients With Anorectal Malformation And Hirschsprung Disease” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 60, no. 7, pp. 162322, 2025.
- Srinivas S, Ahmad H, Knaus ME, Pruitt LCC, Jimenez AN, Read M, Liaqat N, Langer JC, Levitt MA, Diefenbach KA, Halaweish I, Gasior AC, Wood RJ, “Laparoscopic-Assisted Colonic Derotation in Patients With Hirschsprung Disease” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 59, no. 10, pp. 161600, 2024.
- Ahmad H, Smith C, Witte A, Lewis K, Reeder RW, Garza J, Zobell S, Hoff K, Durham M, Calkins C, Rollins MD, Ambartsumyan L, Rentea RM, Yacob D, Lorenzo CD, Levitt MA, Wood RJ, “Antegrade Continence Enema Alone for the Management of Functional Constipation and Segmental Colonic Dysmotility (ACE-FC): A Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium Study” (opens in new tab), Eur J Pediatr Surg, 2024.
- Ahmad H, Knaus ME, Gasior AC, Jimenez AN, Spieth PT, Srinivas S, Stanek JR, Levitt MA, Wood RJ, Hewitt GD, McCracken KA, “Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes in Females With Cloacal Malformations and Other Anorectal Malformations” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 148-154, 2023.
- Ahmad H, Wood RJ, Avansino JR, Calkins CM, Dickie BH, Durham MM, Frischer J, Fuller M, Ralls M, Reeder RW, Rentea RM, Rollins MD, Saadai P, Oelschlager AEA, Breech LL, Hewitt GD, Kluivers K, van Leeuwen KD, McCracken KA, “Does presence of a VACTERL anomaly predict an associated gynecologic anomaly in females with anorectal malformations?: A Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium Study” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 471-477, 2023.
- Ahmad H, Shaul DB, “Pediatric colorectal robotic surgery” (opens in new tab), Semin Pediatr Surg, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 151259, 2023.
- Knaus ME, Ahmad H, Metzger GA, Beyene TJ, Thomas JL, Weaver LJ, Gasior AC, Wood RJ, Halaweish I, “Outcomes of a telemedicine bowel management program during COVID-19” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 80-85, 2022.
- Ahmad H, Knaus ME, Minneci PC, Wood RJ, Gasior AC, “Transition of Care Barriers in Pediatric Patients With Anorectal Malformation” (opens in new tab), Dis Colon Rectum, vol. 65, no. 8, pp. 955-957, 2022.
- Knaus ME, Ahmad H, Bourgeois T, Dajusta DG, Wood RJ, Fuchs ME, “Improvement in bladder function in children with functional constipation after a bowel management program” (opens in new tab), Pediatr Surg Int, vol. 38, no. 10, pp. 1473-1479, 2022.
- Perez NP, Ahmad H, Alemayehu H, Newman EA, Reyes-Ferral C, “The impact of social determinants of health on the overall wellbeing of children: A review for the pediatric surgeon” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 57, no. 4, pp. 587-597, 2022.
- Ahmad H, Rentea RM, Knaus ME, Wilbur JG, Halaweish I, Langer JC, Levitt MA, Wood RJ, “Routine botulinum toxin injection one month after a Swenson pull-through does not change the incidence of Hirschsprung associated enterocolitis” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 1453-1457, 2022.
- Ahmad H, Yacob D, Halleran DR, Gasior AC, Lorenzo CD, Wood RJ, Langer JC, Levitt MA, “Evaluation and treatment of the post pull-through Hirschsprung patient who is not doing well; Update for 2022” (opens in new tab), Semin Pediatr Surg, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 151164, 2022.
- Ahmad H, Levitt MA, Yacob D, Halleran DR, Gasior AC, Di Lorenzo C, Wood RJ, Langer JC, “Evaluation and Management of Persistent Problems After Surgery for Hirschsprung Disease in a Child” (opens in new tab), Curr Gastroenterol Rep, vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 18, 2021.
- Ahmad H, Halleran DR, Stanek JR, Thompson BP, Bates DG, Rusin JA, Minneci PC, Levitt MA, Wood RJ, “Correlation between the lateral and anteroposterior sacral ratios in anorectal malformations” (opens in new tab), Pediatr Radiol, vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 1867-1872, 2021.
- Ahmad H, Skeritt C, Halleran DR, Rentea RM, Reck-Burneo CA, Vilanova-Sanchez A, Weaver L, Langer JC, Diefenbach KA, Gasior AC, Levitt MA, Wood RJ, “Are routine postoperative dilations necessary after primary posterior sagittal anorectoplasty? A randomized controlled trial” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 56, no. 8, pp. 1449-1453, 2021.
- Global PaedSurg Research Collaboration, “Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study” (opens in new tab), Lancet, vol. 398, no. 10297, pp. 325-339, 2021.
- Ahmad H, Hwang S, Shah V, Wood RJ, Shivaram GM, Smith CA, “A pull-through operation for perirectal venous malformation” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg Case Rep, vol. 69, pp. 101851, 2021.
- Ahmad H, Al-Hadidi A, Bobbey A, Shah S, Stanek J, Nicol K, Hoffman RP, Aldrink JH, “Pediatric adaptions are needed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of thyroid ultrasound using TI-RADS” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 1120-1125, 2021.
- Ahmad H, Halleran DR, Vardanyan J, Mathieu W, Stanek J, Ranalli M, Levitt MA, Wood RJ, Aldrink JH, “Functional fecal and urinary outcomes after sacrococcygeal mass resection in pediatric patients” (opens in new tab), J Pediatr Surg, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 1142-1147, 2021.
- Ahmad H, Vilanova-Sánchez A, Amengual I, Guerra-Pastrian L, Garrido-Pontnou M, Montalvo C, Bueno A, Langer J, Wood RJ, Levitt MA, “Skip Segment Hirschsprung Disease Managed by Pull-Through of the Right Colon” (opens in new tab), European J Pediatr Surg Rep, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. e28-e32, 2021.
This profile was created with the help of AI.
Last updated on 3/12/2026.