With a global perspective and highly specialized expertise, Alsadiq Al-Hillan, M.B.Ch.B, is making his mark on gastroenterology and digestive health care at UTMB.
He works with patients facing complex pancreatic, biliary, and gastrointestinal conditions, combining proven techniques with the latest innovations in endoscopic care.
“We perform a wide variety of pancreatic and biliary stenting, biopsies from the pancreas, drainage of internal collections, and all sorts of sections of high-risk lesions in the colon and the stomach,” he says.
Dr. Al-Hillan joined the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at UTMB last year. His path to UTMB reflects years of training across leading institutions and a commitment to continuous growth.
Originally from Iraq, where he completed medical school, he moved to the U.S. for his Internal Medicine internship and residency in New Jersey. He first came to Texas for his Hepatology and Liver Transplant fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Following advanced Gastroenterology training at institutions in Michigan and California, he ultimately returned to Texas to build both his career and his practice.
At UTMB, he has found a collaborative environment that supports the advancement of complex GI care. He works closely with colleagues such as Dr. Sreeram Parupudi, who manages similar cases. Together, they provide specialized interventions that reduce the need for traditional surgery and improve recovery times for patients.
A central area of passion for Dr. Al-Hillan is “third space” endoscopy. By creating a small incision in the lining, gastroenterologists can tunnel through this space to reach target muscles without making incisions in the skin. This allows physicians to treat conditions that once required open or laparoscopic surgery, like gastroparesis and achalasia.
Dr. Al-Hillan is also playing a key role in expanding the advanced GI footprint across UTMB campuses. Care that was once limited to the Galveston Campus has grown significantly, improving convenience and access for patients closer to home.
“We are especially proud of the Clear Lake Campus. We used to do very simple procedures there, but now we’re doing much more advanced procedures,” he says. “Now, there is an EUS (endoscopic ultrasound) machine, so we are doing upper and lower endoscopic ultrasound.”
Among the most notable advancements is a minimally invasive solution for patients who are not candidates for gallbladder surgery.
“Instead of putting in a drain from outside, in which a patient has to deal with the drain forever, we can do internal drainage, which is only two sessions,” he says. “We’ve done this with patients in their 80s who did very well.”
The UTMB Gastroenterology team is also helping redefine how certain gastrointestinal lesions are managed. Using advanced endoscopic techniques, they can often identify and remove lesions without surgery, improving patient outcomes and reducing recovery time.
“We work in collaboration with oncology, and we discuss these cases in our tumor board. It’s a strong multidisciplinary approach with all our advanced cases,” he says.
Dr. Al-Hillan welcomes referrals from primary care. He emphasizes that a wide range of conditions can benefit from advanced GI evaluation, including large polyps, gastroparesis, achalasia, pancreatic cysts or masses, bile duct abnormalities, and liver lesions.
 | Alsadiq Al-Hillan, M.B.Ch.B, sees patients at UTMB Health Gastroenterology at the League City Campus Learn more about Gastroenterology & Hepatology services at UTMB Health. |