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Ala Elhelali

Ala Elhelali, MSc, PhD

Highlights

Languages

  • English

Gender

Female

Johns Hopkins Affiliations:

  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty

About Ala Elhelali

Professional Titles

Senior Regulatory Advisor, Office of Clinical Trials

Primary Academic Title

Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Background

Ala Elhelali, PhD, MSc, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Senior Regulatory Affairs Advisor in Johns Hopkins’ Office of Clinical Trials.

Her training includes a BSc in Biomedical Science and an MSc in Clinical Research (National University of Ireland, Galway), a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (Galway Mayo Institute of Technology), and a Drug Safety Data fellowship at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of New Drugs.

Dr. Elhelali’s translational program focuses on functional recovery following peripheral nerve injury. She runs and leads clinical trials and supports multicenter studies testing regeneration strategies, including investigating therapeutics to enhance recovery following nerve injuries. In parallel, she evaluates imaging biomarkers of denervation and reinnervation, including PET-based approaches, and uses patient-reported outcomes when appropriate to define clinically meaningful change.

Dr. Elhelali is also an evidence synthesis methodologist. Trained through a Health Research Board (Ireland) Cochrane Fellowship, she has authored Cochrane and non-Cochrane systematic reviews and meta-analyses in surgery, plastic surgery, and rehabilitation care. She mentors students, residents, fellows, and faculty through protocol development, reproducible searches, risk-of-bias assessment, and synthesis to support clinical decision-making and trial prioritization, and she serves as a Cochrane US Mentor.

Her work is supported by multi-year federal and foundation funding, including the Department of Defense, Plastic Surgery Foundation, Malone Seed Grant, and TEDCO Maryland Innovation Initiative awards.

 

 

Clinical Trials Summary

Find a Clinical Trial

View all trials by this principal investigator.

PubMed - Publications

Selected Publications

  • Kuo KT, Park KE, Suresh R, Heron MJ, Zhu KJ, Lebbos F, Wilde BM, Sim D, Zamore Z, Chekfa AJ, Tuffaha SH, Elhelali A. Quality, Reliability, and Readability of Peripheral Nerve Intervention Websites for Patients. Hand. 2024 Nov 26:15589447241299045.
  • Snee I, Kuo KT, Suresh R, Chen AJ, Lindley A, Chekfa AJ, Tuffaha SH, Elhelali A. Evaluating the Impact of Diabetes and Metformin on Painful Neuromas After Lower Extremity Amputations. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2025 Feb 10:10-97.
  • Elhelali A, Tuffaha T. A Systematic Review of Registered Clinical Trials for Peripheral Nerve Injuries. Annals of Plastic Surgery 92(4):p e32-e54, April 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000003899
  • Sim D, Kuo KT, Rodriguez-Silva W, Seal S, Filippi L, Tuffaha S, Elhelali A. Evaluation of Rehabilitation Techniques for Traumatic Ulnar Nerve Injuries After Surgical Repair: A Systematic Review. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2024 Oct 1;93(4):478-87.
  • Elhelali A, Hynes N, Devane D, Sultan S, Kavanagh EP, Morris L, Veerasingam D, Jordan F. Hybrid repair versus conventional open repair for thoracic aortic arch aneurysms. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2021
  • Elhelali A, Sultan S, Hynes N, Delassus P, Kavanagh EP, Fahy P, Stefanov F, Morris L. Evaluation of aortic arch aneurysms treated with the streamliner multilayer flow modulator.  Italian Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery 2020 September; 27 (3): 133-45.

Honors

Cochrane Fellowship, Heath Research Board (HRB) of Ireland 2016-2018

Plastic Surgery Foundation Translational Award 2024-2025

Additional Training

Heath Research Board (HRB) of Ireland Cochrane Fellowship, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Galway, Ireland (2018)

Regulatory Affairs Fellowship, School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University (2018)

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins University (2021)

Drug Safety Data Postdoctoral Fellowship, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of New Drugs, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Silver Springs, Maryland, USA 

Expertise

Education

  • Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Ph.D., 2017
  • University College of Galway, National University of Ireland, M.Sc., 2012
  • National University of Ireland, B.Sc., 2010