Dr. Ghaferi graduated summa cum laude/Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA and received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He then began his surgical residency at the University of Michigan in 2005. Dr. Ghaferi is currently a research fellow with the Michigan Surgical Collaborative for Outcomes Research and Evaluation group. His research interests include understanding mechanisms underlying variations in surgical mortality, the differences in intensity of cancer care across hospitals, and socioeconomic and racial disparities in surgery. Dr. Ghaferi has been awarded the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program Grant through the National Center for Minority Health Disparities specifically to study racial disparities in surgical safety. He also receives research funding from a National Cancer Institute training grant and the Frederick A. Coller Surgical Society Research Fellowship grant. He is currently completing a Masters degree in Health and Healthcare Research through the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Dr. Ghaferi is also an active member of several national societies (American College of Surgeons, AcademyHealth, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association for Academic Surgery, International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology, and Phi Beta Kappa). Dr. Ghaferi serves on a national Leadership Committee for the Association for Academic Surgery, as well as several institutional committees. During his research time, he has received several national awards, including the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Paper Competition, American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation Merit Award, and the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology Education Grant.