The key opinion leaders who constitute the L.I.F.E.R. faculty span a wide range of clinical and research interests, collectively offering decades of expertise in numerous therapeutic areas.
Nezam H. Afdhal, MD, Executive Director Boston, MADr. Afdhal is Chief of Hepatology and Director of the Liver Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He also holds an Associate Professor of Medicine appointment at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dr. Afdhal received his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. He remained in Dublin to complete his internship and residency (St. Laurence's Hospital) and a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology (St. Vincent's Hospital). He also completed clinical and research fellowships in gastroenterology at Boston University. He is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Dr. Afdhal's clinical focus is on management of the complications of liver diseases. His clinical research unit tests novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic hepatitis B and C infection, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and liver cancer. He has been a principal investigator on numerous clinical trials, including the COPILOT, ViraHEP-C, SyNCH, STEALTHC-3, and METRO studies.
Dr. Afdhal is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the European Association for the Study of Liver Disease. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. He currently sits on the editorial board of Gastroenterology and advisory boards of the American Liver Foundation and Massachusetts Task Force for HCV. He has published more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 30 book chapters, and 2 books. Among Dr. Afdhal’s many awards are the American Liver Foundation Award for Excellence, the Mitchell Lectureship of the Royal College of Physicians, and a Fulbright Scholarship. He is the current director of the US–Egypt Fulbright Program in HCV.
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Bruce R. Bacon, MD St. Louis, MODr. Bacon holds the James F. King, MD Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology and is Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He is also Director of Abdominal Transplantation for Saint Louis University Hospital and Codirector of the Saint Louis University Liver Center.
Dr. Bacon received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital.
His former laboratory-based research interests included hepatic iron metabolism, hepatotoxicity, and development of fibrosis. He currently has numerous clinical research programs in the area of viral hepatitis.
Dr. Bacon has served as the chair of the GI and Transplant Hepatology boards for the ABIM and as the President of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). In 2010, he received the AASLD’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the development of hepatology as a distinct discipline.
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Robert S. Brown, Jr., MD, MPH New York, NYDr. Brown is the Frank Cardile Professor of Medicine & Surgery and Medical Director, Transplant Initiative at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, in addition to Director of the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Brown received his medical degree from New York University and completed his residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He also completed a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology from the University of California at San Francisco and received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine, and is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
His clinical specialties include medical support before and after transplantation, the use of bioartificial liver support devices, living-donor liver transplantation, and treatment of hepatitis B and C virus infections.
Dr. Brown is a member of several leading transplant-, gastroenterology-, and hepatology-related professional societies. He has been a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Gastroenterology and has chaired and/or served on committees for the AGA Practice Management & Economics Committee and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Living Donor Committee, including the latter’s Ethics Subcommittee.
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Geoffrey Dusheiko, MD, MB,BCh FCP(SA) FRCP FRCP (Edin)Geoffrey Dusheiko, MD, MB,BCh, is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital and University College School of Medicine, London, UK. He earned his bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. After graduating, he completed his internship at Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg and his residency at Johannesburg Hospital. His fellowships were conducted at the Johannesburg Hospital Liver Unit and the National Institutes of Health in Maryland and the University of Minnesota (United States).
Dr. Dusheiko's research interests include the management and treatment of hepatitis B and C and small hepatocellular carcinoma; he has a special interest in research in viral hepatitis, focused on viral genotyping, applied molecular virology, the natural history of chronic viral hepatitis, and antiviral therapies. He has served on editorial boards for the Journal of Viral Hepatitis, Hepatology, and Best Practice and Research: Clinical Gastroenterology, GUT among others, and is the author of more than 330 published articles. He is currently a co-editor of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics and on the editorial board of the Journal of Viral Eradication.
A member of several organizations, including IASL, AASLD, and EASL, he is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Physicians of South Africa, and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He served as Educational Councillor on the Governing Board of the European Association for the Study of the Liver for 4 years and was the recipient of the EASL recognition award in 2015. He is a guidelines writer for the WHO, and a director of the Skipton Fund and has advised the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in the UK.
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Steven L. Flamm, MD Chicago, ILDr. Flamm is Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Hepatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago. He also serves as the Medical Director of Liver Transplantation.
Dr. Flamm received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed a clinical fellowship in gastroenterology and a research fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at Beth Israel Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He then completed a clinical fellowship in hepatology and liver transplantation at The Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Flamm has published widely in the field of hepatic diseases and has spoken both nationally and internationally on many other liver-related topics including viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, and liver transplantation. He has an active clinical research program for patients with many different chronic liver diseases, including chronic viral hepatitis.
Dr. Flamm is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He has served as the Region 7 Representative to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Liver and Intestine Committee and on the Publication and Practice Guidelines Committees of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
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Michael W. Fried, MD Chapel Hill, NC Dr. Fried is Professor of Medicine and Director of Hepatology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Fried graduated from Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University in 1984. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center at Syracuse, where he also completed a fellowship in gastroenterology.
Dr. Fried has served as the principal investigator for numerous Phase I, II, and III clinical trials of antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections. Dr. Fried has had continuous NIH extramural funding for the last 10 years as principal investigator on several NIH cooperative clinical trials (UO1), including VIRAHEP-C (NIDDK), SYNCH-C (NCCAM), and the Hepatitis B Research Network (NIDDK). He serves as either chair or cochair of the steering committee for each of these research networks. He is also Deputy Director of the TraCS Institute and Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Center at UNC, where he continues his commitment to fostering excellence in clinical investigation.
Dr. Fried is the primary author or coauthor for over 100 original publications, reviews, and book chapters concentrated in the field of viral hepatitis. Dr. Fried was inducted into the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), an honor society for clinical investigators. He is also a recipient of an NIH career development award (K24), which allows him to provide mentorship to junior investigators in hepatitis research.
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Jorge L. Herrera, MD Mobile, AL Dr. Herrera is Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Director, Section of Hepatology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile.
He received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico and completed a residency in internal medicine at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver. We then completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, and is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners in internal medicine, gastroenterology and transplant hepatology.
His research interests include hepatology, viral hepatitis, endoscopic procedures, and diagnostic physiology testing. He has served as a principal investigator for numerous clinical trials and is widely published in the medical literature.
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Ira M. Jacobson, MD New York, NYDr. Jacobson is Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vincent Astor Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and Medical Director, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, Weill Medical College of Cornell University and an attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell Campus.
Dr. Jacobson received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of California in San Francisco, and completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School. He is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Dr. Jacobson has been a principal investigator for many important trials involving antiviral therapy for both hepatitis B and C virus infections. His special interests include hepatology, and endoscopy.
Dr. Jacobson has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, in addition to 2 of the leading textbooks in his field: ERCP and Its Applications (1998) and ERCP Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications (1989). He is currently a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
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Marcelo Kugelmas, MD Denver, CODr. Kugelmas is Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Colorado; Hepatologist at the Center for Diseases of the Liver and Pancreas, Swedish Medical Center; and a practicing physician at South Denver Gastroenterology in Colorado.
Dr. Kugelmas received his medical degree with honors from the University of Buenos Aires. After completing an internal medicine residency at the University of Southern California-Los Angeles County Hospital, he completed fellowships in gastroenterology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and in hepatology, liver transplantation, and advanced endoscopy at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He is board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Dr. Kugelmas' main focus has been on the management of patients with liver diseases. He has lectured nationally on the topics of chronic liver disease; is a regular presenter at gastroenterology, liver, and transplantation annual meetings; and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals.
Dr. Kugelmas is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society of Transplantation.
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Paul Y. Kwo, MD Indianapolis, INDr. Kwo is Professor of Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Medical Director of Transplantation at Indiana University Health.
Dr. Kwo received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. He completed his residency in medicine at the University of Maryland/Baltimore VA Hospitals and a fellowship in gastroenterology/hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and liver transplantation.
Dr. Kwo's clinical interests include hepatitis B and C virus infection and liver transplantation, and his research interests include hepatitis C virus infection and alcohol metabolism.
He is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, the Indiana State Medical Association, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and the International Liver Transplant Society.
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Eric Lawitz, MD San Antonio, TXDr. Eric Lawitz is Vice President of Scientific and Research and founder of the Texas Liver Institute. Prior to joining The Texas Liver Institute, Dr. Lawitz spent 11 years at Brooke Army Medical Center in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology where he served in many teaching and academic positions.
Dr. Lawitz has conducted extensive research in Hepatology, authored over 300 publications and presented his work at both national and international medical meetings. He is internationally recognized for his work in liver disease research and teaching.
Dr. Lawitz also serves as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center as a member of the hepatology faculty. He attends outpatient clinics.
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Paul Martin, MD Miami, FL Dr. Martin is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hepatology at the University of Miami in Florida.
Dr. Martin received his medical degree from the University College Dublin School of Medicine and Medical Science. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Dublin and is board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and transplant hepatology.
Dr. Martin has participated in numerous clinical studies in hepatitis B and C virus infections and liver transplantation. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and chapters and serves on the editorial board of several journals.
Dr. Martin currently serves as Councilor-at-Large for the American Society of Transplantation. In July 2012, he was named Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Subspecialty Board on Gastroenterology. He also previously served on the National Board of the American Liver Foundation.
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F. Fred Poordad, MD San Antonio, TXDr. Poordad is Chief Medical Officer of the Texas Liver Institute and Alamo Medical Research in San Antonio and Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
Dr. Poordad received his medical degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He completed a residency in internal medicine at St. Thomas Medical Center/Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and fellowships in gastroenterology at the University of South Carolina and in hepatology/liver transplantation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Poordad has presented internationally on the topics of liver disease and transplantation. His clinical research interests are solid-organ transplantation in HIV, artificial liver devices, fatty liver disease, and small-molecule therapies for viral hepatitis. He has published numerous articles in leading medical, gastroenterology/hepatology, and transplantation journals, in addition to contributing chapters to relevant textbooks.
Dr. Poordad is a member of the American Medical Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the European Association for the Study of the Liver, the American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the International Liver Transplantation Society. He sits on educational committees for the AASLD, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the AST. He is on the editorial board of several journals, a regular peer reviewer for multiple journals, and a reviewer for the American Gastroenterological Association and AASLD annual meetings.
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K. Rajender Reddy, MD Philadelphia, PADr. Reddy is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and Director of Hepatology and Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Dr. Reddy received his medical degree from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. He completed his residency in internal medicine at New York Medical College Hospitals (now Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center) in the Bronx, followed by fellowships in gastroenterology at East Tennessee State University College of Medicine in Johnson City and in hepatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida.
Dr. Reddy has been an investigator for numerous clinical trials that have advanced the management of chronic viral hepatitis, and has been awarded both federal and nonfederal funding to perform such clinical research. His current clinical research interests include liver transplantation, viral hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dr. Reddy has authored or coauthored hundreds of peer-reviewed articles on topics such as liver transplantation, chronic hepatitis C virus infection, HIV and the liver, and hepatocellular carcinoma. He has also contributed to several textbooks, has edited several books, and has presented at both national and international scientific meetings. He serves on the editorial boards of Liver Transplantation and Gastroenterology and is a reviewer for several other journals.
Dr. Reddy is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and AGA. He has held several visiting professorships at medical schools around the world.
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Mark S. Sulkowski, MD Baltimore, MDDr. Sulkowski is Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Gastroenterology/Hepatology and Medical Director of the Viral Hepatitis Center at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Dr. Sulkowski received his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sulkowski has been principal investigator for multiple clinical trials in viral hepatitis, including investigations of new agents. He is the coinvestigator for adult patients at Johns Hopkins for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network.
Dr. Sulkowski is widely published in the medical literature and has been an invited lecturer at numerous major national and international medical meetings. His professional society memberships include the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the European Association for the Study of the Liver, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
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David L. Thomas, M.D., M.P.H, Director of L.I.F.E.R. Baltimore, MDDr. Thomas is chief of Infectious Diseases and the Stanhope Bayne-Jones Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Thomas is trained in internal medicine and infectious diseases and cares for patients with infectious diseases, including chronic viral hepatitis. He also oversees clinical research projects whose aims are focused on understanding the natural history and pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus infection. Liver disease in HIV-infected persons is a special area of clinical and research focus. He is the principal investigator on numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and the author or co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Thomas has
served the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and IDSA in multiple capacities and has won international recognition for his academic contributions.
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Stefan Zeuzem, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Department of Medicine, Frankfurt, GermanyStefan Zeuzem is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Department of Medicine at the JW Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany. After receiving his medical training in Germany and the UK, Professor Zeuzem completed post-doctoral fellowships at the University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany, and research sabbaticals with the Department of Medicine and Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK; the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysics, Frankfurt, Germany; and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University Medical School, USA. From 2002 to 2006, he was Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Saarland University Hospital, Germany.
Prof. Zeuzem is a member of numerous professional associations and has coauthored manuscripts, book chapters, and reviews encompassing varied aspects of internal medicine. His current research interests include cellular physiology, molecular biology of hepatitis viruses, viral kinetics, the role of HCV in hepatocarcinogenesis, and the stratification and optimization of antiviral treatment.
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