2021 Research and Career Development Award Recipients
AASLD Foundation’s Research & Career Development Awards are one to three-year awards that support innovative research in liver diseases, career development for early career investigators, and specialized training for front-line providers treating liver patients.
This year’s 26 award recipients — selected from a highly competitive applicant pool — demonstrate both exceptional aptitude and deep interest in liver disease research and treatment. The Foundation’s enduring financial investment in its awards program is reflective of its commitment to providing critical funding for liver research, securing education and training for those caring for people with liver disease, encouraging early investigators to the field, and increasing access to trained providers.
2021 Research Awards
2021 Research Awards
Pinnacle Research Award in Liver Disease
Renee Cottle, PhD
Clemson University
Project Title: Nonviral Delivery of Crispr-Cas9 into Hepatocytes for Liver Repopulation Using Acetaminophen Selection
Mentor: Markus Grompe, MD
Kuo Du, PhD
Duke University
Project Title: Hippo-YAP Pathway, Ferroptosis of Hepatic Stellate Cells and Liver Fibrosis
Mentor: Anna Mae Diehl, MD, FAASLD
Jin Lee, PhD
University of California San Diego
Project Title: Mechanistic analysis of Zfp791 functions in hepatocellular carcinoma
Mentor: Gen-Sheng Feng, PhD
Ji-Yeon Shin, PhD
Columbia University
Project Title: LAP1-torsinA complex in NASH and HCC development
Mentor: Howard J. Worman, MD
The 2021 Pinnacle Research Awards in Liver Disease are made possible through independent grants and unrestricted donations from AASLD, Gilead Sciences, and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Clinical, Translational, and Outcomes Research Award in Liver Disease
Giuseppe Cullaro, MD, MAS
University of California, San Francisco
Project Title: Application of Novel Biomarkers of Chronic Kidney Disease to Stratify Risk for Type 1 Hepatorenal Syndrome
Mentor: Jennifer Cindy Lai, MD, MBA
Amar Nijagal, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Project Title: Defining the role of tumor associated myeloid cells in pediatric hepatoblastoma
Mentor: Jacquelyn J. Maher, MD
Nneka N. Ufere, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Title: LiverPal: A Randomized Study of Inpatient Palliative Care for Patients with End-Stage Liver Disease
Mentor: Raymond T. Chung, MD, FAASLD
Brian Wentworth, MD 
University of Virginia
Project Title: Defining the mechanisms behind and prognosis of adrenal insufficiency in cirrhosis
Mentor: Zachary Henry, MD
Kali Zhou, MD, MAS 
University of Southern California
Project Title: Combating socioeconomic disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma through geographic late stage hotspots
Mentor: Norah Terrault, MD, MPH, FAASLD
The 2021 Clinical, Translational, and Outcomes Research Awards in Liver Disease are made possible through independent grants and unrestricted donations from AASLD, Gilead Sciences, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Bridge Award
Xinshou Ouyang, PhD
Yale University
Project Title: The hepatocyte metabolic programming in NASH
The 2021 Bridge Awards are made possible through unrestricted donations from AASLD and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Gupta Family Pilot Award in PSC Research
Michael D. Thompson MD, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine
Project Title: Role of Microbiome in Development of Offspring Cholestatic Liver Disease after Maternal Obesogenic Diet Exposure
Mentor: Nicholas O. Davidson, MD, DSc, FAASLD
The 2021 Gupta Family Pilot Research Award is made possible through the Gupta Family Research Fund and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Afdhal / McHutchison LIFER Award
Prashanth Thevkar, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School
Project Title: Role of BTK signalosome in alcoholic liver disease
Mentor: Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, FAASLD
The 2021 Afdhal / McHutchison LIFER Award is made possible through an independent grant from the Liver Institute and Foundation for Education and Research (LIFER) and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Autoimmune Liver Disease Pilot Research Award
Hui Wang, PhD
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Project Title: Contribution of microbiome in environmental agent trichloroethylene-mediated autoimmune hepatitis
Mentor: M. Firoze Khan, PhD
The 2021 Autoimmune Liver Disease Pilot Research Award is made possible through a generous contribution given to establish this award and unrestricted donations from AASLD Foundation donors.
Anna S. Lok Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Award
Jin Ge, MD, MBA
University of California, San Francisco
Mentor: Jennifer C. Lai, MD, MBA
The 2021 Anna S. Lok Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Award is made possible through the Anna S. Lok Fund for Excellence in Research and Training and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Advanced / Transplant Hepatology Award
Katherine Cheng, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Mentor: Emily J. Rothbaum Perito, MD
Jason L. Eccleston, MD
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Mentor: Gregory J. Gores, MD, FAASLD
Lauren D. Feld, MD
University of Washington
Mentor: Renuka Bhattacharya, MD
Jeremy Louissaint, MD
Columbia University
Mentor: Elizabeth C. Verna, MD, MS
Julie Osborn, MD
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Mentor: James E. Heubi, MD
Hirsh D. Trivedi, MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Mentor: Michelle Lai, MD, MPH
Kara Wegermann, MD
Duke University
Mentor: Anna Mae Diehl, MD, FAASLD
Kelley Weinfurtner, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Mentor: David E. Kaplan, MD, MSc, FAASLD
Karn Wijarnpreecha, MD, MPH
University of Michigan
Mentor: Anna S. Lok, MD, FAASLD
Carrie R. Wong, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
Mentor: Steven-Huy B. Han, MD, FAASLD
The 2021 Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Awards are made possible through unrestricted donations from AASLD and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
NP/PA Clinical Hepatology Fellowship
Tamara M. Major, MSPAS, PA-C
Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute
Mentor: George Therapondos, MBChB, MPH
Monica Muzzin, MMSc, PA-C
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center
Mentor: Nizar Mukhtar, MD
The 2021 NP/PA Clinical Hepatology Fellowships are made possible through independent grants and unrestricted donations from AASLD, Gilead Sciences, and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Past Awardees:
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