Hepatology Research
Clinical Research Participation
We encourage Transplant Hepatology fellows to participate in clinical research. Given time constraints, a streamlined research program has been created.
1. Fellows are expected to complete online IRB training prior to their start date to allow for immediate inclusion onto pre-existing IRB-approved research protocols.
2. Fellows will meet with their faculty mentors at regular intervals to facilitate project ideas and goals.
3. Fellows are encouraged to submit their research findings to societal meetings like the AASLD Liver Meeting.
Research Opportunities
The Division of Liver Diseases in the Department of Medicine has a multitude of clinical research activities currently underway. View a list of publications that recent graduates have completed during their fellowship or thereafter, with our mentors.
Researchers
Jawad Ahmad, MD
Professor of Medicine
- Role of HCV in drug induced liver injury
- Risk factors for biliary complications after liver transplantation
- Drug induced liver injury and secondary sclerosing cholangitis
- Drug induced liver injury and chemotherapy
- Cenicriviroc in primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Portal hypertension after liver transplantation
Andrea Branch, PhD
Professor of Medicine
- Triple therapy for HCV
- Clinical- and cost-effectiveness of new treatments
- Natural history of post-SVR HCV
- HCV molecular virology, including viral mutations and HCC risk and strategies for persistence
- Treatment and pathogenesis in HIV/HCV co-infection
- Risks and benefits of vitamin D supplements
- Mining the MSSM data warehouse
- Advanced liver disease, HIV, sickle cell, alcoholic hepatitis
Charissa Chang, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
- Incidence and natural history of portal vein thrombosis in patients with cirrhosis
- Risk factors for HCC in patients with NASH
- Dr. Chang is an investigator in several clinical treatment trials for hepatocellular carcinoma (STORM, BRISK, REACH), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and thrombocytopenia. She is a member of the data safety and monitoring board of the vitamin D trial directed by Dr. Branch, and an important contributor to the activities of the Hepatitis Outreach Network (HONE)
James Crismale, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
- Post-transplantation neurologic outcomes among patients with hyponatremia at the time of transplantation
- Utilization of HCV+ organs in liver transplantation and impact on post-transplant outcomes
- Risk of liver decompensation among patients who undergo left ventricular assist device placement or heart transplantation
- Use of serum DNA methylation biomarkers for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma
Gene Im, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
- Genomic biomarkers in alcoholic liver disease and HCC
- Early liver transplantation for severe alcoholic hepatitis Malnutrition and sarcopenia in alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis
- Fluid and tissue characteristics in liver diseases; Co-director of nontumoral tissue utilization committee
- Using SBP database to study complications of portal hypertension
- Safety and efficacy of IFN-free HCV treatment after kidney transplantation
- Immunization rates for HAV and HBV in patients with cirrhosis and vaccine efficacy cross-over study
- Cost analysis of inpatient hospital transfers to a liver transplant center
- Site coordinator, North American Consortium for the Study of End-Stage Liver Disease (NACSELD)
Josep Llovet, MD
Professor of Medicine
- Director of the Mount Sinai Liver Cancer program, part of the Tisch Cancer Institute awarded as NCI designated Cancer Center
- Clinical development of novel treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC )and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC)
- Establishing new molecular classifications of HCC and ICC based on integrative genomics approaches that incorporate genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenetic information to define oncogenic drivers and predictors of outcome
- Director of the International HCC Consortium, a consortium of basic and translational researchers, including Dana-Farber- MIT (Boston), Hospital Clinic (Barcelona) and National Cancer Institute (Milan)
- Chair/commitee member of guidelines of trial design and managment of HCC, International PI on pivotal trials assessing adjuvant and primary treatments of HCC, and oversees highly active translational research programs
Joe Odin, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
- Identification of air pollution elements associated with increased prevalence of end-stage liver disease by geographic cluster analysis Comparison of the intestinal microbiome in subjects with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with and without PSC in collaboration with the Mount Sinai IBD center
- Analysis of drug-induce liver injury in patients undergoing chemotherapy
- Evaluation of pre-natal toxin exposure on the future development of liver disease in offspring in collaboration with NYU environmental medicine department
- Analysis of PBC and PSC genetics and environmental associations in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, Rochester
- Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) regional site at Mount Sinai, an NIH/NIDDK research initiative to investigate cases of liver injury caused by prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alternative medicines, such as herbal products and supplements.
Danielle Sia, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
- Establishing new molecular classifications of HCC and ICC based on integrative genomics approaches that incorporate genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic information
- Identifying novel oncogenic drivers in HCC and ICC for more effective targeted therapies
Thomas Schiano, MD
Professor of Medicine
- Evaluation of on plasma cell hepatitis and non-cirrhotic portal hypertension
- Characterization and management of obliterative portal venopathy
- Liver transplantation in patients infected with HIV
- Living-related liver transplantation in patients with HCV
- Vitamin D deficiency in patients with end stage liver disease
- Fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis after liver transplantation
- Prevention of HCV recurrence after liver transplantation for HCV
- Identifying the safety and efficacy of HCV treatment in advanced liver disease before and after liver transplantation
- The local impact of fibrosis on intrahepatic HCV RNA levels Intestinal transplantation and TPN liver disease
- Diagnosis and treatment of cholestatic liver disease
Augusto Villanueva, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
- Liquid biopsy in liver cancer: identification and validation of novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers in liver cancer through analysis of circulating tumor by-products
- Tumor heterogeneity and dynamics: Evaluation of intratumoral molecular diversity and how it evolves over time
- Determine the role of heterogeneity in treatment response
- Patient-derived xenografts: Develop novel tools to validate oncogeneic drivers of liver cancer and identify mechanisms of resistance to systemic therapies
Contact Us
Jessica Dumont Fellowship Program Coordinator Transplant Hepatology jessica.dumont@mountsinai.org