2019 Abstract Award Recipients

These $1,000 awards enable advanced practice providers submitting abstracts for The Liver Meeting® to receive travel support.

• Elizabeth Lee, MN, NP, CGNC
  1679: Utilization of Nurse Practitioners in a Transitional Care Model to Decrease Hospital Readmissions in Patients with Advanced Liver Disease: A Clinical Update to a Quality Improvement Initiative
  Presentation: Poster Session III, Sunday, November 10th
• Susan A. Zapatka, MSN, APRN, ANCC-BC
  206: Teamwork and Technology: Building Bridges Between Primary Care and Hepatology to Diagnose and Treat Hepatitis C
  Mentor: Simona Sofia Jakab, MD
  Presentation: Parallel 30: Hepatology Associates, Monday, November 11th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Advanced Practice Provider Awards is made possible through support from AASLD.

These $1,000 awards recognize outstanding early career basic science researchers submitting abstracts to receive travel support to attend and present their work at The Liver Meeting®.

• Emilien Loeuillard, PhD
  172: Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Facilitate Cholangiocarcinoma Progression by Neutralizing the Effect of Protumor Macrophage Depletion
  Mentor: Sumera Rizvi, MBBS
  Presentation: Parallel 24: Hepatocarcinogenesis, Monday, November 11th
• Gotaro Toda, MD, PhD
  234: Lipopolysaccharide and Insulin in the Hepatic-Portal System Regulate Postprandial Gluconeogenic Gene Expression Through Production of IL-10 Macrophages
  Presentation: Parallel 34: Microbiome and Immunity in Liver Disease, Monday, November 11th
• Huikuan Chu, MD
  29: The Candida Albicans Exotoxin Candidalysin Promotes Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Translational, Tuesday, November 12th
• Jinhang Gao, MD, PhD
  242: P300 Deletion in Liver Endothelial Cell Attenuates Portal Hypertension Via Inhibition of CCL2-Mediated Angiocrine Signaling
  Mentor: Vijay H. Shah, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 36: Portal Hypertension: Experimental and Clinical/Translational, Monday, November 11th
• Junbae Jee, PhD
  231: Gut-Derived Metabolites Promote Cytoprotection to Cholangiocytes and Suppress the Phenotype of Experimental Biliary Atresia
  Mentor: Jorge A. Bezerra, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 34: Microbiome and Immunity in Liver Disease, Monday, November 11th
• Kazuma Sekiba, MD
  23: Hepatitis B Virus Regulatory Protein X-Caused Degradation of SMC5/6 Impairs Host DNA Damage Repair and Promotes Tumorigenesis
  Mentors: Motoyuki Otsuka, MD, PhD and Kazuhiko Koike, MD, PhD
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Basic, Monday, November 11th
• Lucia Barbier Torres, PhD
  286: The Prolyl Isomerase PIN1 Impairs Methionine Adenosyltransferase α1 Mitochondrial Targeting in Alcoholic Liver Disease
  Mentor: Shelly C. Lu, MD
  Presentation: Parallel 43: Mechanistic Advances in Alcoholic Liver Disease, Monday, November 11th
• Marcelle Ribeiro, PhD
  1689: Pro-Inflammatory Extracellular ASC Specks Released Through Pyroptosis Perpetuate Inflammasome Activation in Hepatocytes and Macrophages in Murine and Human Alcoholic Hepatitis
  Presentation: Poster Session III, Sunday, November 10th
• Jessica L. Maiers, PhD
  1441: The UPR Sensors IRE1α, ATF6α, and Perk Regulate Procollagen Production and Secretion in HSC’s Through Distinct Mechanisms
  Presentation: Poster Session III, Sunday, November 10th
• Pedro Miguel Rodrigues, PhD
  260: Obese Patients Carrying NAFLD-Associated Genetic Variants Present Specific Serum and Liver Lipidomic Profiles: Identification of a Lipidomic Signature in Serum to Estimate the Liver Fat Content
  Mentor: Jesus Maria Banales, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 39: Biomarkers and Imaging in Fatty Liver Disease, Monday, November 11th
• Romain Desert, PhD, Pharm D
  1443: Sulfonilation of High-Mobility Group Box-1 Drives Fibrosis Resolution by Reducing the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
  Mentor: Natalia Nieto, PhD, Pharm D
  Presentation: Poster Session III, Sunday, November 10th
• Sayed Obaidullah Aseem, MD, PhD
  257: Cholangiocyte Expression of a Pathological Gene Network that Drives Biliary Fibrosis Depends on Histone 3 Lysine 9 Acetylation by Lysine Acetyltransferase 2A
  Mentor: Robert C. Huebert, MD
  Presentation: Parallel 38: Biliary Pathobiology, Monday, November 11th
• Shuang Wang, PhD
  73: Epigenomic Regulation of Hepatocyte Stellate Cell Responses in Liver Injury
  Mentor: Scott L. Friedman, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 8: Basic Fibrosis Research and Stellate Cell Biology, Sunday, November 10th
• Shuya Zhang, MD, PhD
  76: PKD3 Protects Against Liver Fibrosis Through Inhibiting Alternative Macrophage Activation
  Presentation: Parallel 8: Basic Fibrosis Research and Stellate Cell Biology, Sunday, November 10th
• Takahiro Kodama, MD, PhD
  1983: CRISPR Loss-of-Function Screen Identifies the HIPPO Signaling Pathway as the Mediator of Regorafenib Efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  Presentation: Poster Session IV, Monday November 11th
• Victoria Gadd, PhD221: Recipient Liver Senescence Determines the Success of Human and Mouse Hepatocyte Transplantation
  Presentation: Parallel 32: Liver Transplantation: Challenges and Opportunities, Monday, November 11th
• Xiaohui Wang, PhD284: Mst1 Critically Mediates the Effects of Alcohol-Caused End Organ Damage
  Mentor: Yingzi Yang, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 43: Mechanistic Advances in Alcoholic Liver Disease, Monday, November 11th
• Xiaoqiong Duan, MD, PhD
  987: MicroRNA-130a/ATG5 Regulates HBV Replication Through JAK-STAT Pathway
  Mentors: Raymond T. Chung, MD, FAASLD and Wenyu Lin, PhD
  Presentation: Poster Session II, Saturday, November 9th
• Yang Li, PhD
  75: NLRP3 Inflammasome is Involved in the Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells and Liver Fibrosis
  Mentor: Xu Li, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 8: Basic Fibrosis Research and Stellate Cell Biology, Sunday, November 10th
• Yujia Xia, MD
  232: Platelets Promote Distant Metastasis by Facilitating Neutrophil Extracellular Traps-Capturing of Circulating Tumor Cells after Liver Surgery
  Mentors: Allan Tsung, MD and Hai Huang, MD
  Presentation: Parallel 34: Microbiome and Immunity in Liver Disease, Monday, November 11th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Early Career Investigator Awards in Basic Science is made possible through support from AASLD.

These $1,000 awards enable early career researchers submitting clinical and/or translational abstracts to receive travel support to attend and present their work at The Liver Meeting®.

• Ajeet Singh Bhadoria, MD
  925: Estimating the Proportion of Persons with Chronic HBV Infection Eligible for Hepatitis B Antiviral Treatment Worldwide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
  Mentor: Yvan Hutin, DM
  Presentation: Poster Session II, Saturday, November 9th
• Anna Basile, PhD, MA
  1896: Electronic Health Record Phenotyping Algorithm Identifies Patients with Advanced Fibrosis in a Large Cohort with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
  Mentor: Julia J. Wattacheril, MD, MPH
  Presentation: Poster Session IV, Monday, November 11th
• Arpan Mohanty, MBBS
  243: Can Spectroscopic Markers of Gut Mucosal Micro-Circulation Serve as a Surrogate for Portal Hypertension and Diagnose Cirrhosis?
  Mentors: Hemant Roy, MD and Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 36: Portal Hypertension: Experimental and Clinical/Translational, Monday, November 11th
• Catherine A. Chapin, MD
  139: Oligoclonal CD8+ T-Cell Hepatic Infiltrate in Children With Indeterminate Acute Liver Failure
  Mentor: Estella M. Alonso, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 19: Pediatric Liver Transplantation, Sunday, November 10th
• Daan van Wessel, MD
  69: Genotype-Phenotype Relationships in Patients with Relatively Mild Mutations in ABCB11: Results from the Napped Consortium.
  Mentor: Henkjan J. Verkade, MD, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 7: Translational Research in Pediatric Hepatology
• Giuseppe Cullaro, MD, MAS
  11: Addition of Renal Function Pattern to MELDNA Improves Mortality Prediction Among Non-HCC Liver Transplant Candidates
  Mentor: Jennifer C. Lai, MD
  Presentation: Transplant Plenary II, Sunday, November 10th
• Hiroshi Sakai, MD
  20: Long-Term Liver Allograft Survival After Rapid Immunosuppression Withdrawal in Cynomolgus Monkeys
  Mentor: Adam D. Griesemer, MD
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Basic, Monday, November 11th
• Jason Lau, MSc
  279: A Scoring Method to Identify Patients with Advanced Fibrosis and Low Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Risk After Sustained Virological Response (SVR) in HCV Infection
  Mentor: Jordan Feld, MD, MPH, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 42: Hepatitis C: Comorbidities and Treatment, Monday, November 11th
• Jessica K. Dyson, MBBS, MRCP
  48: Potential Role of Heavy Metals in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Liver Diseases
  Mentor: David E.J. Jones, MD, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 3: Human Cholestatic and Autoimmune Disease, Sunday, November 10th
• Ken Liu, BSc, MBBS, FRACP
  175: Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Utilising Extended Criteria Deceased Donors in Liver Transplantation – An Australian 12-Year Cohort Study
  Presentation: Parallel 25: Liver Transplant: Donor Challenges, Monday, November 11th
• Kuo Du, PhD
  2160: Increased Glutaminolysis Marks Active Scarring in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Progression
  Mentor: Anna Mae Diehl, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Poster Session IV, Monday, November 11th
• Mattias Mandorfer, MD, PhD
  146: Changes in HVPG Predict Hepatic Decompensation in Patients Who Achieved SVR to IFN-Free Therapy
  Mentor: Michael H. Trauner, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 20: Portal Hypertension Clinical 3, Sunday, November 10th
• Michael H. Le, MS
  239: Increasing Prevalence and Association Between Severity of Renal Insufficiency with Mortality in Persons with NAFLD, A United States Population-Based Study
  Mentor: Mindie H. Nguyen, MD, MAS, AGAF, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 35: NAFLD and NASH: Epidemiology and Outcomes, Monday, November 11th
• Mina S. Farag, MD, MSc
  195: Addition of Peginterferon ALFA-2a Increases HBsAg Decline in HBEAG-Negative Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Treated with Long-Term Nucleos(T)ide Analogue Therapy: Results from a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. (PAS Study)
  Mentor: Harry LA Janssen, MD, PhD, MSc, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 28: HBV Therapeutics: Established Agents, Monday, November 11th
• Hye Won Lee, MD, PhD
  930: Incidence and Predictors of Hepatic Decompensation in Cirrhotic Patients Receiving Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B
  Mentor: Vincent Wong, MD
  Presentation: Poster Session II, Saturday, November 9th
• Russell Rosenblatt, MD, MS
  1062: Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus in Hospitalized Patients with Decompensated Cirrhosis is Associated with Increased Risk of Infection in a National Cohort
  Mentor: Brett E. Fortune, MD, MSc
  Presentation: Poster Session II, Saturday, November 9th
• Shunji Nagai, MD, PhD
  225: Six-Month Waiting Rule Lowered Waitlist Mortality/Dropout and Decreased Regional Disparity in Liver Transplant Candidates with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  Presentation: Parallel 33: HCC Treatment Surgical Approaches, Monday, November 11th
• Tatyana Kushner, MD, MSCE
  1891: Lower Prevalence of HSD17B13 NASH Protective Variant Found Among Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
  Presentation: Poster Session IV, Monday, November 11th
• Vincent L. Chen, MD, MS
  1892: Genome-Wide Association Study of Alanine Transaminase and Aspartate Transaminase Identifies Diverse Disease Pathologies and Effects on Metabolic Traits
  Mentor: Elizabeth K. Speliotes, MD, PhD, MPH
  Presentation: Poster Session IV, Monday, November 11th




• Zhenfang Zhang, PhD
  273: Synergistic Suppression of HDV Persistence in Vitro By Co-Treatment with Investigational Drugs Targeting Both Extracellular and Cell Division Mediated Spreading Pathways
  Mentor: Stephan Urban, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 41: HBV Virology, Monday, November 11th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Early Career Investigator Award in Clinical/Translational Science is made possible through an independent grant from Merck.

These $1,500 awards provide travel support to international early career researchers to attend and present their work at The Liver Meeting®.

• Apurva Pande, DM
  145: Efficacy of Carvedilol, Endoscopic Variceal Ligation (EVL) or a Combination for the Prevention of First Variceal Bleed in Child B and C Cirrhosis with High Risk Varices: A Randomized Controlled Trial (NCT03069339)
  Mentor: Shiv Kumar Sarin, DM
  Presentation: Parallel 20: Portal Hypertension Clinical 3, Sunday, November 10th




• Cornelius Engelmann, MD
  17: Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) to Treat Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure (Graft Trial): Interim Analysis of the First Randomised European Multicentre Trial
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Clinical, Monday, November 11th




• Deniz Cansen Kahraman, PhD
  1841: A New Thiadiazine Derivative Induces Oxidative Stress Dependent Cell Death in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Stem Cells
  Mentor: Rengul Cetin-Atalay, MD, PhD
  Presentation: Poster Session III, Sunday, November 10th




• Mohammed Emadeldeen, MSc
  1565: High Success Rates for the Use of Sofosbuvir/Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir+Ribavirin, and Sofosbuvir/Simeprevir/Daclatasvir+Ribavirin in Retreatment of Chronic Hepatitis C After Unsuccessful Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir Therapy: A Real-Life Experience<?em?>
  Mentor: Mohamed El Kassas, MD
  Presentation: Poster Session III, Sunday, November 10th




• Yongyin Li, MD
  271: CXCR5-Expressing CD8+ T Cells Contribute to HBsAG Clearance in Chronic HBV Infection
  Presentation: Parallel 41: HBV Virology, Monday, November 11th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 International Early Career Investigator Awards are made possible through support from AASLD.

This $1,000 is given for the best abstract submitted by a fellow to The Liver Meeting®.

• Tae Gyu Oh, PhD
  25: Novel Gut Microbiome-Derived Signature for Predicting NAFLD-Cirrhosis, and External Validation Using Independent Cohorts from Different Geographic Regions
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Translational, Tuesday, November 12th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Fellow Research Award is made possible through support from AASLD.

These $1,000 travel awards enable liver transplant and/or hepatobiliary surgery fellows submitting abstracts for The Liver Meeting® to receive travel support to attend and present their work.

• Kyle R. Jackson, MD
  177: Who Can Tolerate a DCD Liver? Minimizing Risks of Liver Transplantation with DCD Livers by Matching to Preferred Recipients
  Presentation: Parallel 25: Liver Transplant: Donor Challenges




• Niall Dempster, MBChB
  191: Asymptomatic Cirrhosis is Common in Bariatric Surgical Patients, Associated with Adverse Postoperative Outcomes and can be Better Predicted by Machine Learning Algorithms Rather than Existing Non-Invasive Biomarkers
  Mentor: Jeremy Tomlinson, MB, BCh, PHD, FRCP
  Presentation: Parallel 27: Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto: Machine Learning in Hepatology

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Liver Transplant and/or Hepatobiliary Surgery Fellow Awards are made possible through support from AASLD.

The purpose of this $1,000 award is to foster excellence in pediatric liver disease research. The award is given to a physician/scientist with a primary appointment affiliation in a department of pediatrics.

• Ramesh Kudira, PhD
  68: Hepatic Regulatory T Cell Responses in Biliary Atresia are Controlled by Bile Acids Via Induction of STAT3 and are Linked to Surgical Outcomes of Kasai Portoenterostomy
  Mentor: Alexander G. Miethke, MD
  Presentation: Parallel 7: Translational Research in Pediatric Hepatology, Sunday, November 10th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Pediatric Research Award is made possible through support from AASLD.

The annual award of $3,000 is given to the investigator presenting the most promising PSC research at The Liver Meeting®.

• Omar Y. Mousa, MD
  188: Bile Acid Profiles Predict Hepatic Decompensation in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
  Mentor: Konstantinos N. Lazaridis, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 27: Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto: Machine Learning in Hepatology, Monday, November 11th

AASLD Foundation gratefully acknowledges funding for this award from PSC Partners Seeking a Cure.

The purpose of this $1,000 award is to recognize high quality research undertaken by a resident in training.

• Prowpanga Udompap, MD
  167: High Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Immigrants from Africa with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Minnesota: A Time to Change the Screening Strategy
  Mentor: Mohamed Hassan, MD
  Presentation: Parallel 23: Hepatitis C: Screening and Access to Care, Monday, November 11th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Resident Research Award is made possible through support from AASLD.

This $1,000 award is given to a student who is the primary contributor to the research study in the abstract submitted to The Liver Meeting®.

• Joseph Bednarek, BS
  67: Biliary Atresia (BA) is Associated with Regulatory T Cell (TREG) Abnormalities and TREG Enhancer Therapy Attenuates Disease in Murine BA
  Mentor: Cara Mack, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Parallel 7: Translational Research in Pediatric Hepatology, Sunday, November 10th

AASLD Foundation acknowledges funding for the 2019 Student Research Award is made possible through support from AASLD.

This award is named in recognition of Dr. Leonard B. Seeff’s legacy as a leader in the field of hepatology, his commitment to training future leaders, and his many contributions to both hepatology and AASLD over the past half century. The goal of this $2,500 award is to inspire young investigators to present their research at The Liver Meeting®.

• Tracey Simon, MD, MPH
  16: The Impact of Healthy Lifestyle on the Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cirrhosis-Related Mortality Among US Adults
  Mentor: Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Clinical, Monday, November 11th

This award honors the memory of Dr. Maribel Rodríguez-Torres, a renowned researcher and treater of HCV and pioneer for the latest treatments for HIV-HCV patients. The goal of this $2,500 award is to recognize promising research in Hepatitis C therapy from young investigators residing in Latin America or Spain.

• Dalia Elena Morales Arraez, MD
  574: Mortality and Missed Opportunities of Healthcare Among Patients with Hepatitis C Infection and Suboptimal Diagnosis
  Mentor: Manuel Nicolás Hernández-Guerra de Aguilar, MD, PhD
  Presentation: Poster Session I, Friday, November 8th

Dr. Angulo was an exceptional clinical researcher who earned international prestige for his work on autoimmune and fatty liver disease. The goal of this $2,500 award is to encourage clinical research in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The award will be presented to the young investigator submitting the most promising abstract in clinical research related to NAFLD to The Liver Meeting®.

• Maddie J. Kubiliun, MD, MPH
  235: Effects of High-Risk Genetic Polymorphisms on Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Multi-Ethnic Population
  Presentation: Parallel 35: NAFLD and NASH: Epidemiology and Outcomes, Monday, November 11th

This award honors the life and legacy of Dr. Hamosh, a holocaust survivor and distinguished pediatrics professor at Georgetown University. This $2,500 award is presented to a fellow or junior investigator who submits the most outstanding abstract on hepatocellular carcinoma research for The Liver Meeting®.

• Morgan Preziosi, PhD
  112: LXR Agonism Potentiates Sorafenib Activity in HCC by Inducing metabolic Stress
  Mentor: Kirk Wangensteen, MD, PhD
  Presentation: Parallel 14: HCC Translational and Biomarkers, Sunday, November 10th

These awards, established by Drs. Michael Fried and Beth L. Jonas, are presented in honor of Dr. Fried’s beloved parents, Rosalyn and Leo Fried. These awards provide $2,500 in travel support to (1) one young international researcher, residing in Israel, and (1) young international researcher residing in a WHO Middle Eastern Region country who have submitted a highly meritorious abstract for The Liver Meeting®.

• Ahmed Elgendi, MD
  223: Laparoscopic Versus Open Hepatectomy For Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Randomized Controlled Study
  Presentation: Parallel 33: HCC Treatment Surgical Approaches, Monday, November 11th
• Lena Lapidot, BSc RD, MHA
  1925: The Salivary and Fecal Microbiome Alterations in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
  Mentor: Ziv Ben-Ari, MD
  Presentation: Poster Session IV, Monday, November 11th

Established in 2018, this award honors Dr. Thomas D. Boyer, in recognition of his many contributions to advancing hepatology and to his impact on AASLD’s work. The goal of this $2,500 award is to inspire young investigators to present their research at The Liver Meeting®.

• Enis Kostallari, PhD
  19: PDGF-Induced Inhibition of Autophagy Promotes Both Exosome and Microvesicle Release to Drive Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation in Liver Fibrosis
  Mentor: Vijay H. Shah, MD, FAASLD
  Presentation: Presidential Plenary: Basic, Monday, November 11th