2025 Research & 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.
Pinnacle Research Award in Liver Diseases
Jaspreet S. Sandhu, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Title: In Vivo CRISPR Screens at Scale: Dissecting Steatosis Across Metabolic Contexts
Mentor: Jonathan Weissman, PhD
Haiguang Wang, PhD
University of Minnesota
Project Title: Physiological Microbial Exposure and Insulin Receptor in Tfh cells Fortify Intestinal Immunity Against MASH
Mentor: Xavier Revelo, PhD
Clinical, Translational, and Outcomes Research Award in Liver Diseases
Joseph C. Ahn, MD, MS
Mayo Clinic
Project Title: AI-Driven Synthetic Data Generation for Enhanced Prognostic Modeling and Clinical Trial Design in Alcohol-associated Hepatitis
Mentor: Vijay H. Shah, MD, FAASLD
Pilot Research Award in Liver Diseases
Lin Jia, PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas
Project Title: The protective role of vagus nerve stimulation in alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats
Mentor: Mack Mitchell, MD, FAASLD
Michael D. Thompson, MD, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis
Project Title: Maternal Diet Modifies Susceptibility to Biliary Atresia in Offspring
Mentor: Nicholas Davidson, MD, DSc, AGAF
Gupta Family Pilot Award in PSC Research
Burcin Özdirik, MD
University of California, San Diego
Project Title: The impact of specific bacterial virulence factors on primary sclerosing cholangitis
Mentor: Bernd Schnabl, MD, FAASLD
The 2025 Gupta Family Pilot Research Award is made possible through the Gupta Family Research Fund and donors to the AASLD Foundation.
Frank J. Tusa Pilot Award for Research in Hepatic Encephalopathy
Adam Buckholz, MD, MS
Weill Cornell
Project Title: Melatonin to Improve Sleep Physiology and Cognition in Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Crossover Study
Mentor: Robert Brown, MD, MPH, FAASLD
The 2025 Frank J. Tusa Pilot Award for Research in Hepatic Encephalopathy is made possible through a generous contribution given to establish this award and unrestricted donations from AASLD Foundation donors.
