Annual Report 2024
AASLD Foundation was established as an independent organization dedicated solely to advancing the future of liver research and care by investing in the next generation of leaders. As the largest private supporter of hepatology research and career development in the United States, we are committed to funding tomorrow’s liver luminaries, today. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, corporate partners, and the AASLD community, we continue to drive impactful change by advancing liver research, training, and career development opportunities.
In 2024, AASLD Foundation remained steadfast in our mission to bridge the gap between liver disease patients and the care they need by equipping healthcare professionals with essential tools. Our programs connect early-career clinicians, researchers, and providers to resources that spark innovation and foster collaboration. Behind every grant is a story of possibility—whether it’s a physician inspired to pursue a career in hepatology, a researcher uncovering new treatments, or a provider bringing specialized care to underserved communities. Together, we’re building a stronger future of liver health ensuring that those who study and treat liver disease have the support they need to succeed.
This year, we continued to prioritize equity and access. For programs like our Emerging Liver Scholars (ELS) and Emerging Liver Advanced Practice Providers (ELAPP), AASLD Foundation ensures at least 30% of our awards are allocated to individuals from groups underrepresented in medicine or those who trained at minority-serving institutions. These initiatives ensure that the future of hepatology reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. These programs recruit, train, and inspire the next generation of hepatology leaders while addressing critical gaps in access to care.
Every success of AASLD Foundation is fueled by generosity. The continued support from the Liver Leaders Council (LLC), hepatology community, and along with AASLD’s commitment to covering operational costs, has enabled us to direct 100% of every donation to our grant programs.
AASLD Foundation is also deeply honored to recognize the historic $25 million gift to our grant programs from Dr. R. Todd Stravitz and the Barbara Brunckhorst Foundation in 2024, which led to the establishment of the R. Todd Stravitz AASLD Foundation Research Fund. This transformational contribution will help build scientific leadership and discovery at a crucial time in society and nurture talent at all career stages.
We are truly grateful to celebrate the milestones of 2024, including the founding year of our donor society, Club 1950. Through annual contributions of $1,950+, these dedicated donors play a vital role in advancing hepatology through research funding and workforce development. We proudly recognize their lasting impact on the future of liver health.
On behalf of the Foundation, I extend my deepest gratitude to our donors, AASLD members, corporate supporters, and the entire hepatology community. Your unwavering dedication drives innovation, excellence, and hope for patients, bringing us closer to a world free from liver disease.
Kimberly A. Brown, MD, FAASLD
AASLD Foundation Chair
Club 1950 Founding Member
What We Do & How We Fund
☑ Transform the Workforce
We train and equip liver specialists to build a future-ready workforce and ensure patients have access to expert care.
☑ Ignite Discovery
We fund groundbreaking research to advance science, discover new treatments, and improve care for those who need it most.
☑ Recruit Innovators
We invest in the brightest leaders to drive innovation and tackle the greatest challenges in liver health.
☑ Connect the Global Research Community
We foster global collaborations, uniting diverse expertise to advance discoveries and drive scientific excellence.
Who We Fund
☑ Advanced Practice Providers
☑ Early and Mid-Career Investigators
☑Residents
☑ Students
☑ Trainees
At AASLD Foundation, we are committed to financial transparency and responsible stewardship of the contributions gifted to us. In 2024, the Foundation continued to invest in advancing liver disease research and training while maintaining a 4-star charity rating via Charity Navigator.
For a detailed breakdown of our financials please view our 2024 financial statement.
Our Awards Programs Strengthen the Field and Promote Career Development
☑ Stimulating Discovery
Our seven Research Grant Programs foster innovation, career development, and grant readiness for the next generation of students, fellows, and early- to mid-career investigators.
☑ Expanding Access to Care
Our Research & Career Development Awards meet the urgent need for trained specialists by recruiting and equipping top medical talent with the skills and networks needed to thrive in hepatology care.
☑ Building Pathways for Hepatology Health Professionals
The Emerging Liver Scholars (ELS) Program, Emerging Liver APP (ELAPP) and Advanced Transplant Hepatology Awards pave the way for hepatology health professionals by providing trainees and APPs with specialized education, mentorship, and leadership development opportunities to expand and diversify the workforce.
☑ Connecting the Global Research Community
Our Abstract Travel Award program empowers early-career investigators to share high-impact research at major global meetings like The Liver Meeting ®, fostering collaboration and connections within the international liver research community.
2024 Awardees: By the Numbers
☑ Since 2000, the cumulative total amount of funding provided by both AASLD and AASLD Foundation is $63 million to over 2,150 recipients.
☑ In 2024, the Foundation funded $2.6 million to support over 150 early-career clinicians and investigators.
☑ Half of our awardees go on to receive federal funding to continue these projects.
In 2024, we funded over 150 researchers and early career professionals who have committed themselves to hepatology.
AASLD Foundation-funded researchers are investigating critical areas of liver disease, such as:
☑ Adult and Pediatric Liver Cancer
☑ Artificial Intelligence in Hepatology
☑ Autoimmune Hepatitis
☑ Hepatic Encephalopathy
☑ Inherited and Genetic Liver Diseases
☑ MASLD/MASH
☑ Liver Transplantation
☑ Socioeconomic Health Disparities
These studies and the people who are leading them could reduce the impact of liver diseases and improve the lives of patients. To learn more about our awardees and their impact please click here.
Over half of awardees hold leadership roles in AASLD or another medical association.
Highlights from AASLD Foundation Funded Research
View Additional Research Funded in 2024 and Meet the Awardees!
The unwavering generosity of our supporters is the driving force behind our mission. Without your support, both the research that drives progress and the clinicians who translate it into patient care remain unfunded, slowing urgent medical breakthroughs. Our programs not only fund essential research, but also equip clinicians with the tools, training, mentorship, and career development they need to advance the field of hepatology and deliver the highest quality care to patients in need.
Your donation fuels these programs—driving progress in liver disease research and clinician training. Through your shared commitment, we make a lasting impact, empowering the next generation of hepatology experts and advancing groundbreaking discoveries.
Thanks to the invaluable contributions of AASLD members, the patient community, and our corporate supporters, we are leading the charge to transform the future of liver health and move closer to ending liver disease.
Thank You to All of Our Generous Supporters of AASLD Foundation!
Founding Donors
AASLD, AbbVie, Gilead, and Intercept
2024 Liver Leader Council
Club 1950 Founding Members
Founded in 2024, Club 1950 unites AASLD Foundation’s most dedicated supporters as catalysts for progress in hepatology. In its inaugural year, Club 1950 members laid the foundation for lasting impact by funding career development awards, research grants, and mentorship programs that empower the next generation of hepatology professionals. Their annual contributions have expanded opportunities for early-career investigators, accelerated groundbreaking research, and strengthened programs that enhance patient care.
As the cornerstone of sustained innovation in the field, Club 1950 members are shaping the future of hepatology for years to come. To learn more about Club 1950 and to become a Club 1950 annual supporter, please click here.
2024 Leadership Giving Challenge Winners
Liver Transplantation and Surgery SIG Steering Committee
Hepatotoxicity SIG Steering Committee
Practice Metrics Committee
Named Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellow Award Donors
Joseph R. Bloomer Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellow Award
Estate of Joseph R. Bloomer, MD, FAASLD
Kimberly A. Brown Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellow Award
Kimberly A. Brown, MD, FAASLD
Anna S. Lok Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellow Award
Anna S. Lok, MD, FAASLD
Ashwani K. Singal Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellow Award for Research in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease
Ashwani K. Singal, MD, MS, FAASLD
Vinay Sundaram Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Award
Family and Friends of Vinay Sundaram, MD, FAASLD
Named Research Award
Autoimmune Liver Diseases Exploratory Research Award
Anonymous Donor
Frank J. Tusa Pilot Award for Research in Hepatic Encephalopathy
Jacqueline Tusa, PhD
Gupta Family Pilot Award in PSC Research
Lalit and Anubha Gupta Family Foundation
Named Abstract Award Donors
Anna S. Lok Travel Award in HBV Research
Friends of Anna Lok
Arun J. Sanyal Travel Award
Sitaramaraju Yarramraju
Bruce A. Luxon Emerging Liver Scholar Award
Bruce A. Luxon, MD, PhD, FAASLD and Family
Laurence M. Blendis Travel Award
Florence Wong, MD, FAASLD
Northern Lights’ Canadian Legacy Travel Award
Kymberly Watt, MD
Professor C.Y. Kim Travel Award
W. Ray Kim, MD, MBA, FAASLD
Professor Margit Hamosh Memorial Travel Award
Tamar Taddei, MD, FAASLD
Professor Mindie H. Nguyen Travel Award
Diana Cheung, DO & Family,
Yoon Cho, MD,
Akiko Mizuta,
Mindie Nguyen, MD, FAASLD,
Nghia Nguyen, MD & Brittany Yee, MD,
Ritish Patnaik & Shan Wang,
Philip Vutien, MD
PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Travel Award
PSC Partners Seeking a Cure
Rosalyn & Leo Fried Memorial Travel Award
Michael W. Fried, MD, FAASLD
Thomas D. Boyer Travel Award in Portal Hypertension
Peter Teuber, PhD, and Candice Teuber, PharmD
Named Emerging Liver Scholars Award Donors
Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao Emerging Liver Scholar Award
Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao, MD, FAASLD
Raymond T. Chung Emerging Liver Scholar Award
Raymond T. Chung, MD, FAASLD
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-Tamir Diamond, MD, MSTR Early Career Investigator Award in Clinical/Translational Science Research, 2024 |
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-Marisa da Fonseca Ferreira, IMVM, MScR, AFHEA, DipECVIM-CA, MRCVS Early Career Investigator Award in Clinical/Translational Science Research, 2024 |
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"As an APRN in a low-resource area, the training, mentorship, and career development opportunities offered by the AASLD Foundation Emerging Liver Advanced Practice Provider Award (ELAPP) will advance my goal of increasing patient access to high-quality Hepatology care." -Kaitlin Malick-Petschulat, MSN, FNP-BC Emerging Liver Advanced Practice Provider Program, 2023 |
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-Sindhu Pandurangi, MD Advanced/Transplant Hepatology Fellow Award, 2022 |
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-Yael R. Nobel, MD, MS Clinical, Translational, and Outcomes Research Award, 2024 |
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"AASLD Foundation has been tremendous in my career development, supporting me since my pediatrics internship until now as a junior faculty." 
"I am truly grateful to AASLD Foundation for the Early Career Investigator Award in Clinical/Translational Science Research. Attending and presenting at TLM was extremely rewarding, allowing progression in my career by promoting experience in research communication and dissemination, knowledge base, networking, and future research and industry collaborations." 
"My Advanced/Transplant Award and the support from AASLD Foundation as a trainee has played a significant role in my career decisions. AASLD Foundation has given me the support and confidence to ask for opportunities to build my career in academia." 
"As I begin my career, I am deeply grateful to AASLD Foundation for this Clinical, Translational, and Outcomes Research Award, which will provide critical support to allow me to take the next step toward my goal of becoming an independent grant-funded physician-investigator." Past Annual Reports and Financial Statements
For additional information on past annual reports or general questions, please contact foundation@aasld.org.
