Palliative Hepatology: Past, Present and Future

Nneka N. Ufere, MD MSCE is a transplant hepatologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She received her medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she also served as Chief Medical Resident. She completed her fellowship training in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research is at the intersection of hepatology, transplant, and palliative care, and she is a clinical trialist who develops and tests supportive care interventions aimed at increasing the quality of life, quality of care, and healthcare system empathy for patients with cirrhosis and their families. She has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-author of the 2022 national practice guidance on palliative care in decompensated cirrhosis for the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Her work is currently funded by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the Cambia Health Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She is a recipient of a 2024 Young Physician Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation.