Dr. Hoofnagle served as the Director of Liver Disease Research Branch in the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition for 23 years up until his retirement in 2026. He was active in liver disease research for over 50 years and has published more than 500 articles on topics in basic and clinical research on viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, acute liver failure, pediatric liver disease, cirrhosis, autoimmune liver diseases and drug-induced liver disease.

Dr. Carolyn Wester serves as the Director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis within CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. She has over 25 years of public health and clinical research experience focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of viral hepatitis, HIV, and STIs in the U.S. and internationally. In her current role, Dr.

Dr. Fenkel is a Professor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, USA. He is the Director of the Jefferson Viral Hepatitis Center and Associate Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is the current Vice-Chair of the AASLD's Hepatitis C Special Interest Group.

Dr. Michelle Martin is a clinical pharmacist in the Liver Clinic at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health) where she has guided patients through hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment since 2009. Physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners refer all HCV patients to her to manage via her pharmacist-driven HCV management protocol.

Patricia Powell, Ph.D., was appointed Deputy Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in 2017 having served as Acting Deputy Director since 2015. In this role she works closely with NIAAA's Director to set the vision for the Institute and facilitate its implementation in both the extramural and intramural programs. She and the Director work in concert on strategic goals, funding decisions, alignment of priorities and enhancing staff career opportunities. Dr.

Jennifer Onwochei is a Transplant Hepatologist at Northwell Health with a commitment to advancing patient care and medical education. In addition to providing specialized care for patients with complex liver diseases and those undergoing liver transplantation, she has a strong interest in public health, community outreach, and global health initiatives aimed at improving healthcare access and outcomes across diverse populations.

Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Melissa Palmer, MD has been a Hepatologist for over 35 years and is an experienced biotech/pharma executive. She is currently CEO of Liver Consulting LLC, consulting exclusively to biotech and pharmaceutical companies on hepatology-related issues such as: innovative trial designs for all liver diseases including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic hepatitis (MASH), PBC, Hepatitis B and D, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), alcohol- associated liver disease and all aspects of liver disease drug development from pre-IND to NDA.

Dr. Dina Halegoua-De Marzio is a transplant hepatologist and is currently a Professor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowships in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH). She developed the first adult Fatty Liver Center in the Delaware Valley and currently serves as its director. She also serves as the Director of GI Research at TJUH and Associate Chief for the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at TJUH.