The global pandemic has affected patients with liver disease in unexpected ways. At this symposium, faculty review the effects of COVID-19 on the liver and how people with liver disease differ in their responses to COVID-19. They will review the latest data on COVID-19 treatments, COVID-19 prevention strategies including vaccines, and racial disparities revealed by this unprecedented epidemic.

As clinicians, how can we improve patient assessment and decision making as we provide individualized care for hepatology patients? Experienced providers will explore persistent issues and potential solutions at this program, with insights ranging from therapeutic adherence to patients' nutritional needs. Ultimately, this engaging session’s goal is to provide new information, provoke thoughtful discussion and promote innovation.

Worldwide, alcohol abuse contributes to 50% of cirrhosis cases and 27% of liver-related mortality. Abuse of alcohol and other substances compromises all liver disease outcomes. Can better screening and treatment of substance abuse disorders in patients with liver disease improve clinical outcomes? Find out why multidisciplinary approaches between hepatologists and addiction teams is essential to achieve this goal.

What are the public health implications of NAFLD in the U.S. and Europe? This session explores this timely question and more. Faculty will lead an in-depth discussion about societal behaviors that could be targeted to stem the NAFLD epidemic, including improving the obesogenic environment, limiting exposure to disease accelerating factors, and optimizing child health.

The Global Symposium on Hepatitis C Elimination sprang from AASLD’s collaboration with fellow global liver associations and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Explore worldwide progress in the goal to simplify diagnostic and treatment algorithms to achieve a test and cure protocol for HCV. Global experts will share landmark achievements and remaining challenges for HCV's elimination and brainstorm potential solutions.

This workshop explores laboratory-based and clinical research methodologies using alcohol-associated liver disease as a model. Experts will share strategies to identify mechanisms of hepatocyte injury and fibrosis and biomarkers for alcohol-associated injury, and discuss viable techniques for developing prediction models, qualitative research methodologies and how to design clinical trials and endpoints using large demonstrated databases.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly pervasive in our daily lives, including healthcare settings. AI is only beginning to affect how we care for our patients with chronic liver disease, and there are multiple ways to apply the technology that remain unexplored. This symposium focuses on the methodology and application of AI in the clinical practice of hepatology.

The practice of hepatology has undergone profound shifts driven by new pathophysiologic insights which, in many cases, force us to rethink traditional medical dogma. This is also an era of profound progress in diagnostics and therapeutics. This program explores these seismic shifts to allow attendees to re-energize their practices, and embrace new goals and objectives for treating many liver diseases.

This comprehensive program will offer hepatology providers the latest information on diagnosing and managing NAFLD/NASH patients with new therapeutic options. During the second half of the program, expert faculty will review the assessment and treatment of metabolic syndrome, including approaches to assess cardiovascular risk, treatment guidelines for hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and a primer for type-2 diabetes management.

Previous diversity workshops have identified disparities in liver disease and liver transplantation, providing insights on solutions to these disparities. This year’s workshop will serve as a bridge between past discussions to approach solutions. Speakers will delve deeply into ways we can identify and apply appropriate research methods to gather the data necessary to address and improve ongoing health disparities.