Yijia Li, James Regan, Jesse Fajnzylber, Kendyll Coxen, Heather Corry, Colline Wong, Alexandra Rosenthal, Caroline Atyeo, Stephanie Fischinger, Elizabeth Gillespie, Rida Chishti, Lindsey Baden, Xu G Yu, Galit Alter, Arthur Kim, Jonathan Z Li – 16 November 2020 – Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is associated with adverse outcomes, including need for invasive mechanical ventilation and death in people with risk factors. Liver enzyme elevation is commonly seen in this group, but its clinical significance remains elusive.

Join this Practice Guidelines Session to hear experts highlight new recommendations and controversial issues in four new AASLD Guidelines and Guidances developed in 2019-2020. Presenters will be the lead authors of the Guidelines on Autoimmune Hepatitis; Women's Reproductive Health; Ascites and Kidney Injury in Cirrhosis; and Vascular Liver Disorders, Portal Vein Thrombosis and Procedural Bleeding in Patients with Liver Disease.

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.

New advances in management of liver disease during pregnancy present exciting opportunities and challenges for hepatologists co-managing this patient population. This session will provide key management updates on pertinent topics in pregnancy and liver disease, including a panel discussion of challenging cases in pregnancy, and highlight relevant recommendations from the upcoming AASLD Reproductive Health Guidance document.

Explore timely topics in liver disease in a lively debate format as pediatric and adult/general hepatology trainees and practicing hepatologists tackle important, often controversial issues. Debaters will gain skills in critical thinking, balanced argumentation and factual examination of each issue's pros and cons. Debaters, judges and audience members will grapple with opposing scientific, societal, individual and financial viewpoints on current clinical concerns. 

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia vs Children's Hospital Colorado 

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.