Academic Debate

Don’t miss the must-attend popular Academic Debate at The Liver Meeting®—where rising hepatology fellows-in-training face off in a lively, evidence-based exchange on a critical and controversial topic within hepatology. Watch selected teams debate, deliberate, and present compelling perspectives on this year’s selected topic: Use of Machine Perfusion and Living Donor Grafts for Adults Awaiting Liver Transplant. Teams are asked to answer, “Is there a role for living donor liver transplant in adult patients in the age of machine perfusion?” 

Applications are now open to participate in the 2025 Academic Debate at The Liver Meeting this November in Washington, D.C. Showcase your expertise, engage in a spirited discussion, and contribute to the future of liver disease. Only one application per team is needed, and it must be submitted by Friday, Aug. 29.  

Start Your Application

• Submit one (1) online application per team by Friday, Aug. 29.

• Two (2) Fellows-in-Training with at least one (1) fellow in a Transplant Hepatology fellowship, including traditional fourth-year fellows and/or GI/TH dual certification fellows.
• One (1) Faculty Mentor who will serve as the onsite mentor (on stage) with the fellows and serve as primary contact.
• AASLD will not accept applications from institutions that participated in the Academic Debate in 2023 and 2024. Past Academic Debate institutions include:
  • UT Southwestern (2024)
  • Montefiore Medical Center (2023)
  • University California Los Angeles (2023)
• Selected teams and participants must attend the Academic Debate in person on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 3:45-4:45 p.m. EST.

Congratulations to Ashwini Arvind, MBBS, and Mohammad Amin Fallahzadeh, MD, MPH, of UT Southwestern for their winning debate on HCC screening. Their strong arguments and clinical insights stood out in a competitive and thought-provoking debate.