Ronald J Sokol, MD, FAASLD
Biography
Ronald J. Sokol, MD, FAASLD, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado, was the founding Director of the Pediatric Liver Center at CU School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado. Dr. Sokol was the chief of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Children's Hospital Colorado from 2006 to 2022. Dr. Sokol's specific interests are congenital, genetic and metabolic liver diseases of infants and children. His research includes basic, translational and clinical studies and trials centered on the pathogenesis, mechanisms, nutrition and treatment of childhood cholestatic liver diseases. He identified the role of vitamin E malabsorption and deficiency in causing neurologic disease in children with cholestasis and developed and tested an effective oral vitamin E formulation to prevent this deficiency, which is in wide use. In his basic research, he identified the role of oxidative distress and mitochondrial dysfunction in cholestatic liver diseases caused by toxic bile acids, and the role of plant sterols and immune activation in causing parenteral nutrition associated cholestasis in infants and children with intestinal failure. He recognized the need to implement collaborative research networks in order to make significant advances in rare diseases of childhood and has been Chair of the Steering Committee, Executive Committee and Administrative Core of the multi-site NIDDK/NIH funded Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) since its inception in 2002, now in its 23rd year. This Network has made numerous contributions to our understanding of the causes, genetics, pathogenesis, natural history and treatments of 9 rare cholestatic diseases of childhood. Currently, he is the Chief Scientific Officer, Child Health at CU Anschutz Medical Center and Children's Hospital Colorado and Associate Dean for Child Health Research at CU SOM. He is a past President of AASLD and NASPGHAN and has authored over 315 peer-reviewed publications, 130 book chapters, review articles and books and is co-editor of the leading pediatric liver disease textbook, Liver Disease in Children.