2024 Distinguished Awardees
Every year at The Liver Meeting®, AASLD recognizes deserving colleagues for their accomplishments and contributions to the liver community through our Distinguished Awards. These are AASLD’s most prestigious awards. Congratulations to the 2024 Distinguished Awardees!
Distinguished Achievement Award
The Distinguished Achievement Award is given to an individual in honor of his or her sustained scientific contributions to the field of liver disease and the scientific foundations of hepatology. The award honors a sustained contribution rather than a single discovery or major achievement.
2024 Award Recipient
George K. Michalopoulos, MD, Ph.D., FAASLD
Dr. Michalopoulos is Distinguished Professor of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh. He was at the leading edge of the studies associated with the discovery of HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor) and its receptor (c-Met). His research covers molecular events involving growth factor and biomatrix signaling during liver regeneration; the capacity of hepatocytes and cholangiocytes to function as facultative stem cells for each other. He is a member of AASLD since 1985. Awards and distinctions include: Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of NIH/NIAAA; Distinguished Research Award by the American Liver Foundation; Honorary Doctorate from the University of Athens, Greece.
Past Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients
- 2023: Florence Wong, MD, FAASLD
- 2022: Gianfranco Alpini, PhD, FAASLD
- 2021: Raymond F. Schinazi, PhD, FAASLD
- 2020: Russell H. Wiesner, MD, FAASLD
- 2019: Jordi Bruix, MD
- 2018: Arun J. Sanyal, MD, FAASLD
- 2017: Mei-Hwei Chang, MD, FAASLD
- 2016: Scott L. Friedman, MD, FAASLD
- 2015: Charles M. Rice, PhD
- 2014: Jules L. Dienstag, MD
- 2013: Roger Williams, CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCS, FMedSci
- 2012: Anna Mae Diehl, MD
- 2011: Harvey J. Alter, MD
- 2010: Sum-Ping Lee, MD, PhD
- 2009: Nelson Fausto, MD
- 2008: Lawrie W. Powell, MD, PhD
- 2007: Juan Rodes, MD
- 2006: Neil Kaplowitz, MD
- 2005: E Jenny Heathcote, MD
Distinguished Clinician/Educator Mentor Award
The Distinguished Clinician/Educator Mentor Award is given in honor of the sustained service of clinician educators to AASLD or the liver community in general. The award recognizes the skills of outstanding clinicians and educators who have made momentous contributions to hepatology over an extended period.
2024 Award Recipient
Federico Villamil, MD, FAASLD
Federico Villamil, MD trained in Internal Medicine at Hospital Italiano of Buenos Aires, in Hepatology at USC and in Liver Transplantation at University of Pittsburgh. He is Fellow of AASLD, Master of Hepatology of the Argentina (SAHE) and Latin American (ALEH) liver societies and President of FUNDIEH, a non-profit foundation for research and education in liver diseases. Currently he is Chief of Liver Transplantation and of the Hepatology Center at Buenos Aires British Hospital. He was president of ILTS, IASL and Councilor of TTS. In 2005, his group was the first to introduce MELD-Sodium to predict waitlist mortality better than MELD alone.
Past Distinguished Clinician/Educator Mentor Award Recipients
- 2023: Elizabeth Rand, MD
- 2022: Mauricio Lisker-Melman, MD, FAASLD
- 2021: Keith D. Lindor, MD, FAASLD
- 2020: Michael R. Lucey, MD, FAASLD
- 2019: K. Rajender Reddy, MD, FAASLD
- 2018: Patrick S. Kamath, MD
- 2017: Brian J. McMahon, MD, FAASLD
- 2016: T. Jake Liang, MD, FAASLD
- 2015: Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao, MD, FAASLD
- 2014: William M. Lee, MD
- 2013: Arthur J. McCullough, MD
- 2012: Nathan M. (Tony) Bass, MD
- 2011: Ding-Shinn Chen, MD
- 2010: Norman D. Grace, MD
- 2009: Laurie Blendis, MD
- 2008: Albert J. Czaja, MD
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual in honor of his or her sustained service to AASLD or the liver disease community in general. The award recognizes service provided to the community of hepatology researchers and clinicians over an extended period; service that is well above and beyond that provided by many members who serve on the Governing Board and Committees of AASLD.
2024 Award Recipient
Hugo E. Vargas, MD, FAASLD
Dr. Vargas is a Consultant in Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the Transplantation Center in Mayo Clinic Arizona. He is Professor of Medicine in the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, where he is the Director for Research and Associate Director for the MD/PhD program. He is a Fellow of the AASLD, AGA, ACG, ASGE and ACP. He has been active in AASLD and has chaired the Annual Meeting Education Committee, Ethics Committee and co-chaired the AASLD/IDSA HCV group from 2016-18. He also served as Associate Editor for Liver Transplantation. His current clinical and research interests include management of cirrhosis and its complications, and alcohol related liver disease. He has contributed extensively on chronic viral hepatitis and liver transplantation.
Past Distinguished Service Award Recipients
- 2023: Jorge Rakela, MD, FAASLD
- 2022: Michael H Nathanson, MD, PhD, FAASLD
- 2021: John M. Vierling, MD, FACP, FAASLD, AGAF
- 2020: Donald M. Jensen, MD, FAASLD
- 2019: Adrian Reuben, MBBS, FRCP, FACG, FAASLD
- 2018: Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, MD, FACP, FAASLD
- 2017: John R. Senior, MD, FAASLD
- 2016: Gregory J. Gores, MD, FAASLD
- 2015: Elizabeth M Brunt, MD, FAASLD
- 2014: Sherrie H. Cathcart, CAE
- 2013: Frederick J. Suchy, MD
- 2012: Thomas D. Boyer, MD
- 2011: Anna S. Lok, MD
- 2010: Bruce R. Bacon, MD
- 2009: Joseph R. Bloomer, MD
- 2008: Andres T. Blei, MD
- 2007: William F. Balistreri , MD
- 2006: Allan W. Wolkoff , MD
- 2005: Leonard B. Seeff , MD
- 2004: Eugene R. Schiff, MD
- 2003: Paul D. Berk, MD
- 2002: Esteban Mezey, MD
- 2001: Anthony S Tavill, MD
- 2000: Willis C. Maddrey, MD
- 1999: Michael F Sorrell, MD
- 1998: Kamal G. Ishak, MD
- 1997: Steven Schenker, MD
- 1993: Sarah C. Kalser, PhD
- 1991: Carroll M. Leevy, MD
- 1990: Kunio Okuda, MD
- 1989: Herbert Falk, MD
- 1988: Dame Sheila Sherlock, MD, PhD
- 1984: Burton Combes, MD
- 1983: Hans Popper, MD
- 1981: Leon Schiff, MD
Distinguished Advocacy Service Award
The Distinguished Advocacy Service Award is given to an advocacy organization or individual in honor of sustained service to the liver disease community in general. The award recognizes service provided to the hepatology community over an extended period that raises awareness or garners public and federal legislative support and promotes liver health and quality patient care.
2024 Award Recipient
Veronica Miller, PhD
Veronica Miller PhD, Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, directs the Forum for Collaborative Research and its Data & Analysis Center. The Forum applies innovative translational medicine approaches to complex high-prevalence and rare diseases (steatotic/ cholestatic liver diseases, viral infections, ocular diseases) requiring multi-modal approaches to generate solutions. This involves multidisciplinary teams in Public Health, Medicine, Biology, Statistics, Computer Science, Data/Regulatory Science from academia, industry, governments and communities. She has over 145 peer reviewed publications and is committed to passing on Forum principles and learning to the next generation through internships, graduate courses, and talks around the world.
Past Distinguished Advocacy Service Award Recipients
- 2023: Samuel So, MD
- 2022: HoChong Gilles, DNP, FNP-BC
- 2021: Global Liver Institute Founder: Donna R. Cryer, JD
- 2020: Hepatitis B Foundation
Founders: Timothy Block, PhD and Joan Block, RN
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Distinguished Awards
What are the AASLD Distinguished Awards?
Each year, AASLD acknowledges those whose achievements over a sustainable period of time, in the field of hepatology, are significant and warrant recognition.
The Distinguished Awards are comprised of:
- Distinguished Achievement Award
- Distinguished Clinician Educator/Mentor Award
- Distinguished Service Award
- Distinguished Advocacy Service Award
Who selects those receiving a Distinguished Award?
AASLD’s Distinguished Awards Committee reviews and selects the award winners with final approval from the Governing Board, the organization’s highest leadership body.
Who can submit a nomination?
All members of AASLD are eligible and encouraged to submit a nomination. Members may also nominate qualified candidates who are not members of the association.
Can I nominate myself?
Yes! AASLD encourages self-nominations. This allows us to learn about qualified candidates who may not have had the same widespread recognition as others.
How much time does it take to nominate someone (or myself)?
Because AASLD understands how busy members are, the nominations process is done online.
To learn more about each award, go to https://www.aasld.org/distinguished-awards
To submit a peer or self-nomination (self-nominations are allowed), go to: https://aasldprograms.secure-platform.com/site
Who do I contact if I have questions about the nominations process?
Please email governance@aasld.org and our Governance Staff will assist you.
What do I have to provide when nominating someone for an award?
You are asked to provide basic demographic information, at least one letter of recommendation, and an abridged CV of the nominee.
Are Distinguished Awards only given to those who have been active in AASLD for many years?
While involvement in AASLD will be considered, Distinguished Award winners need not be AASLD members.
Are there any specific characteristics that the Distinguished Awards Committee and Governing Board looks for in a nominee?
A Consistent with AASLD’s recognition that the study of liver disease encompasses health care professionals from many backgrounds, we encourage a pool of talented nominees that reflect our richness as a community that includes individual and institutional diversity.
In addition to being presented with the award, is there anything else recipients receive?
Given the high honor of our Distinguished Awards, individuals being recognized will receive:
- Recognition at the Annual Awards Ceremony during The Liver Meeting® in San Diego
- Recognition on the AASLD website and media announcements
- Honorarium of $1,500
- Complimentary registration to the Liver Meeting in 2024
- Two nights hotel accommodation at The Liver Meeting in 2024
- Economy round-trip airfare to The Liver Meeting in 2024.