President's Welcome & President's Choice Lecture: The Two Most Important Days—Finding Lasting Happiness and Purpose in Hepatology, A Look Back in the Rearview Mirror and a Glimpse Ahead
The last 75 years have witnessed a number of landmark developments and discoveries in hepatology. These include the founding of the AASLD, the first successful liver transplantation, the awarding of the Nobel Prize for brilliant work on hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and the emergence of the dominant chronic liver disease globally, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The big stories playing out now include artificial intelligence, the gut microbiome, CRISPR and gene editing, and messenger RNA. This presentation will reflect on the impressive growth in the field of hepatology and explore how hepatologists can eminently succeed, and even flourish, in the face of these rapid changes by incorporating grit and embracing the 4 tenets of happiness.