Ramon Bataller to Head Hepatology Section within Pitt’s Department of Medicine
By: Jane-Ellen Robinet
The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Medicine has named Dr. Ramon Bataller as section chief of medical hepatology within the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.
An internationally acclaimed physician-scientist and hepatologist specializing in alcoholic liver disease. Bataller had served as a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 2011.
Dr. Bataller has worked for more than 20 years treating patients with liver disease. He began his training at the renowned liver unit in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain (2003-2011). While his early research centered on liver fibrosis, his current research is aimed at determining the molecular targets and the factors affecting mortality in alcoholic hepatitis.
His discoveries include identifying a function for systemic inflammation and its molecular drivers in alcoholic hepatitis. In addition, he has created histologic scoring systems that are used to assess patient prognosis. He is the principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health-funded U01 collaborative consortium (InTeam) that conducts translational research on alcoholic hepatitis.
Dr. Bataller holds leadership positions in key organizations, including serving as chair of the Alcoholic Liver Disease Special Interest Group in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He also is co-editor of the Journal of Hepatology, the discipline’s top academic publication.
He and Dr. Satdarshan (Paul) Singh Monga, director of the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, will partner to create a multidisciplinary program focused on liver pathobiology. In addition, they will seek to recruit other investigators with a solid record of innovative translational research in the areas of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis, regeneration, and inflammation.
The hepatology section plays a major role in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition’s No. 6 national ranking by U.S. News and World Report.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Medicine has named Dr. Ramon Bataller as section chief of medical hepatology within the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.
