Faculty of the GI & Liver Division are actively engaged in clinical and basic research. The primary focuses of the labs are gut and liver injury, animal models, and cell and molecular biology. The Division also participates in cutting-edge clinical research in esophaegal disases, liver transplantation, colonic disease, polyps, colon cancer , inflammatory bowel disease, and alcohol and drug induced liver disease.

Faculty Research:

To learn more about the GI Division’s faculty research, please click the links below.

James Buxbaum, MD: Clinical and endoscopic management of pancreatitis, Gastrointestinal malignancy, and complex biliary disease, Development of
biomarkers for pancreatic and gastric cancer. Narrow band imaging to detect gastric cancer precursors
Lily Dara, MD: Signaling pathways involved in liver cell death and programmed necrosis. Drug induced liver injury. Acetaminophen toxicity and acute liver failure
Laurie DeLeve, MD, PhD: The role of stem cells in recovery from liver injury, the role of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in liver fibrosis, ischemia-reperfusion injury in fatty liver disease, drug-induced liver injury. 
John Donovan, MD: Alcohol liver disease, drug induced liver injury.
Hyosun Helen Han, MD: Liver transplantation, PSC, autoimmune hepatitis, complications of end stage liver disease.
Cheng Ji, PhD: Organelle stress and liver disease, Hepatotoxicity of anti-HIV/HCV Drugs and Alcohol; Tackle Alcohol Intoxication with Nanotechnology;
Jeffrey Kahn, MD: Liver transplantation, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Acute liver failure, Portal hypertension
Neil Kaplowitz, MD: Drug-induced liver disease, Signal transduction, Pathogenesis of alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, Oxidative stress, Glutathione metabolism, ER stress, Mitochondrial biogenesis.
Saro Khemichian, MD: Hepatitis C treatment with current direct acting antivirals, all aspects of liver transplantation, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. Nutritional deficiencies in liver cirrhosis, Sarcopenia.
Brian Kim, MD: Liver transplantation, treatment of hepatitis C virus, acute liver failure, complications of portal hypertension
Surinder Mann, MD: Colonoscopy preps and methods. Capsule endosocopy.
Ara Sahakian, MD: Diagnosis and endoscopic management of complex biliary and pancreatic disorders. Endoscopic ultrasound for evaluation of pancreatic cysts and malignancies. Endoscopic mucosal resection and large colonic polyps. 
Takeshi Saito, MD, PhD: Molecular virology of Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Intrahepatic innate immunity against hepatitis virus, Interferon, and cytokine biology.  Synergism between metabolic liver disease and viral hepatitis.
Anisa Shaker, MD: Epithelial-stromal interactions in GI tract injury, repair, and carcinogenesis; mechanisms of esophageal injury and repair and carcinogenesis; GERD related injury; Barrett’s esophagus; Eosinophilic esophagitis; Esophageal motility disorders
Sarah Sheibani, MD: Health maintenance in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Management of variceal and tumor bleeding
Edy Soffer, MD: Esophageal motility disorders, GERD, eosinophilic esophagitis, Application of electrical stimulation in the gut, Gastroparesis             (including neurostimulator implantation)
Andrew Stolz, MD: Gene regulation by oxidant stress, Clinical interest: drug-induced liver injury, alcoholic hepatitis and NAFLD.
Norah Terrault, MD, MPH: Natural history and interventions in viral hepatitis, NASH and alcohol-associated liver diseases, especially in special populations including liver transplant recipient.
Jacques Van Dam, MD, PhD: Diagnosing and treating patients with pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer.  Advanced endoscopic management of pancreatic cysts, large common bile duct stones, complex biliary strictures, and large colonic polyps.
Liyun Yuan, MD, PhD: Liver transplantation. Complications of cirrhosis. Drug-induced liver injury; Autoimmune hepatitis; Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; Alcoholic liver diseases. 
Thomas Zarchy, MD: Risk profile for colon cancer on sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy;   Demographics and inflammatory bowel disease.  

2022-23 Honors and Awards

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  • Dr. Buxbaum is the Associate Editor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

  • Dr. Lily Dara is on the Education Committee for AASLD Hepatoxicity SIG and became the Vice-Chair for the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. She also presented “ Platform vs Kinase function on RIPK1 in liver injury” at the Gordon Conference on cell death, and “RIPk1 and A20 in liver injury and cell death” at the AASLD Master Class.

  • Dr. Cheng Ji received support from the National Institute of Drug Abuse for his work on Golgi stress in anti-HIV drug and alcohol abuse-induced hepatoxocity.

  • Dr. Brian Kim is part of the ABIM Governance and Maintenance of Certification Committee for AASLD

  • Dr. Jennifer Phan received the USC GI Fellows Teaching Awards

  • Dr. Norah Terrault is the acting president of AASLD

  • Dr. Jacques Van Dam received the ASGE Rudolf Schindler Award.

  • Dr. Sanda Win received the Donal E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Fellowship Award.

Highlighted Publications