Pursuing a Career in Hepatology: Considerations for Gastroenterology Fellows

Like many fields within the practice of medicine, transplant hepatology (TH) has undergone incredible growth and change over the course of the past half a century. Through the work of thousands of researchers, clinicians, and patients, the discipline has evolved to take its position at a critical crossroads between general gastroenterology (GI) and multiple medical and surgical subspecialties. In addition to medical complexity, TH has an additional component of societal ethics in regard to precious resource utilization and stewardship. There is little doubt that transplant hepatologists will play an increasingly more pivotal role in the next few decades as hepatitis C and alcohol-related chronic liver disease yields to the tsunami that is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease as the leading causes of cirrhosis and liver-related morbidity and mortality. Passionate clinicians and pioneers in research are essential to fill a burgeoning need in our country while advocating for our highest risk patients