Transplant Hepatology Fellowship

ACGME Transplant Hepatology Fellowship

The Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Training Program at the University of California, San Diego is a one-year intensive clinical training program completed either during a three-year Gastroenterology Training Program or as a stand-alone fourth year program. The program complies with all ACGME and ABIM requirements for board eligibility in Transplant Hepatology and OPTN/UNOS eligibility to work as a primary liver transplant physician.

The mission of the hepatology fellowship is to develop outstanding, compassionate clinicians, educators, and researchers who go on to become leaders in the field of transplant hepatology. As part of a public institution which serves a large urban and rural population in Southern California, our fellows will deliver exceptional care to a diverse community enriched with patients of many socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

UCSD Liver Transplant Program

UCSD Liver Transplant (Liver Transplant | UC San Diego Health (ucsd.edu)) is a growing program with 148 livers transplanted in 2023. While taking on some of the most medically complex cases, UCSD is ranked in the top 10 for 3-year survival rates among all liver transplant programs. We have been able to decrease our Medial Meld at Transplant (MMAT) to as low as 23 through the use of an array of organ preservation methods which include: Normothermic Machine Perfusion, Normothermic Regional Perfusion, and Advanced Cold Storage. Our patients are currently being transplanted at some of the shortest wait times in the nation.

In addition to standard deceased donor and simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation, UCSD offers living donor liver transplant, HIV-HIV transplant, and multiorgan transplant (including combined heart-liver and congenital heart-liver, lung-liver, and heart-liver-kidney).

The exponential growth of our transplant program in recent years could not have been accomplished without an incredible team. Our hepatologists, transplant surgeons, RN coordinators, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, pharmacist, and social workers embody the spirit of collegiality and collaboration.

 Clinical training

Primary site: UC San Diego Health has once again secured the No. 1 ranking in San Diego, according to the 2024-2025 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” survey, and has also received “Honor Roll” designation, a distinction awarded to only 20 hospitals in the nation for exceptional patient care.

Inpatient care: Hepatology fellows provide consultative care for general hepatology and transplant hepatology patients, and play a key role on the surgical liver transplant primary service. Fellows are leaders on the consult team, which can include GI fellows, residents and medical students. Fellows also work closely with surgical APPs and surgical residents and help communicate with the larger outpatient transplant team to make sure patients have safe hospital transitions.

Ambulatory care: Fellows will be exposed to a variety of transplant and general hepatology clinics to ensure broad exposure to common and rare diseases. Core clinics include transplant evaluation clinic, fresh post-transplant clinic (0-12 months post-transplant), long term post-transplant clinic, multidisciplinary hepatocellular carcinoma clinic and general hepatology clinic. The fellow will have one half day of continuity clinic each week on both inpatient and outpatient rotations. Optional elective clinics will include addiction medicine, alcohol associated liver disease clinic and congenital heart/liver clinic.

Procedures:

Liver biopsies: the fellow will be able to reach competency in performing liver biopsies. Each fellow will perform no less than 20 percutaneous liver biopsies.

Endoscopy: fellows will participate in a half day of endoscopy with a hepatologist. These sessions are enriched for esophageal varices and other portal hypertensive complications. During inpatient months, fellows will perform as-needed hemostasis and general cases for patients on the hepatology consult service.

Liver transplantation: fellows will observe 3 liver transplants and one donor surgery. Fellows will have the opportunity to learn about machine perfusion from both the surgeons and perfusionists during cases.

Scholarly Activity:

Research: UCSD offers a large portfolio of research interests and very motivated mentors for any fellow who is interested in honing their investigative skills. The UCSD MASLD research center is one of the most well-funded clinical and translational research programs at our institution. The fatty liver group is conducting cutting edge research in all aspects of MASLD including noninvasive biomarkers, genetics, epidemiology, OMICs, and clinical trial design. Our multidisciplinary cancer group is investigating novel imaging approaches to hepatocellular cancer surveillance and post treatment follow up. Our surgical group is a leader in machine perfusion and organ preservation.

Quality improvement: fellows participate in monthly liver transplant quality improvement conferences and typically participate in at least one transplant or general hepatology quality project during the year. Motivated fellows have access to quality improvement training.

Leadership and Teaching

The fellowship emphasizes the development of leadership skills with opportunities to lead inpatient and outpatient clinical teams and research teams. Because of the unique multidisciplinary aspects of transplant care, we emphasize the skills needed to build a professional and collaborative environment that supports trainees, other medical specialties as well as nurses, advanced practice practitioners, pharmacists, nutritionists and social workers. 

JEDI

The transplant department is fostering an environment that is inclusive and equity aware. Transplant leadership instituted an Implicit Bias Learning Series which is often focused on issues related to liver transplantation. Our faculty are actively investigating associations between social determinants of health and disease prevalence and staging in metabolic associated steatotic liver disease, barriers to HCC screening for underserved populations, and social determinants of health and their impact on the transplant referral process.

Wellness and Fun

UCSD provides all fellows access to high quality mental health and coaching services. UCSD Liver Transplant provides ad hoc and formal debrief sessions for difficult patient losses which impact the individual or the team as a whole. The UCSD Liver Transplant family is also all about team building and fun: all transplant beach day, the Liver Walk and picnic, Padres games, happy hours and dinners at local restaurants, book club, spa/pool days amongst others.

Applicants interested in applying will need to apply through the AASLD Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Application System.

Application Requirements & Timeline

Next available open slot: July 2025

Applications can be submitted January 24, 2025 through March 14, 2025.

Program does not sponsor J1 or H1b visas.

Applications must contain the following documentation:

• Common application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Statement
• Minimum three letters of recommendation (GI program director, attending physicians)
• MSPE
• USMLE board scores (Steps 1, 2, 3)
• Photograph

Faculty

Faculty associated with the program:

• Irine Vodkin, MD is the Program Director of the Transplant Hepatology fellowship program. Dr. Vodkin is board certified in transplant hepatology and has been recognized by the GI fellows as an outstanding hepatology clinical teacher.
• Rohit Loomba, MD, MHSc is the Director of Hepatology and a renowned expert in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the recipient of several research grants.
• Veeral Ajmera, MD, MAS is Director of Transplant Hepatology and performs clinical research in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. He is the recipient of multiple research grants and awards as an early career investigator in hepatology. He also has published research on the topics of viral hepatitis and acute liver failure.
• Yuko Kono, MD is a hepatologist with research expertise in contrast enhanced ultrasonography of the liver and clinical expertise in hepatocellular carcinoma. Dr. Kono directs the weekly Liver Cancer Group (LCG) meetings. Dr. Kono also performs the bulk of outpatient liver biopsies and will be vital to this aspect of the fellow's education.
• Pranab Barnam, MD is an experienced transplant hepatologist with specializes in liver disease (hepatology) and transplantation. He treats patients with liver cancer, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis. His research interests include disparities in access to hepatology care and post-transplant outcomes.

In addition to hepatology faculty, other physicians who will play an integral role in the training program:

• Claude Sirlin, MD and Cynthia Santillan, MD are diagnostic radiologists who specialize in hepatobiliary imaging and both review imaging studies for the weekly Liver Cancer Group conference. Dr. Sirlin is also a recipient of NIH grant funding to support clinical research in hepatobiliary imaging.

Contact Us

Contact the program coordinator for more information.