Four-Week Session
Rotation Coordinator:
Theo Heller, M.D.
Rotation Description
Students will become part of a team consisting of clinical fellows and senior investigators following patients on liver disease protocols. Students will participate with the consult team on inpatient units and in outpatient clinics, and students will be expected to complete a workup and presentation of several assigned patients each week as well as participate in daily liver disease rounds. Students will have an opportunity to learn about different liver problems through the consult service, inpatient units and outpatient clinics.
Students will be expected to participate in the observation of liver imaging studies, liver biopsies, and in the review of liver biopsy specimens with the consult team and to attend ongoing liver disease clinical rounds, NIH Clinical Center Grand Rounds seminars, pathology conferences related to liver diseases under study, and various liver related lectures.
The central clinical research interest of the Liver Diseases Branch is viral hepatitis. Ongoing research also involves studies of acute and chronic hepatitis C virus. The branch is interested in developing new therapies for hepatitis C, understanding the mechanism(s) of action of current treatments of hepatitis C, and the genetic and immunological components of liver diseases. Other areas of interest include hepatitis D, hepatitis B, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis.
Students will experience unique manifestations of liver disease through ongoing collaborations with other institutes and branches where liver disease complicates the primary diagnosis such as in Turners Syndrome, Sickle Cell Anemia, Chronic Granulomatous Disease, Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis, as well as in stem cell transplant patients, HIV patients and others.
Rotation Objectives
- Gain clinical exposure to patients with various liver diseases.
- Observe liver imaging studies, liver biopsies and review of liver biopsy specimens with the Hepatology fellows and attendings
- Attend liver disease clinical rounds, Clinical Center grand rounds, pathology conferences related to liver diseases, and various liver related lectures.
- Complete a workup and presentation of several assigned patients each week and participation in daily liver disease rounds.
Selection of Applicants
One student will be selected for each four-week period when this elective is offered.
Clinical Faculty
NIDDK Liver Diseases Branch Staff