• Contact Info
  • Websites
Publications in VIVO
 

Jennifer Lai, MD, MBA

Person

Positions

Location

  • San Francisco, CA

I am a board-certified transplant hepatologist who cares for patients with advanced liver diseases including those seeking and undergoing liver transplant at one of the largest liver transplant centers in the US. But I am a geriatrician at heart; I believe that concepts that are fundamental to geriatrics—such as frailty, cognitive impairment, and palliative care—are equally essential to hepatology. It is this core belief that fuels my passion for integrating aging research principles into the fields of hepatology and liver. I have established a nationally recognized patient-oriented research program investigating the role of frailty on outcomes in patients with cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation. The foundation of my research program is my Functional Assessment in Liver Transplantation (FrAILT) Study, which is the largest cohort worldwide of patients awaiting liver transplantation with comprehensive assessments of frailty and physical function, and has been continuously funded by the NIA through a Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Subspecialists R03 (GEMSSTAR), Paul Beeson Career Development Award (K23), R01 and R21. I am passionate about mentoring early-stage investigators interested in pursuing patient-oriented research careers at the intersection of geriatrics and chronic disease and/or transplantation and/or surgery.

Clinical Disciplines

Beeson awardee GEMSSTAR awardee