Announcement from Mark Gladwin, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine and Robert Schoen, MD, MPH, Interim Division Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Dr. Ramon Bataller
It gives us great pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Ramon Bataller, M.D., Ph.D., as the Section Chief of Medical Hepatology within the Department of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Ramon comes to us from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he has served as a professor of medicine since 2011.
Ramon’s formative training and development into a respected and internationally-renowned physician-scientist occurred at the famed, pioneering liver unit in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain.
Ramon’s early research examined the mechanisms of liver fibrosis, specifically the role of the renin-angiotensin system. More recently, his research has focused on characterizing molecular targets and determinants of mortality in alcoholic hepatitis. Ramon has identified a role for systemic inflammation and its molecular drivers (CXC chemokines, CCL20, Fn14, osteopontin, p90RSK) in alcoholic hepatitis as well as developing histologic scoring systems to assess patient prognosis. He is the overall PI of a NIH-funded U01 collaborative consortium (InTeam) for translational research on alcoholic hepatitis. InTeam comprises 13 different liver centers with the overall goal to provide a molecular classification of alcoholic hepatitis. Over the last 4 years, InTeam has supported several public health studies in the field of alcoholic liver disease.
Internationally, Ramon has served on the governing board of the European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (EASL), organizing the first postgraduate course entirely devoted to alcoholic liver disease, as well as developing clinical practice guidelines. He was recently appointed as the Chair of the Alcoholic Liver Disease Special Interest Group in the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Ramon serves as co-editor of the premier journal in hepatology €”Journal of Hepatology. Lastly, he has been very active in teaching and educational activities in U.S. academic hospitals and at international conferences.
Clinically, Ramon has over 20 years of experience treating patients with liver diseases. During his time in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (2003-2011) and at UNC-Chapel Hill (2012-2017), he has organized multidisciplinary teams composed of clinicians, nurse-practitioners, nutritionists and psychiatrists to manage patients with liver disease. He has participated actively in the management of critically-ill cirrhotic patients on the transplant waiting list and also patients after transplant.
Ramon’s leadership of the Section of Hepatology is a vital component of the strengthening and expansion of the academic mission of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. He will partner with Paul Monga, Director of the recently constituted Liver Center, to provide a truly multidisciplinary and synergistic program focused on liver pathobiology. Paul and Ramon will work together to recruit MD and PhD investigators performing innovative and cutting-edge translational research in NASH, cirrhosis, fibrosis, regeneration, and inflammation.
From an administrative perspective, Ramon will work to further build a cohesive and integrated environment for the multiple service groups that manage our large patient populations with liver disease, including those who have undergone liver transplantation. Hepatology is a major contributor to the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition’s #6 national ranking by U.S. News and World Report. We eagerly anticipate the benefit to the academic mission and the clinical accomplishment that will undoubtedly accrue under Ramon’s leadership.
Please join us in welcoming Ramon Bataller to the University of Pittsburgh.
