Our Team
Institute Leadership
Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.
Institute Director
Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.
Institute Director
Department of Internal Medicine
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Director, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Clinical Expertise: Non-alcoholic liver disease | Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis | Alcoholic hepatitis | Complications of cirrhosis | End-stage liver disease | Hepato-renal syndrome
Juan Pablo (J.P.) Arab, M.D.
Director of Alcohol Sciences
Juan Pablo (J.P.) Arab, M.D.
Director of Alcohol Sciences
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Director of Alcohol Sciences, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Email: JuanPablo.Arab@vcuhealth.org
Saul Karpen, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Saul Karpen, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Chief Scientific Officer, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Email: Saul.Karpen@vcuhealth.org
Richard K. Sterling, M.D.
Chief Clinical Officer
Richard K. Sterling, M.D.
Chief Clinical Officer
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Chief Clinical Officer
R. Todd Stravitz, M.D.
Founding Donor
R. Todd Stravitz, M.D.
Founding Donor
Department of Internal Medicine
Founding Donor, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Clinical Expertise: Acute liver disease | End-stage liver disease
Erica Malkasian, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Erica Malkasian, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Chief Operating Officer
Administrative Staff
Brooke Hayes
Director of Clinical Services
Brooke Hayes
Director of Clinical Services
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Director of Clinical Services, Integration and Operations
Email: Brooke.Hayes@vcuhealth.org
A.J. Hostetler
Communications Director
A.J. Hostetler
Communications Director
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Communications Director
Email: AJ.Hostetler@vcuhealth.org
Danny Mallory
Project Manager
Danny Mallory
Project Manager
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Project Manager, Institute Imaging Core
Email: Danny.Mallory1@vcuhealth.org
Cynthia Mathews
Director of Nursing
Cynthia Mathews
Director of Nursing
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Director of Nursing
Sarah McCall
Project Manager for Administration and Operations
Sarah McCall
Project Manager for Administration and Operations
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Project Manager for Administration and Operations
Alana Saddic
Research Nurse Practitioner
Alana Saddic
Research Nurse Practitioner
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Research Nurse Practitioner
Jennifer Sayne, Ph.D.
Director, Biorepository
Jennifer Sayne, Ph.D.
Director, Biorepository
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Director, Biorepository
Sachit Verma, M.D.
Assistant Director of Research Operations
Sachit Verma, M.D.
Assistant Director of Research Operations
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Assistant Director of Research Operations
Emily Wigginton
Senior Executive Assistant to Institute Director
Emily Wigginton
Senior Executive Assistant to Institute Director
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Senior Executive Assistant to Institute Director
Comprehensive Hepatology
Velimir A. Luketic, M.D.
Velimir A. Luketic, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist
Clinical Expertise: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease | Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis | Alcoholic hepatitis | Complications of cirrhosis | Cholestatic liver diseases | IgG4-associated cholangitis | Autoimmune liver diseases
Richard K. Sterling, M.D.
Chief Clinical Officer
Richard K. Sterling, M.D.
Chief Clinical Officer
Department of Internal Medicine
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Medical Director, HIV-Liver Disease Service
Clinical Expertise: HIV-liver disease | Viral hepatitis | Hepatocellular carcinoma | End-stage liver disease
Transplant Hepatology
Sayed O. Aseem, M.D., Ph.D.
Sayed O. Aseem, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist
Dr. Sayed Obaidullah (Obi) Aseem joined the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Stravitz-Sanyal Liver Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health faculties in 2022. He is a graduate of the NIH-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D./Ph.D. training program) at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Aseem completed his post-graduate training, residency in internal medicine and consecutive fellowships in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His clinical and research interests focus on cholestatic liver diseases. He is conducting basic and translational research studies to understand the mechanisms of biliary fibrosis in cholestatic liver diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis. Specifically, he focuses on unraveling the epigenetic mechanisms and transcriptomic changes that regulate the interactions between different liver cells that ultimately lead to fibrosis. He has published his work in top-tier journals such as Gastroenterology.
Amon Asgharpour, M.D.
Amon Asgharpour, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist
Clinical Expertise: Non-alcoholic liver disease
Jasmohan S. Bajaj, M.D.
Jasmohan S. Bajaj, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist
Clinical Expertise: End-stage liver disease | Complications of cirrhosis | Post-transplant liver disease
Hannah M. Lee, M.D.
Hannah M. Lee, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Co-Director, Liver Tumor Program
Clinical Expertise: Hepatocellular carcinoma | Hepatitis B | End-stage liver disease
Scott C. Matherly, M.D.
Scott C. Matherly, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Medical Director, Digestive Health Service
Clinical Expertise: End-stage liver disease | Hepatocellular carcinoma
Vaishali B. Patel, M.D.
Vaishali B. Patel, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist
Clinical Expertise: Cirrhosis | Hepatitis | Liver transplantation
Mohammad S. Siddiqui, M.D.
Mohammad S. Siddiqui, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist
Clinical Expertise: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease | Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis | Complications of cirrhosis | End-stage liver disease | Post-transplant liver disease | Metabolic syndrome
Joel Wedd, M.D.
Joel Wedd, M.D.
Institute for Liver Disease & Metabolic Health
Medical Director, Liver Transplant
Clinical Expertise: End-stage liver disease | Hepatocellular carcinoma
Transplant Surgery
David A Bruno, M.D.
Adrian Cotterell, M.D.
Aamir Khan, MBBS
Vinay Kumaran, M.D.
Vinay Kumaran, M.D.
Department of Surgery
Professor, Department of Surgery
Surgical Director, Living Donor Transplantation
Clinical Expertise: Hepatobiliary cancer | Hepatobiliary transplant
Seung Duk Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
Marlon F. Levy, M.D.
Marlon F. Levy, M.D.
Department of Surgery
Professor, Department of Surgery
Chair, Division of Transplant Surgery
Director, VCU Hume-Lee Transplant Center
Clinical Expertise: Transplant surgery | Pediatric transplant surgery
Amit Sharma, M.D.
Amit Sharma, M.D.
Department of Surgery
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Surgical Director, Hepatobiliary Services
Clinical Expertise: Transplant surgery
Comprehensive Hepatology Advanced Practice Providers
- Shawn W. Lewis, AGPCNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Reena Cherian, FNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Gillian Hepburn, PA, Physician Assistant
- Leah Blatzer, FNP-BC
- Heather Lewis, FNP-C
Transplant APP
- McKenzie Gray, FNP-C