Richmond Magazine lists five Institute hepatologists among its 2025 Top Docs
Five renowned hepatology specialists with the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health are among those named to Richmond Magazine’s annual “Top Docs” issue.
They join the more than 200 VCU Health physicians honored on the list of 440-plus Richmond-area medical professionals selected by their peers using a Richmond Magazine online survey. On the hepatology list for 2025 are the institute’s director, Arun Sanyal, M.D., and its chief clinical officer, Richard Sterling, M.D., professor and medical director of the HIV-Liver Disease Service.
Sanyal, a physician whose research focuses on steatotic liver disease as well as complications of end-stage liver disease, is the world’s No. 2 specialist in liver diseases, according to ScholarGPS, which ranks researchers and their publications based on productivity, impact and quality.
In the early 2000s, Sterling developed the FIB-4 index, now considered the gold standard used around the world as the initial screening test for most liver diseases. The FIB-4 is a simple, non-invasive method recommended by liver, gastroenterology and endocrinology medical societies as a first-line test to screen for liver fibrosis.
"Having hundreds of our providers featured on Richmond Magazine’s Top Docs list demonstrates their unending dedication to the individual needs of our patients,” said Marlon Levy, M.D, senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health. “Hospitals and health care systems serve as a cornerstone for communities, so it is truly an honor to receive this recognition – by our community – for our team’s tireless work to preserve and restore the health of each person who comes into our care.”
The Institute’s other honored hepatologists are: M. Shadab Siddiqui, M.D., a professor of medicine and physician-researcher; Joel Wedd, M.D., medical director of liver transplantation; and Scott Matherly, M.D., an associate professor and medical director for the VCU Health Digestive Health Service.
Sanyal, Sterling, Siddiqui and Matherly were recognized in last year’s “Top Docs” list. The VCU gastroenterology-hepatology program is ranked 11th in the world and fourth in the United States by U.S. News and World Report.
The VCU Health providers named to this year's Top Docs oversee the care of patients all across the academic health system, including Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, VCU Hume-Lee Transplant Center and VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, in addition to the liver institute.
This special recognition highlights the compassionate care provided by VCU health care professionals as well as the innovative technology and inclusive approaches they use to treat patients.