Sterling, Kirkman win VCU faculty honors
The institute’s chief clinical officer, Richard Sterling, M.D., and director of exercise physiology and metabolic health, Danielle Kirkman, Ph.D., were awarded faculty honors by VCU.
Sterling was honored with the University Award of Excellence, the university’s highest faculty honor, given for superior teaching, scholarship and service. As associate chair for research for the Department of Internal Medicine and chief of hepatology, Sterling has helped transform how clinicians worldwide assess liver fibrosis. He led the groundbreaking development 20 years ago of the Fibrosis-4 Index, a formula used to help estimate the probability of advanced liver fibrosis. Millions of patients have benefited from FIB-4, and it is considered one of the most important advances in non-invasive liver disease assessment.
“Over more than three decades at VCU, Dr. Sterling has established himself as an internationally respected physician-scientist, visionary academic leader and transformational educator whose work has advanced the university’s mission and significantly improved the lives of patients worldwide,” said Stephen L. Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine and VCU Health System interim executive vice president for medical affairs.
Kirkman, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, was given a National/International Recognition award for her scholarship that has earned acclaim across borders and disciplines through groundbreaking research, global partnerships and leadership.
At the SSI, Dr. Kirkman oversees the comprehensive exercise rehabilitation program for patients with liver disease and liver transplant recipients. She also provides support for investigators interested in integrating physical activity, exercise and/or applied physiology assessments into their research. Watch a video about the rehab center in the AOP 9 clinic.