HEPATOLOGY

As leaders in research and treatment for hepatologic care, Northwestern Medicine Hepatology is relentless in the pursuit of multidisciplinary care, leading-edge research and breakthrough treatments for patients.

Northwestern Medicine has the largest hepatology team in Illinois and one of the largest in the country. The hepatology team provides care to patients at 17 satellite locations throughout the Chicagoland suburbs, North and Central Illinois, and Northwest Indiana, increasing patients’ access to care closer to where they live and work.

The liver disease and transplant program within the Comprehensive Transplant Center at Northwestern University offers a complete range of medical and surgical interventions to treat patients with complex liver disorders, including liver disease management, end-stage disease treatment and liver transplantation.
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We have been recognized for our success  with immunosuppressant agents in reducing post-transplant complications and are one of the few hospitals in the Midwest that perform minimally invasive laparoscopic resections of liver tumors and laparoscopic procedures in patients with cirrhosis. Additionally, Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the first hospitals in Chicago with a dedicated liver cancer clinic.

Refer a Patient

Northwestern Medicine welcomes the opportunity to partner with you in caring for your patients. ​

Our Mission

To improve the lives and longevity of patients with liver disease through providing exceptional clinical care, conducting innovative liver research and training the next generation of liver providers, all within a thriving, collaborative environment.

Leading-Edge Liver Transplant Care

Liver Transplantation

In the Northwestern Medicine Division of Transplantation and at the Comprehensive Transplant Center, we aim to be an international trendsetter. We started a Northwestern Medicine International Transplant Exchange where we exchange ideas, as well as clinical and academic practices, across peer and strategic institutions globally.
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In addition, surgeons at the Northwestern Medicine Organ Transplant Center have performed more than 2,200 liver transplants, building on our expertise to provide better outcomes and treatment to patients. In addition, the Northwestern Medicine African American Transplant Program and the Northwestern Medicine Hispanic Transplant Program offer personalized patient care to address health disparities in transplantation.

The Northwestern Medicine Living Donor Transplant Program

​With the goal of leading in liver transplantation, Northwestern Medicine started the Living Donor Transplant Program. Living donors can significantly improve the access to organs for transplantation. Patients who get a living-donor transplant tend to live longer, have a donated organ that works better and have fewer complications. Through innovation and education, this program aims to impact liver transplantation in Illinois, the U.S. and around the world.

specialty care

Portal Hypertension Clinic
​The Complex Portal Hypertension clinic is a multidisciplinary clinic comprised of Hepatology, Hematology and Interventional Radiology. Our focus is on patients with and without cirrhosis who have issues, including portal vein thrombosis with portal hypertensive complications such as bleeding or enlarging gastrointestinal varices and patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension or spontaneous porto-systemic shunts. We also help manage patients with portal hypertensive complications such as recurrent variceal bleeding, refractory ascites and who may benefit from or have had transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS.)
Hepatology Cancer Care
The Hepatobiliary Tumor Clinic at Northwestern Medicine is a multidisciplinary clinic with several disciplines present simultaneously to serve individual patient needs and expedite the time to initiation of therapy. This weekly clinic is staffed by Hepatology, Interventional Radiology, Oncology, Transplant Surgery, Radiation Oncology and a navigator.  The clinic manages both malignant and symptomatic benign liver lesions. Care in the clinic is complimented by a weekly multidisciplinary conference designed to review imaging and formulate additional treatment decisions based on response.  
Cardiac Clinic
Chronic liver disease can arise secondary to a spectrum of cardiac conditions. The Combined Heart-Liver clinic is designed to deliver care to a diverse array of patients with secondary liver disease ranging from young adult survivors of congenital heart disease to older patients with myriad forms of advanced cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Our providers, Dr. Daniel Ganger, Dr. Dempsey Hughes, and Mary Rouzer NP, follow patients with various care needs from determining initial diagnosis of liver disease to evaluating need for combined heart-liver transplantation.
Wilson’s Disease Care
The Northwestern Medicine Movement Disorders Clinic is one of only seven Centers of Excellence for Wilson’s Disease (Centers of Excellence - Wilson Disease Association) in the United States. Patients coming to our clinic experience a unique care environment where they can see a hepatologist, neurologist, and psychiatrist during the same treatment visit. There is also strong support presence from nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, and social workers throughout their care journey.  
Obesity Management
Northwestern Medicine offers a healthy approach to weight loss with a full spectrum of care designed for each individual patient. Weight management services include both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options and are supervised by a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals. Most importantly, the team takes into account a patient’s comorbidities and works to create a safe weight loss plan. 

meet the team

Northwestern Medicine hepatologists are dedicated to improving the quality of life for their patients, advancing breakthrough treatments and leading-edge clinical trials. Together, they provide comprehensive care for patients to manage liver disorders and resulting complications.

updates from northwestern medicine hepatology

​CONTINUING MEDICAL ​EDUCATION (CME)

Dinner With an Expert - A Virtual CME Series

Northwestern Medicine is offering a virtual CME series to help you stay connected and meet your CME requirements during this unprecedented time. Each webinar is one hour and features Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine or guest faculty. ​