LiverWELL’s Symposium Sparks National Conversation to Make MASLD a Public Health Priority

On October 25th 2024, we convened Australia’s first National Symposium on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD, previously known as fatty liver disease) to ignite critical conversations aimed at advancing the MASLD public health agenda in Australia.

MASLD is a significant sub-group of Steatotic Liver Disease (formerly known as Fatty Liver Disease). It affects an estimated 1 in 3 Australians and increases the risk of liver cancer, the fastest growing cause of cancer deaths in Australia.

LiverWELL convened this event to create the space required for clinicians, researchers, public health experts, aligned organisations and consumers to come together to identify how and where we can best tackle this complex issue by harnessing and amplifying our collective expertise. 

The symposium was held at the Greg Craven Centre within the Australian Catholic University’s Fitzroy campus in Melbourne. It was attended by over 60 people, including health experts working in the gastroenterological, hepatological and metabolic health arenas. We were thrilled that global expert Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus joined us online from New York as our keynote presenter, and we heard from a number of Australian experts in presentations and an engaging panel discussion.

This event built on the momentum from the first global liver health policy gathering, held alongside the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September, where international health leaders—including Professor Lazarus—focused on prioritising the public health threat posed by MASLD.

Our discussions drew on leading international research led by Professor Lazarus to identify key priorities within the Australian context:

1. Human and economic burden
2. Models of care
3. Treatment and care
4. Education and awareness
5. Patient and community perspectives
6. Leadership and policies

We were thrilled to receive very positive feedback about the day’s content and format and feel confident that we have ignited a conversation to determine future actions to move the MASLD public health agenda forward in Australia. We are currently in the process of analysing and synthesising key outputs from the day’s discussions to propel this community forward and tackle MASLD head on!

Watch Professor Lazarus’ informative virtual keynote presentation below.