On October 25th 2024, we convened Australia’s first National Symposium on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD, and previously known as Non-Alcoholic 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.

Australians are dying preventable deaths, and we are committed to mobilising action to change this.

This event marked a pivotal first step. Read on to discover the insights shared and the actions proposed during this vital national conversation.

Acknowledging the significant day to day pressures the health sector operates under, 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 aims of the event were to:

• Share knowledge, experiences and potential to leverage cross-disciplinary solutions that can improve consumer experiences and ease individual professional pressures.
• Leverage international research and initiatives as well as the experience and learnings from action regarding other metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
• Identify the national support, resources and investment that are needed to improve the current and forecasted experiences of people with, and at risk of developing, the disease.
• Determine priorities for action, based on need, impact, capacity and appetite.
• Work towards a collective advocacy statement to deliver a shared message to gain national support and investment for systemic change.

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!

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 health experts working in the gastroenterological, hepatological and metabolic health arenas and we were thrilled that global expert Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus joined us online from New York as our keynote presenter.

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.

Scroll down to read the summary report, From Insights to Action, covering the outputs and actions from our inaugural Symposium.

Read the summary report of the outputs and actions arising from our inaugural Symposium – “From Insights to Action“.

Watch Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus’s virtual international keynote from the LiverWELL MASLD Symposium, where he shared groundbreaking research insights on MASLD and related liver conditions.

Visit the Speakers page to see the impressive line-up of experts who shared diverse perspectives and insights, shaping the conversations about the future of MASLD in Australia. A link to each speaker’s slide presentation is contained in their respective Biography description.

Read Professor Lazarus et al.’s article, A Global Action Agenda for Turning the Tide on Fatty Liver Disease, which features contributions from leading experts across the globe.

LiverWELL would like to thank our Symposium steering committee members for their invaluable contributions and guidance:

A/Prof. Paul Gow, Deputy Director of Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant Medicine, Austin Hospital

A/Prof. Jess Howell, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and Gastroenterologist, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne; Co-Head, Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Program, Burnet Institute; Associate Professor, University of Melbourne; Adjunct Senior Research Fellow,  Monash University; Chair, Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) Liver Faculty

Prof. Alexander Thompson, Director of the Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and the University of Melbourne

Jacqui Richmond, Program Manager, Workforce Development and Health Service Delivery, EC Australia, Burnet Institute

Bella Simon, Liver Transplant Recipient, PhD Candidate, Monash University. Focus: Novel Angiotensin II-Directed Therapies for Metabolic-Dysfunction Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH)

Jane Martin, Executive Manager, Food for Health Alliance

Phoebe Van Lambaart (Trinidad), Hepatology CNC, Latrobe Regional Health