Date: Friday, 25th October
Time: 9am – 5pm (Registrations open from 8.30am)
Venue: Greg Craven Centre, Australian Catholic University
Level 7, St Teresa of Kolkata Building, 115b Victoria Parade, Fitzroy
Details: This is a free, invite-only event and will be held in person.
Making MASLD an Australian Public Health Priority
The first Australian National Symposium on Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) represents a crucial opportunity to drive collective action to make this increasing public health issue a national priority.
Of the estimated 1 in 3 Australians with MASLD, there is a human experience associated with each one. The impact of ballooning rates of MASLD are reflected in significant increases in presentations of more advanced liver disease and liver cancer.
Join a global conversation
This exclusive, invite-only event offers you the chance to join a truly global conversation. It builds on the momentum of the first global liver health policy event that will be held alongside the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this September, where international health leaders, including our Keynote presenter Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus, will explore how to prioritise the global public health threat posed by MASLD and MASH.
You will have the unique opportunity to hear directly from Professor Lazarus, Head of Public Health Liver Group, ISGlobal; Professor of Global Health, CUNY SPH; and Chair of the Healthy Livers Healthy Lives Coalition. His groundbreaking international consensus work will form the basis and structure of our inaugural Symposium and his invaluable insights will shape the discussions and outcomes of this crucial gathering.
Aims
Acknowledging the significant day to day pressures the health sector operates under, LiverWELL is convening this event to create the space required for clinicians, researchers, public health experts and consumers to identify how and where we can best tackle this complex issue by harnessing and amplifying our collective expertise.
The event aims are 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.
Confirmed Speakers
Jeffrey V. Lazarus (PhD, MIH, MA) is a Professor of Global Health at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Policy. He also holds positions as a research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, where he leads the health systems research team, and as an…
Jeffrey V. Lazarus (PhD, MIH, MA) is a Professor of Global Health at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Policy. He also holds positions as a research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, where he leads the health systems research team, and as an affiliated professor at the University of Copenhagen WHO collaborating centre on patient perspectives on medicine.
His decade-long career as health systems, HIV, and viral hepatitis expert at WHO Europe was followed by three years (2009-2012) as a senior specialist at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, three years as director of Health Systems Global (2012-15) then board chair of the foundation AFEW International (2015-18).
Prof Lazarus is the chair of the Healthy Livers, Health Lives coalition, formed by AASLD, ALEH, APASL. EASL and SOLDA and he is on the leadership committee of the Global NASH Council. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) of 10 active projects and trials and is the author of more than 400 publications.
His work includes leading the NAFLD public health consensus statement (Nature Reviews GastroHep 2021), the new fatty liver disease nomenclature, published in 3 society journals (2023), the global research (J Hepatology 2023) and action priorities (Hepatology 2023), the expert recommendation on NAFLD models of care (Nature Reviews GastroHep 2021), the fatty liver disease-Sustainable Development Goals score (Hepatology 2023), and the Global COVID-19 Consensus Statement (Nature 2022), and he is a co-author of the EASL NAFLD patient guideline (JHEP Reports 2021) and the Lancet GastroHep Commission on Viral Hepatitis (2024).
He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Hepatology and Liver International. In 2023, he co-chaired the EASL SLD Summit and the Liver Connect NAFLD Summit. In 2017, he was a recipient of The Economist Intelligence Unit Change Maker award, given in recognition of significant contributions to the global elimination of hepatitis C, and in 2023 the American Liver Foundation Distinguished Scientific Achievement award.
Professor Stuart Roberts is a Senior Consultant Gastroenterologist and Head of Hepatology at The Alfred, and past Chair of the GESA-Liver Faculty Clinical Research Network. His main clinical research interests include MASLD, autoimmune hepatitis, viral hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dr. George is an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Senior Research Fellow in Nutrition and Dietetics at Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN). Ranked among the top 0.6% of researchers globally and the #1 Australian Dietitian in fatty liver disease, she is also in the top 2% worldwide for nutrition therapy…
Dr. George is an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Senior Research Fellow in Nutrition and Dietetics at Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN). Ranked among the top 0.6% of researchers globally and the #1 Australian Dietitian in fatty liver disease, she is also in the top 2% worldwide for nutrition therapy and the Mediterranean diet. Her research focuses on the practical application of dietary patterns for preventing and managing chronic diseases such as metabolic liver disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
With over 10 years of experience in clinical research and private practice, Dr. George’s work emphasizes translating research into practice, especially through evidence-based lifestyle management. She also aims to address healthcare workforce limitations by developing simple, protocolized dietary interventions that can be implemented by other professionals. Her internationally recognized research includes sociocultural adaptations of diets for multicultural groups, pioneering improved dietary interventions for chronic disease prevention and management.
Associate Professor Paul Gow has spent the last 30 years involved in various aspects of liver health and disease, as a Gastroenterologist and Liver Transplant Specialist at the Austin Hospital and in private practice. He investigates and treats all gastroenterological disorders and has particular interest in liver disease (viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease and auto-immune…
Associate Professor Paul Gow has spent the last 30 years involved in various aspects of liver health and disease, as a Gastroenterologist and Liver Transplant Specialist at the Austin Hospital and in private practice. He investigates and treats all gastroenterological disorders and has particular interest in liver disease (viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease and auto-immune liver diseases).
Paul has published over 170 peer-reviewed research articles and supervised numerous PhD projects. He authored the book Liver Better Life, which debunks misconceptions about liver health and offers practical advice. Paul is dedicated to excellence in patient-centered care.
Professor Adams (MBBS, FRACP, PhD) is a Consultant Hepatologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and lead of the Liver Research Group in the Medical School, University of Western Australia (UWA). His research interests focus on clinical and translational aspects of MAFLD and non-invasive assessment of liver disease where he has >200 research publications.
He…
Professor Adams (MBBS, FRACP, PhD) is a Consultant Hepatologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and lead of the Liver Research Group in the Medical School, University of Western Australia (UWA). His research interests focus on clinical and translational aspects of MAFLD and non-invasive assessment of liver disease where he has >200 research publications.
He is currently leading two national MRFF funded clinical trials to optimize the detection of advanced liver disease in primary care. He is chair of the GESA consensus steering committee for the assessment of fatty liver disease in primary care, and has served on numerous journal editorial boards, faculties and committees within GESA, the Australian Diabetes Society, Cancer Council Australia, the American Gastroenterology Association and American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.
Jane has worked in public health advocacy and policy since the mid-1980s covering the risk factors of tobacco, diet, weight and alcohol. She heads the Food for Health Alliance, a leading advocacy agency working to reduce diet-related disease nationally and alcohol and healthy diet programs at Cancer Council Victoria. Her role incudes developing the…
Jane has worked in public health advocacy and policy since the mid-1980s covering the risk factors of tobacco, diet, weight and alcohol. She heads the Food for Health Alliance, a leading advocacy agency working to reduce diet-related disease nationally and alcohol and healthy diet programs at Cancer Council Victoria. Her role incudes developing the strategic advocacy and policy research agenda for the programs as well as coordinating public education and advocacy campaigns on healthy weight and alcohol use.
Jane’s career has involved extensive engagement with policy and advocacy-oriented research to advance regulatory reform around tobacco, diet and alcohol control policies. She is experienced in both researching and applying advocacy strategies to encourage governments to adopt evidence-informed public health policies.
Jane is a past Board Member of Sexual Health Victoria and the Immediate Past President of the Australia New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS). She has been recognised for her contribution to public health advocacy with an Honorary Doctorate by Deakin University and travelled on a Churchill Fellowship to study successful strategies for the adoption of policies to improve diets. In 2019 was honoured with the Public Health Association of Australia President’s Award.
Elaine Montegriffo is CEO of LiverWELL. A visionary, purposeful leader with extensive senior executive leadership and board governance experience across sectors and cultures, and a passion for collaborating to create a better world. Elaine has held executive leadership roles with Oxfam and Australian Red Cross and is a passionate advocate for equitable access to…
Elaine Montegriffo is CEO of LiverWELL. A visionary, purposeful leader with extensive senior executive leadership and board governance experience across sectors and cultures, and a passion for collaborating to create a better world. Elaine has held executive leadership roles with Oxfam and Australian Red Cross and is a passionate advocate for equitable access to human rights, especially healthcare. Elaine serves on the Victorian Board of the Medical Board of Australia and on the Board of GenWest, supporting multicultural communities in the west of Melbourne to live safe, healthy lives.
Agenda
Keynote Presentation by Prof. Jeffrey V. Lazarus (U.S.A)
Australia is by no means alone in grappling with this growing public health challenge. The topics discussed at this event will leverage leading international research led by Prof. Jeffrey V. Lazarus to explore and identify key priorities in the Australian context. This research involved extensive international consultation and identified six domains as priority areas that are critical for elevating MASLD as a national public health priority.
Speaker Presentations in the Australian Context
Following the keynote, local experts will present on these six critical domains within the Australian context:
- Human and economic burden
- Models of care
- Treatment and care
- Education and awareness
- Patient and community perspectives
- Leadership and policies
Expert Huddles
The afternoon will involve participants forming smaller Expert Huddles where they will explore opportunities to leverage areas of energy, capacity and appetite to drive action towards improvement.
Panel Discussion
An expert panel will share learnings from public health efforts across the broader chronic illness landscape. This recognises the value of addressing MASLD alongside other major Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in terms of regulatory attention and investment, leveraging national targeted approaches on prevention, early detection, diagnosis and management.
Research Article
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.
Steering Committee
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, Lived Experience Speaker / Liver transplant recipient
Jane Martin, Executive Manager, Food for Health Alliance
Phoebe Trinidad, Hepatology CNC, Latrobe Regional Health
REGISTER NOW
Please join this critical conversation with leading experts to join forces and take action on making MASLD a national public health priority in Australia.
Register now for this free, invite-only event.
LiverWELL champions the interests of people affected by or at risk of viral hepatitis and liver disease. Our mission is to prevent and reduce the impact of liver disease, including viral hepatitis, and to continue to combat stigma.
