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Hepatology Update 2025
Hepatology Update Speakers
Dedication. Expertise. Innovation.
Dr. Gideon Hirschfield
Dr. Gideon Hirschfield, holder of the Lily and Terry Horner Chair in Autoimmune Liver Disease Research, is an internationally trained clinician scientist focused on liver disease. With education and practice at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London, Birmingham, and Toronto, he aims to develop effective, personalized therapies for immune-mediated liver diseases.
He is globally recognized as a leader in liver medicine and a patient-centered clinician with nearly 15 years of experience in tertiary Hepatology care, including transplant management. Dr. Hirschfield has published nearly 200 papers and is a respected speaker and educator in Hepatology.
Dr. Fernanda Onofrio
Dr. Fernanda Onofrio, MD, MSc, PhD (Brazil) is a Staff Hepatologist at Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Francis Family Liver Clinic and specializes in the care of patients with Alcohol-related liver disease, MASLD, cirrhosis and its complications.
Dr. Cynthia Tsien
She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at McGill University. She underwent training in hepatology, transplant hepatology, and research at the Toronto General Hospital and Cleveland Clinic. She obtained a Master in Public Health at the John Hopkins University. She specializes in the care of patients with liver disease pre- and post-transplant. Her research interests include sarcopenia, portal hypertension, and education.
Dr. Morven Cunningham
Dr Morven Cunningham completed medical training at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK. She undertook a PhD at Queen Mary, University of London, before completing a Fellowship in Hepatology at University of Toronto. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and Staff Hepatologist at Toronto Centre for Liver Disease.
Dr. Aliya Gulamhusein
Dr. Aliya Gulamhusein, MD, MPH, FRCPC, is a staff Hepatologist at Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Francis Family Liver Clinic and specializes in Primary Biliary Cholangitis, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Autoimmune Hepatitis and Transplant.
Elizabeth Lee, NP
Elizabeth (Liz) Lee is a nurse practitioner at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, UHN, with over 16 years of experience in chronic liver disease management, particularly cirrhosis and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).
She is involved in quality improvement initiatives, research projects, and is an active member of the AASLD and CASL ALD SIG committees. Liz also supports patient-led initiatives, including the Chinese Hepatitis B Support Group, and promotes clinical education for hepatology nurses. She is a Hub Member for ECHO Ontario Liver, past president of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN), an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto, and chairs the Colina Yim Hepatology Update.
Dr. Jordan Feld
Dr. Jordan Feld, MD, MPH, FRCP (C), is the Director of Research for the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Francis Family Liver Clinic and specializes in Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Wilson's Disease.
Dr. Supriya Joshi
Dr. Supriya Joshi is a Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist at Trillium Health Partners – Credit Valley Hospital and a Lecturer at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She completed her medical training at Western University, followed by residencies in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, and a clinical research Hepatology fellowship at the University of Toronto. She is the current Medical Director at West GTA Endoscopy. Passionate about lifestyle-based liver care, she recently completed executive education in Sustainable Nutrition at Harvard and training in Coaching for Healthcare Professionals through Temerty Faculty of Medicine. A frequent speaker and educator on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Disease (formerly fatty liver), Dr. Joshi is also the founder of the popular public education platform @liverhealthMD, with over 135,000 followers. She serves as Medical Advisor and Board Member of Fatty Liver Alliance, a not for profit organization promoting public awareness and education
Dr. Scott Fung
Dr. Scott Fung, MD, FRCPC, is the Director of Education for the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Francis Family Liver Clinic and specializes in Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
Dr. Nazia Selzner
​Dr. Nazia Selzner is a Transplant Hepatologist, the Director of Center for Living Organ Donation and Medical Director of the Living Donor Liver Transplantation at the Ajmera Transplant Center, Professor of Medicine and a Clinician Scientist at the University of Toronto. She is also Scientist at the Institute for Medical Science (IMS) in Toronto, Canada. Dr Selzner graduated from Medical School at the University of Paris VII, France and completed her Gastroenterology training in France. She completed her PhD in 2003 at the University of Paris VII, France, after four years of research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC and at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Her basic research interest is in on mechanism of ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver. Her clinical research is focused on increasing access to liver transplantation and LDLT. She is recipient of numerous national and international awards has published over 200 peer reviewed manuscripts in the area of living organ donation, transplantation and reperfusion injury and is Executive Editor of Transplantation International and Associate Editor of Journal of Hepatology. She is the immediate Past President of the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS).
Laura Valenza
Laura Valenza is a dedicated Registered Nurse with over 10 years of experience, currently working in the Medical Day Unit at Toronto General Hospital. With experience in inpatient, outpatient, and home care settings, Laura brings a well-rounded approach to patient care. Her colleagues in the Medical Day Unit have selected her to champion the nurse-led paracentesis clinic held every Wednesday, recognizing her skill and leadership. Laura’s expertise and compassionate approach have made her a valuable member of the healthcare team, where she continues to advance her skills and contribute to the hospital’s high standards of care
Magdalena Kuczynski, RN
Magdalena Kuczynski is a Hepatitis Support Nurse with 25 years of experience managing patients with chronic liver disease. She holds a Master’s degree in Health Science Education from McMaster University and has dedicated her career to improving patient care and education. Magdalena is also a Hub Member for ECHO Liver, a provincially funded initiative that supports a virtual learning community for primary care providers in the management of liver disease.
Molly Mcdonald, RN
Molly is a registered nurse working in the Liver Clinic with a primary focus on Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease (ALD). Her work centers on supporting patients in reducing alcohol use through relapse prevention, harm reduction strategies, individualized care and connecting patients to community resources for mental health and addiction services. She is passionate about helping bridge gaps in care and improve long-term outcomes. With a patient-centered approach, Molly is committed to advocating for compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals affected by substance use and liver disease.
Dr. Selene Martinez Perez
Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Martinez earned her medical degree from the Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. Subsequently, she did his Anesthesiology Residency in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Martinez then completed cardiovascular and thoracic fellowships at the Toronto General Hospital, University of Toronto. She is an anesthesiologist at Toronto General Hospital, primarily interested in cardiovascular, perioperative transesophageal echocardiography, thoracic and transplant anesthesia, and liver, lung and heart transplants.
Dr. Sarah Bush
Dr. Sarah Bush is a staff psychiatrist at the University Health Network (UHN) specializing in consultation-liaison psychiatry, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She is the Medical Lead of the Mental Health in Medicine Clinic (MHiM) at UHN, providing multidisciplinary mental health care to patients with comorbid physical health illness. She also provides clinical care in the Outpatient Mental Health and Addictions Services and is a member of the inpatient medical psychiatry team at Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Bush completed her medical training and psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto.
Dr. David Wong
Dr. David K. H. Wong, MD, FRCP(C), specializes in Hepatitis B, Alpha-1-Antitrypsin and liver diseases in those living with HIV. He has been recognized by the University of Toronto, Department of Medicine in 2019 as a Master Clinician for consistently outstanding clinical performance and the highest standard of patient care.
Dr. Erin Kelly
Dr Erin Kelly is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of Gastroenterology at the Ottawa Hospital She obtained her B. Sc and medical degree at McGill University. She completed residency training in Internal medicine and sub-specialty training in Gastroenterology at the University of Ottawa. She pursued additional training in Advanced Hepatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a Masters in Clinical Trials through the London School of Heath and Tropical Medicine (London, UK).
Dr Kelly's clinical interests include advanced liver disease and improving quality of care and system processes in patients with liver disease including cirrhosis, autoimmune diseases and viral hepatitis. She is the Hepatology Lead for the Ottawa Hospital and is involved in a number of initiatives to improve the care of patients living with chronic liver disease.
Dr. Arjun Kundra
Dr. Arjun Kundra is a gastroenterologist and interventional endoscopist at Waterloo Regional Health Network. He holds board certification in both Canada and the USA. Specializing in ERCP, EUS, luminal, and third-space endoscopy, he leads key initiatives regionally and is actively advancing interventional endoscopy access.
Dr. Kundra trained in advanced endoscopy at the University of Virginia and gastroenterology at the University of Ottawa. Recognized for excellence in clinical care and education, he has received multiple teaching and leadership awards at the provincial and university levels throughout his career.
Sharon Bojarski, RN
Sharon Bojarski, an RN in hepatology with over 45 years of experience. She served for 34 years as Clinical Manager of the Liver Study Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital, contributing to more than 100 clinical trials focused on chronic Hepatitis C and MAFLD. A founding member of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses, Sharon has shaped hepatology nursing across Canada. Now semi-retired, she continues her work in liver health with Sentrex Pharmaceuticals.
Sheryl Wolfstadt, RN
Sheryl has worked in the field of nursing since 1977.
She has worked in her current role as a Hepatology Treatment Coordinator since 2004.
Sheryl has been fortunate to have witnessed the treatment of Viral Hepatitis C go through many changes over the years.
In her spare time Sheryl can be found at the Pilates Studio, spending time with her husband or chasing after her 4 delightful grandchildren
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Victoria Quach, NP
Victoria Quach is a Staff Nurse Practitioner (NP) at the University Health Network, where she has been a dedicated member of the Eating Disorders Program since 2022. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s NP program and specializes in the medical care of Eating Disorders. Victoria is committed to delivering evidence-based care and supporting patients throughout their Eating Disorder recovery journey.
Please Check Back for Additional Speakers
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