American Liver Foundation honors VCU’s Arun Sanyal for impact through research

By A.J. Hostetler
Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health

The American Liver Foundation honored pioneering researcher Arun Sanyal of Virginia Commonwealth University last week for leading the development of diagnostics and treatment of fatty liver disease, a condition that affects about 1 in 3 people worldwide.

Sanyal, M.D., is director of VCU's Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health as well as chair of the School of Medicine's Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. At the foundation's 50th annual National Legacy Gala, held Oct. 28 in New York City, Sanyal received its Leadership Award and was called a "pioneer in liver disease research."

"Through internationally recognized research, multidisciplinary collaboration and the development of new therapeutics, Dr. Sanyal has advanced the field and created new possibilities for liver patients and their families," the foundation said in a news release. "His contributions to science, mentorship, and patient care have been widely recognized throughout the country."

Sanyal currently leads or co-leads multiple worldwide clinical trials of potential treatments for fatty liver disease, which is closely linked to obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome - making it more common as these health issues increase. His research helped spur approval by the Food and Drug Administration of the only two drugs for the condition, resmetirom and semaglutide (the latter also known as Wegovy).

"Receiving this leadership honor from the American Liver Foundation is deeply humbling, but a career in medicine is never built in isolation," Sanyal said. "This recognition reflects the unwavering support of my wife and children, who allow me to pursue my passion every day, and the profound trust of my patients, who remain our true North Star.

"It also reflects decades of collaborative team science and a shared commitment to confronting the global epidemic of metabolic liver disease. No breakthrough is achieved alone. Behind every protocol we write and every clinical trial we conduct is a human life, a family, and a story. That is what drives our work and gives this recognition its greatest meaning."

Sanyal joined VCU in 1987 as a fellow, eventually joining the faculty and later becoming chair of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. In the early 1990s, he met a new hepatology fellow, R. Todd Stravtiz, M.D., and their partnership has propelled groundbreaking research at VCU.

"It is extraordinary and humbling to have a peer who so greatly outshines us," said Stravitz, the co-founder of the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute and former medical director of liver transplant at VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center.

Over years of working side by side, Sanyal and Stravitz have developed a close connection as mutually respected colleagues and friends. "I have served for 37 years as Arun's fellow, his partner and under his direction as chairman. I believe Arun has made the world a better place, and his contributions to hepatology and humanity will be appreciated for many decades to come," Stravitz said.

Sanyal is ranked in the top 0.1% of all biomedical scientists and the No. 2 hepatologist by Stanford University rankings. Under his leadership of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, VCU has risen to No. 8 worldwide and No. 4 in the U.S. in GI-Hep, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

He has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1995 and has authored over 600 publications, including numerous papers in publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, the Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Sanyal's research interests include all aspects of MASLD and MASH as well as complications of end-stage liver disease. He serves as chairman of the NIH NASH Clinical Research Network, the NIMBLE and MASH track projects of FNIH, and the Liver Forum for NASH and fibrosis. He was a founding member of the hepatology committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine and has served as president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.