Dr. Gyongyi Szabo Delivers 9th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture at the National Institutes of Health
Announcement
What: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces that Gyongyi Szabo, M.D., Ph.D. will deliver the 9th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture. The title of her presentation is “Mechanisms of Alcohol-Induced Organ Inflammation and Therapeutic Targets in Alcoholic Hepatitis.” 
Who: Gyongyi Szabo, M.D., Ph.D., is the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Endowed Chair and Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Szabo is an internationally recognized expert on the relationship between immune function and liver disease. Over the past 30 years, her work has advanced our understanding of how alcohol impairs immune function and contributes to organ injury. Dr. Szabo’s research has paved the way for potential pharmacotherapies for alcoholic liver disease, and made significant contributions in translating research advances into clinical practice.
Dr. Szabo has made important discoveries in understanding the role of innate immune signaling in alcohol-induced injury of the liver, as well as of the gut and brain. Her lab identified the role of the inflammasome, an innate immune system receptor and sensor that regulates inflammation, in chronic alcohol-induced liver injury.
Dr. Szabo’s clinical research currently focuses on alcoholic hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and viral hepatitis. She has made significant contributions in translating new research discoveries into treatment for patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Dr. Szabo’s discovery of the inflammasome’s role in alcohol-induced liver injury has led to an NIH-supported multi-center clinical trial of a new therapy for alcoholic hepatitis, on which she is the lead investigator. She has played a key role in the international effort to establish a standard definition of alcoholic hepatitis as well as common data elements both for use in future clinical trials.
As a leading expert in the field of liver disease, Dr. Szabo has served in a variety of leadership roles, including President of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Dr. Szabo also has an extensive body of published work, which includes more than 150 articles in prestigious journals and 35 book chapters. In addition, she is a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Szabo is a highly sought-after speaker; over the course of her career, she has presented at nearly 300 international and national conferences. Dr. Szabo has received uninterrupted funding by NIH since 1989, including an R37 MERIT Award from NIAAA, which provides long-term grant support for outstanding investigators.
When: Thursday, June 8, 2017, 1:30 pm
Where: Masur Auditorium, NIH Building 10, Bethesda, Md.
Background: NIAAA established the lecture series as a tribute to Dr. Jack Mendelson, who made remarkable contributions to the field of clinical alcohol research. Each spring, the series features a lecture by an outstanding alcohol investigator whose clinical research makes a substantial contribution toward increasing our understanding of the effects of alcohol on health and well-being, and improving the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol-related problems.
For additional information about the lecture see:
The Mendelson Honorary Lecture is free and open to the public. Sign language interpreters will be provided. For other reasonable accommodations or further information call Joanna Mayo, 301-443-3860, or visit www.niaaa.nih.gov. For TTY callers, please call the above number through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
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About the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA):
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.