"We are delighted to have these three outstanding individuals join the Liver Health Initiative's efforts to fill the enormous liver knowledge gap, that is essential to preventing the development of numerous liver related diseases currently at epidemic proportions worldwide." 

                                                                                                                                            ~ Thelma King Thiel, LHI Founder & Chair 

​

We are pleased to welcome Dr. William Schaffner, Dr. Stuart Gordon, and Dr. Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate, to join LHI's efforts in promoting multifaceted education programs that emphasize individuals' active participation in their own healthcare and management (currently absent in most  schools, government and military agencies).

Dr. Schaffner's primary focus as a Professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, has been the prevention of infectious diseases. He has worked extensively on the effective use of vaccines and has been a member of expert advisory committees that establish national vaccine policy. Committed to communicating about prevention to the general public, he regards his participation through LHI's efforts as a teaching opportunity. He often is invited to comment on local and national media on communicable disease issues, translating research and public health concerns into language that is optimized for public understanding and action. 

Dr. Stuart Gordon, a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine, has authored and co-authored over 200 research papers and serves on the Editorial Board of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. As the current  Director of the Division of TransplantHepatology at  Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan, Dr. Gordon is  committed to promoting liver health education to empower patients to understand and actively participate in protecting their newly  transplanted liver from unintentional damage. He is dedicated to helping LHI fill the enormous liver knowledge gap that underlies many chronic liver related diseases that continue to be a  major Global Public Health problem .  

Nobel Laureate, Dr Michael Houghton, is a British born virologist known for his contribution to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The identification of HCV facilitated the development of improved blood screenings and diagnostic methods for the detection of hepatitis caused specifically by HCV. For his breakthrough research, Houghton was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with American virologist Dr. Harvey Alter and Charles M Rice. Dr. Houghton has since moved to Canada and is continuing his research at the University of Alberta developing a vaccine for hepatitis C.