Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award
American Liver Foundation’s Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award (DSAA) is a prestigious award honoring a basic researcher or physician scientist with a longstanding commitment to scientific discovery who has made major contributions to basic liver research or its application in the treatment of liver diseases.
New this year! Individuals can self-nominate or nominate a colleague. Self-nominations are encouraged.
Please complete the nomination form below and upload the required materials by September 4, 2026.
For further information, please contact Helene Jordan, PhD, National Senior Director, Research Program Management at hjordan@liverfoundation.org.
Past Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award Recipients
Past Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award Recipients
2025
Gerald I. Shulman, MD, PhD
George R. Cowgill Professor of Physiological Chemistry, Professor of Internal Medicine and Cellular & Molecular Physiology at Yale School of Medicine
Press Release
2024
Jacquelyn J. Maher, MD
William and Mary Ann Rice Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco
Press Release
2023
Jeffrey V. Lazarus, PhD, MIH, MA
Professor of Global Health, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York
Press Release
2022
David E. Cohen, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endoscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Press Release
2021
Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao
Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and Chief of Digestive Diseases at the VA-Connecticut Healthcare System
2020
Gyongyi Szabo, MD
Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean at Harvard Medical School, Chief Academic Officer at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Beth Israel Lahey Health
2019
David Brenner, MD
Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego
2018
Michael Houghton, PhD
Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute, University of Alberta
2017
Arun Sanyal, MD
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
2016
Scott L. Friedman, MD
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
2015
Anna Suk-Fong Lok, MD
University of Michigan Health System
2014
Raymond Schinazi, PhD, DSc
Emory University, Center for AIDS Research
2013
Charles M. Rice, PhD
The Rockefeller University
2012
Allan W. Wolkoff, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2011
Robert H. Purcell, MD
National Institutes of Health
2010
George K. Michalopoulos, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2009
Snorri S. Thorgeisson, MD, PhD
National Cancer Institute
2008
Neil Kaplowitz, MD
University of Southern California School of Medicine
2006
Roberto J. Groszmann, MD
West Haven VA Medical Center
2004
Nelson Fausto, MD
University of Washington School of Medicine
2002
Harvey J. Alter, MD
National Institutes of Health
2001
Nancy L. Bucher, MD
Boston University School of Medicine
2000
David A. Shafritz, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
1999
James L. Boyer, MD
Yale University
1998
Irwin M. Arias, MD
Tufts University School of Medicine
1997
Francis V. Chisari, MD
The Scripps Research Institute
Nomination Guidelines
- The nominator is responsible for gathering and uploading the submission packet
- Required materials:
- Letter of support from the nominator
- At least one other letter of support
- A third letter of support is optional but not required
- Nominee's current CV (the nominator is responsible for obtaining/uploading the nominee's
CV) - Guidelines for letters of support:
- All letters of support should include the name, credentials, institution, and contact information of the individual writing the letter
- Letters of support should be no more than 2 pages each
- Individuals providing letters of support are encouraged to highlight the nominee's contributions to liver research, publication record, mentoring of trainees and other liver researchers, standing in the field, and involvement with American Liver Foundation
- Nominations must be submitted by September 4, 2026
- The recipient must be able to attend the Gala on October 28th at 6:00 pm New York.
Join our Research Awards Mail List
Subscribe to the ALF Research Awards Mail List to receive email updates about ALF Research Awards. These alerts will only contain information related to ALF Research Awards (e.g., new RFPs, etc.) and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Join ALF Research Awards Program Mailing List
Last updated on August 13th, 2026 at 10:56 am