Celebrating Achievements of an Innovative Physician-Scientist, Dedicated Philanthropic Family, Groundbreaking Pediatric Physician and Leading Transplant Surgeon
American Liver Foundation’s (ALF) National Legacy Gala will be held Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Gotham Hall in New York City honoring those who have made significant contributions to the liver community. Liver patients and families, thought leaders, leading medical professionals, business visionaries and organizational partners will join us as we pay tribute to Rebecca Taub, MD, Founder, Senior Scientific and Medical Advisor of Madrigal; leading transplant surgeon Benjamin Samstein, MD, Professor of Surgery and Chief of Liver Transplantation, Hepatobiliary, and Pancreatic Surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine; pediatric leader in liver care and research Ronald J. Sokol, MD, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Chief Scientific Officer at the University of Colorado School of Medicine; and dedicated liver health philanthropists The Kellner Family.
“We’re honored to celebrate the phenomenal achievements of a physician-scientist whose visionary research helped shape groundbreaking therapeutic approaches in liver disease, a renowned physician who pioneered minimally invasive liver surgery and robotic techniques for liver cancer, a dedicated pediatric physician who led groundbreaking research in childhood liver diseases and liver care, and a family who turned a challenging liver disease diagnosis into a life-long philanthropic commitment to help others,” said Lorraine Stiehl, CEO, American Liver Foundation and caregiver to a transplant recipient. “ALF’s National Legacy Gala is a beautiful evening of celebration as we honor the contributions of our esteemed 2025 award recipients.”
The evening at Gotham Hall will include a networking cocktail reception, unique silent and live auction and dinner featuring a presentation to our award recipients who have made outstanding contributions to the liver community in the fields of biotechnology, medical innovation, and philanthropy. The 2025 Award Recipients include:
In addition to honoring our 2025 award recipients, the evening also features ALF’s LIVEr Champion Henry Cuttler who led an active lifestyle and considered himself to be in excellent health until a CAT scan revealed a growth on his bile duct. He was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in January of 2024. Through chemotherapy and surgery, Henry became cancer-free. Henry will share his liver journey that has been a roller coaster of unexpected twists and turns, but he continues to embrace life with gratitude and resilience through it all.
ALF is deeply grateful to our Gala Chair, Richard J. Miller Jr., Esq., an ALF Board member and passionate liver advocate who received a transplant in May 2021, and our Gala Honorary Committee Chair, Constance Deneweth, an ALF Board member and dedicated liver advocate who is truly thankful a liver transplant prolonged her father’s life and is committed to helping others living with some form of liver disease.
To learn more about the Gala or to purchase tickets, visit alfgala.org. If you’d like to participate in our silent auction, visit https://alfgala.org/national-legacy-gala/auction/. The silent auction will also be available for pre-event and remote bidding; items include sporting events, stays to locations around the world, fun leisure-time experiences, and high-end gifts and accessories. Register via the GiveSmart online platform available here. New items are added daily, check back frequently! If you’d like to view ALF’s FREE live stream, please go here to register.
Funds raised through the National Legacy Gala benefit the 100 million Americans affected by liver diseases through resources, education and support services and help to advance research and our patient advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.
For more information about ALF, please visit www.liverfoundation.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding liver disease, please call our FREE helpline at 1-800-Go-LIVER (800-465-4837) Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.