Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases

About the Division

Welcome to the Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases at the University of Southern California. Thank you for your interest in our clinical, educational and research endeavors.

Our gastroenterology and hepatology practices span two unique and complimentary clinical locations – the privately-owned Keck School of Medicine Hospital and the Los Angeles County Hospital, the largest safety-net facility in the Western United States. Our clinics offer our patients superb and specialized care of all gastrointestinal diseases – from simple to complex. In addition, we partner with GI and liver radiologists, surgeons, and other GI-focused healthcare professionals, to provide the best care by the most knowledgeable professionals. In 2021, USC’s Gastroenterology program ranked 12^th in the U.S..

Education and training the next generation of specialists have been the cornerstone of the USC Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases division since its inception. We offer an accredited three-year fellowship in gastroenterology as well as advanced fellowships in advanced endoscopy and advanced hepatology/transplant hepatology. Strong partnership with our pediatric colleagues in GI and Liver Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) further enhance our educational opportunities.

In addition to clinical work and educational activities, research is the third pillar of the USC Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases division. USC is home to two NIH-supported Research Centers that focus on liver and pancreatic diseases – the USC Research Center for Liver Diseases (RCLD) and the Southern California Research Center for the Alcoholic Liver and Pancreatic Diseases and Cirrhosis. Additionally, there has been tremendous growth in USC’s research environment in recent years with new research facilities, including the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, and the Eli & Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research, that provide collaborative expertise and cutting-edge core resources to USC researchers. In 2018, the Provost and KSOM Dean jointly supported the launch of the USC MESH (Medicine, Engineering, Science and Humanities) Academy to accelerate the pace of new translational innovations through building of transdisciplinary teams, collaboration with industry and curriculum development to train the next generation of bioscience innovators. Our division has research support on nearly 7 million in grant support, with 21 faculty contributing 33 individual grants from the NIH and other agencies.

USC has a rich and lengthy history in liver and gastroenterology diseases and its faculty and trainees have contributed to significant advances in the prevention and treatment of gastroenterology and liver disorders. The USC Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases was first established in 1990 under the leadership of Dr. Neil Kaplowitz, who integrated separate Divisions of Gastroenterology (former Chief, Jorge Valenzuela) and Hepatology (former Chief, Telfer Reynolds) and incorporated the Rancho Los Amigos Liver Unit (former Chief, Alan Redeker). In 2019, I was recruited to assume this position and I am honored to lead a division of renowned faculty members and dedicated healthcare professionals.

Training & Education

The Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases strives to provide fellows with a robust clinical experience and a stimulating training environment that strongly supports clinical and academic career development. The USC GI and Liver Diseases Fellowship Program is committed to providing excellent clinical training in consultative gastroenterology and hepatology and diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. Fellows are initially matched to a 3-year general gastroenterology and hepatology training program that expects an active participation in the management of a variety of GI and liver diseases. 

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