Elizabeth (Lizzie) Aby, MD
Internal Medicine Resident, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; 2017 AASLD Ambassador Award; 2016 AASLD Emerging Liver Scholar Award
How many times have you attended DDW®?
This is my second year; 2017 was my first.
How is the meeting different than other meetings you’ve attended?
It’s unique in that it combines incredible learning experiences with exposure to new technologies and opportunities to meet leaders in the field.
What’s one meeting hack that helps you make the most of your time at DDW?
The best resource to maximize your experience at the meeting is the DDW Mobile App, which you can link to your Google calendar. After you set your priorities and decide what topics are most important, it allows you to organize each day to make the most of your time. It also helps keep track of when your colleagues are presenting so you can show your support at their poster or oral presentations.
What area of digestive disease research do you find most promising or fascinating?
Research focusing on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is captivating. I foresee many promising advances in the coming years, including the development of new noninvasive biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of NAFLD, as well as advances in treatment options. There are many anticipated developments in the management of NAFLD, but there are still many questions that need to be answered, such as which patients with NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) should be screened for hepatocellular carcinoma, and what public health efforts should be developed to control the burden of NAFLD and its complications.
Since we’re in Washington, D.C., is there a legislative issue that you feel is critical to the future of patient care?
Health care coverage is a basic right. Therefore, it’s vital to continue to improve how we deliver high-quality, affordable care to all while controlling increases in health care spending.
If you could have coffee with one presenter at the meeting, who would it be and why?
I would love to sit down and have coffee with Dr. Kymberly Watt. She’s a remarkable female leader in the field of liver disease and liver transplantation. I would enjoy discussing her thoughts on topics from screening and preventative services in patients with NASH to post-transplant management of obesity and recurrent NASH.
Social network of choice?
Instagram. Pictures can tell amazing stories.
Favorite app?
LiverLearning. It’s a great app with quick access to guidelines and other educational resources!
After DDW concludes, I plan to …
return to Los Angeles to be a chief resident at UCLA starting in early June! I am looking forward to taking back what I learn at DDW to UCLA. Hopefully I can inspire residents with an interest in digestive diseases to come to DDW next year!
