Dominique Damais-Thabut is full professor of Hepatology at Pitié-Salpêtrière (APHP Sorbonne-Université) in Paris, France. She is head of department of Hepatogastroenterology. She is running a 10-bed ICU tailored to handle complications of cirrhosis. She is, in collaboration with neurologists, at the origin of the BLIPS group (Brain-Liver Pitié-Salpêtrière Study Group) devoted to patients with chronic liver diseases and neurocognitive disorders.

At the University Hospital of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg, Dr. Mette Munk Lauridsen (MD/ PhD) is a consultant hepatologist and clinical scientist (Associate Professor) specializing in patient-centered research on liver-related cognitive dysfunction and disease progression. Mette’s academic and clinical work is dedicated to advancing the understanding and management of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), with a particular emphasis on a holistic, patient-centered approach and real-world clinical applicability. In 2017, Dr. Lauridsen founded the Liver Research Group Esbjerg, which Mette continues to lead. The group is recognized for its interdisciplinary collaboration and strong commitment to bridging clinical practice, translational science, and patients’ unmet needs. It currently comprises six scientists at various career stages and maintains a robust infrastructure to support large-scale, biobank-driven studies. Dr. Lauridsen’s core scientific contributions lie in the field of HE, where she has led and co-authored multiple studies on both minimal and overt HE in the context of cirrhosis and MASLD. Mette was part of recent letter to the editor: Refining risk stratification in hepatic encephalopathy-External validation of the BABS score in European cohorts PMID: 40366123 where the authors conducted an external validation (German and Danish cohorts), confirming the promise of the Bilirubin–Albumin–Beta-Blocker–Statin (BABS) score as a rapid, noninvasive method to predict the risk of overt HE in patients with cirrhosis. Dr. Lauridsen together with Dr. Bajaj, published an interesting review titled Hepatic encephalopathy as an indication or contraindication to liver transplant? PMID: 40232524. Mette was also the lead author on the recent study Portosystemic Hepatic Encephalopathy Scores (PHES) differ between Danish and German healthy populations despite their geographical and cultural similarities PMID: 39017969. Dr. Lauridsen is currently leading three prospective cohort studies: (1) a study on integrating a palliative care approach in patients with cirrhosis, (2) an investigation of the association between MASLD and cognitive function, and (3) a deep phenotyping study of cirrhosis patients with a focus on HE biomarker discovery in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. Mette is a long-standing member of ISHEN and was the secretary of ISHEN from 2019-2021.

Dr. Patricia Bloom is an Assistant Professor and Transplant Hepatologist at the University of Michigan in the USA. She is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and completed internal medicine residency, gastroenterology and transplant hepatology fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital, and has additional training in epidemiology and biostatistics from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Patricia performs clinical and translational research to improve outcomes in decompensated cirrhosis, especially for HE. Dr. Bloom recently published The Misdiagnosis and Underdiagnosis of Hepatic Encephalopathy PMID: 39635997. Dr. Bloom’s goals are to create and test innovative microbiome therapies to treat HE and other cirrhosis-related complications. Patrica was the lead author on a recently published a randomized controlled trial study Safety and efficacy of a defined bacterial consortium, VE303, to treat HE PMID: 39969428. Dr. Bloom is also developing innovative technology solutions for the management of decompensated cirrhosis. Patricia was recently the lead author on study published in Hepatology; HEAR-MHE study: Automated speech analysis identifies minimal hepatic encephalopathy and may predict future overt hepatic encephalopathy PMID: 39264936. Dr. Bloom is supported by grants from the NIH, American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

Karin Weissenborn is a neurologist and Associate Professor for Neurology at Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. She is head of the Stroke Unit at the Department of Neurology at Hannover Medical School and head of the Neurometabolic Study group. Her research interest lies in the area of metabolic brain diseases, especially hepatic encephalopathy, and stroke.

Dr. Christopher Rose is currently Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, and director of the Hepato-Neuro laboratory. Dr. Rose received his PhD (Neuroscience/Biomedical Sciences) from the Université de Montréal in 2000. He continued his research interests in Europe by pursuing post-doctoral studies in Germany, Spain and Norway. Dr. Rose’s research interests lie within the area of hepatic encephalopathy, a field in which he has been researching for over 25 years. Dr. Rose has a vested interest in deciphering the role of ammonia and the pathophysiological pathways involved in the development of cerebral complications associated with liver disease which ultimately will lead to novel therapeutic approaches, improving the management of patients with liver disease as well as neurological outcome post-liver transplantation. His research implicates both cellular models, animal models and patients. Dr. Rose has published over 95 scientific articles and over 65 students at all levels from throughout the world have trained in his laboratory. Dr. Rose is currently president of the International Society for Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism. He is chair of the Research Committee of the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver and sits on the advisory board to the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Disease of Canadian Institute of Health Research.

Debbie Shawcross is a Clinician Scientist and Professor of Hepatology and Chronic Liver Failure at the Institute of Liver Studies and James Black Centre, King’s College London. She works as a Consultant Hepatologist on the King’s Liver Unit with a specialist interest in hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure syndromes and the complications of cirrhosis. She joined the EASL [European Association for the Study of the Liver] Scientific Committee and Governing Board in October 2022 and was elected Vice Secretary General of EASL in June 2023. She is an advocate for high quality education and training in gastroenterology and hepatology having been a Health Education England London Gastroenterology Training Programme Director for 10 years, British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Mentor and an active member of the BSG Supporting Women in Gastroenterology. She is Chair of the BSG Research Committee.

Her research programme characterises the immunobiology of chronic liver failure focusing specifically on the gut-liver-brain axis in the context of the gut microbiome as a driver of immune dysfunction, inflammation and encephalopathy. She is leading the field in clinical trials of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in Europe and is Chief Investigator of the NIHR-funded EME UK multicentre randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of FMT (capsules) [PROMISE Trial] in patients with metabolic-associated and alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Dr Cristina Cudalbu started her academic journey in 2003 at University Lyon 1, France where she obtained her PhD in 2006. Till 2012 she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory for Functional and Metabolic Imaging at EPFL. Then she joined the CIBM Center for Biomedical Imaging MRI EPFL Animal Imaging and Technology Section as a research staff scientist and 9.4T MRI Operational Manager. In 2021, Cristina Cudalbu was promoted to Research and Teaching Associate in the Faculty of Basic Sciences at EPFL and she is leading the MRS4Brain Group. In 2023 Cristina Cudalbu was promoted to Deputy Head at CIBM MRI EPFL AIT and in 2024 to Maître d'enseignement et de recherche (MER) at School of Basic Sciences at EPFL. Over the last decade, Cristina Cudalbu has been developing new research lines at CIBM which are oriented towards new acquisition and quantification techniques for in vivo proton, phosphorous, carbon, nitrogen MRS and fast metabolic imaging, diffusion weighted spectroscopy and brain macromolecules quantification. She is now applying these developments on chronic hepatic encephalopathy, a research area that she also developed at CIBM.

Vicente Felipo is Director of the Laboratory of Neurobiology of the Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe in Valencia (Spain). He has more than 30 years of experience in the research on the mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of the neurological alterations in hyperammonemia, hepatic encephalopathy, by exposure to food and environmental contaminants and in other pathological situations. Vicente Felipo has authored more than 300 manuscripts, 4 patents, co-edited 7 books, organized more than 20 International Symposia and directed 33 doctoral theses. He has been first Secretary of the International Society for Hepatic Encephalopathy and member of different national and international Committees.

Christian Labenz is senior physician and head of the Cirrhosis Center Mainz, which is part of the Department of Internal Medicine I at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany. His clinical focus is on gastroenterology and hepatology with special focus on liver cirrhosis and transplantation. His research activities are focused on the complications of liver cirrhosis with special emphasis on hepatic encephalopathy. Here, he is especially aiming at clinical research questions and translational biomarker projects.

Graduation in Medicine and Surgery, Sapienza University of Rome (2005)

Specialization in Gastroenterology, Sapienza University of Rome (2009)

Ph.D. in Clinical and Experimental Hepatology , Sapienza University of Rome (2013)

Head of Gastroenterology Unit at Santa Maria Goretti Hospital, Latina-Polo Pontino of the Sapienza University of Rome

Holder of educational assignment in Gastroenterology, Sapienza University of Rome (2017-2020)

Associate Professor in Gastroenterology, "Sapienza" University of Rome (2020-present)

Qualified as full professor of gastroenterology, Italian Ministry of University and Research (2022)

Professor in the PhD course "Clinical and Experimental Hepatogastroenterology", "Sapienza" University of Rome (2020-present),

Deputy Director the postgraduate school in Gastroenterology, "Sapienza" University of Rome (2022).

Dr Ridola s scientific interests include the complications of liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension and in particular hepatic encephalopathy and primary liver cancers.

Karen Louise Thomsen is an academic Hepatologist at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. She obtained her PhD from Aarhus University in 2012 under the supervision of Prof. Hendrik Vilstrup and completed her clinical training as a specialist in Hepatology and Gastroenterology in 2016. During her training, she spent time at the Storr Liver Unit, Sydney, Australia and at the Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, University College London.
Her research is focused on derangements of metabolic liver function, including the regulation of urea synthesis, and the impact of inflammation in liver disease. Her more recent studies have specifically focused on NAFLD and in collaboration with her colleagues in London, she has investigated a link between reduction in urea synthesis, hyperammonaemia and progression of NAFLD and cognitive dysfunction and NAFLD. Her on-going clinical studies investigate urea synthesis and metabolic liver dysfunction in NAFLD patients through in vivo functional tests as well as MRI and PET imaging. Furthermore, she is the PI of a large, multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study investigating the effect of FMT for prevention of complications and mortality in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Anna Hadjihambi obtained her BSc degree in Biochemistry from the University of Warwick and then completed her MSc degree in Neuroscience at UCL. Anna then received her PhD, funded by the prestigious Grand Challenges UCL, which was a collaboration between the departments of Liver and Digestive health and Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology. In 2018 Anna started her postdoctoral fellowship at UNIL, Switzerland. During this time, she investigated the effects of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease on altering cerebral physiology, function, and metabolism, as well as the role of the monocarboxylate transporter-1 in protecting the liver and the brain. In 2020, Anna joined The Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology in London, as a senior postdoc starting the Liver-Brain axis group and leading her own research. She has recently been awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to continue her investigations on the cerebral alterations arising due to steatotic liver disease, the possible mechanisms behind them, as well as the long-term effects of these conditions on the brain following resolution of liver disease. In addition to hepatic encephalopathy, Anna is interested and has contributed to various other studies from different disciplines (cardiovascular, pharmacology, neuroscience and physiology). Anna is also a STEM ambassador, Greek Women in STEM Mentor and the co-chair of the ISHEN Translational committee.

Nicolas Weiss is Full Professor of Therapeutics & Intensive Care Medicine at Sorbonne University, one of the oldest French university founded in 1257, Paris, France. Board certified in neurology and intensive care medicine, he performs his medical activity in the Neurological intensive care unit at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, a tertiary care center in center of Paris. He performed his PhD under the supervision of Dr PO Couraud at Cochin Institute, Paris, by unrevealing the molecular mechanism of neural stem cells trans-endothelial migration through the blood-brain barrier. His research is dedicated to the blood-brain barrier and its implication in acute brain injuries. In 2012, he founded with Pr Dominique Thabut the Brain Liver Pitié-Salpêtrière (BLIPS) study group in order to better characterize neurological complications of liver diseases and especially hepatic encephalopathy. Member of the French Intensive Care Society, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Neurocritical Care Society, he is also associated-editor for Annals of Intensive Care and part of the editorial board of Journal of Intensive Medicine. In the last years, he published with Pr Dominique Thabut several papers on hepatic encephalopathy and the possible implication of the blood-brain barriers in its pathophysiology (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5155-196X).

Dr. Gallego-Durán currently holds a Sara Borrell postdoctoral position at the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS) in the SeLiver Group. Rocío has over 13 years of research experience in the hepatology field and she has recently achieved the R3 Certificate as an established researcher. She graduated from the University of Seville with a Bachelor´s degree in Biology, and in 2017 she completed her PhD in Molecular Biology and Clinical Research, Cum Laude with the International Mention, and she further obtained the Doctoral Extraordinary Award from the University of Seville in 2019. Rocío has a longstanding research interest in the development of non-invasive biomarkers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as well as new therapeutic strategies with potential to be transferred to the bedside. Besides, Dr. Gallego-Durán uses cutting-edge mice models and state-of-the-art single-cell RNA sequencing technology to elucidate the molecular basis of NAFLD. Her research training as a biologist working in hepatology gave her the opportunity to pursue and establish a strong network of multidisciplinary collaborations, built within the last 10 years, and this has allowed her to grow exponentially. Rocío has a strong publication record, and became a principal investigator of two competitive-funded projects regarding novel biomarker discovery and therapies for NAFLD in both human and preclinical models. Besides, she has collaborated in several European Projects and she is co-investigator in 16 national and international competitive-funded projects. Dr. Gallego-Durán has accumulated several research stays in the Royal Free Hospital (University College London), holding both predoctoral and postdoctoral positions, and she is part of several International Consortia. During the last years, Rocío has received several international fellowships and grants, such as the Andrew K. Burroughs fellowship, from the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). Outside the laboratory setting, Rocío has served as lecturer and panellist at multiple national and international conferences, and since 2022 she is the Director of the Young Investigator Group from the Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH), formed by more than 500 members. Finally, she is a member of the Steering Committee of CIBEREHD, with special dedication to International Projects. In addition to her research duties, Rocío is currently teaching in the Master´s degree at IBiS (Universidad de Sevilla), has served as lecturer in the Andalusian Program of Personalized and Precision Medicine, has mentored several undergraduate and postgraduate students and has already directed two doctoral theses (Cum Laude, International Mention). Finally, Rocío has served as thesis committee member, is an active member from several scientific associations and serves as a reviewer for a number of 8 peer-reviewed journals in the field of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Dr Gupta is a consultant hepatologist at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in Australia. He has an interest in improving the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy and is dedicated to understanding disease burden and driving quality improvement in patient care. Dr Gupta plays an active role in the Gastroenterology Society of Australia (GESA) through his involvement in the working group for hepatic encephalopathy and sarcopenia. He is passionate about education and is the creator of the “7 Minute Hepatology” podcast.

Kristoffer Kjaergaard completed his medical degree and graduated from Aarhus University, Denmark, in 2021. In 2023, he obtained his PhD degree from Aarhus University, specializing in cognitive dysfunction in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease under the supervision of Dr. Karen Louise Thomsen. During his PhD, Kristoffer undertook a 2-month research stay at the lab of Prof. Christopher Rose at Université de Montréal, Canada, and a 1-week stay with Prof. Rajeshwar Prosad Mookerjee at University College London, UK. Kristoffer Kjærgaard is currently undergoing residency in Internal Medicine alongside his academic activities at the Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. His research area encompasses translational and clinical research in the field of hepatic encephalopathy, liver-brain axis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, liver function/physiology, and molecular imaging. Noteworthy accomplishments include several independent grants, co-organizing scientific meetings, and presenting his research at several international congresses. He has been honored with prizes from the Danish Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Aarhus University for best presentation. In 2024, he joined the ISHEN Translational Committee. He is a member of the Danish Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology (DSGH), European Association for Study of the Liver (EASL), and International Society for Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism (ISHEN).

Matthew McMillin is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Texas A&M University under the supervision of Dr. Sharon DeMorrow, where he investigated crosstalk between hedgehog and transforming growth factor beta signaling in liver injury, blood-brain barrier dysfunction and neuroinflammation. Dr. McMillin’s postdoctoral studies in the field of hepatology were performed under the mentorship of Drs. Gianfranco Alpini and Sharon DeMorrow. These studies investigated the role of neuropeptides and transforming growth factor beta signaling in liver pathology during toxin-induced acute liver failure and cholestatic liver diseases. After becoming faculty, Dr. McMillin’s research program has focused on the mechanisms leading to dysregulation, and subsequent recovery, of hepatic and neural physiology during acute liver failure and cholestatic liver diseases. Specifically, his program has been investigating the interaction between thrombospondin-1 and transforming growth factor beta 1 signaling in the context of hepatocyte necrosis, hepatic fibrosis, cellular senescence, blood-brain barrier function, neuroinflammation and neurological dysfunction. Outside of research, Dr. McMillin serves on the editorial board of neuroscience and hepatology journals including serving as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.

Maria Pilar Ballester is a Specialist in Hepatology and performs her medical activity at Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Spain. She recently obtained a Juan Rodés contract 2024-2028 (JR23/00029) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Instituto de Salud Carlos III. She obtained her cum laude PhD at University of Valencia in 2021 by studying the immune dysfunction associated with cognitive impairment in patients with cirrhosis, obtaining an extraordinary doctorate award from University of Valencia. The project was also selected as the best oral presentation in the regional conference from Sociedad Valenciana de Patología Digestiva in 2018. Her PhD was funded through a competitive grant (Rio Hortega contract -CM19/00011-) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. As a pre-doctorate, she spent two months in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre under the supervision of Professor Ramon Bataller, with the support of a fellowship from INCLIVA-Biomedical Research Institute. Soon after finishing, she performed a postdoctoral stay at University College London, United Kingdom, supervised by Professor Rajiv Jalan; which was funded through two grants (INCLIVA-Biomedical Research Institute and Sociedad Valenciana de Patología Digestiva). In London, she studied the role of ammonia in the pathogenesis and treatment of complications of cirrhosis, creating the Ammon Consortium, which she currently coordinates. She obtained a regional competitive grant as Principal Investigator by Sociedad Valenciana de Patología Digestiva in 2020, a national grant from Asociación Española para el Estudio del Hígado in 2023 and a national competitive-funded project by Instituto de Salud Carlos III in 2024 as Principal Investigator. She has also collaborated in three funded research projects from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Fundación Ramón Areces and Programa Prometeo Consellería de Educación Generalitat Valenciana. Recently, she also obtained her first patent. She is part of the International Society of Hepatic Encephalopathy and Nitrogen Metabolism (ISHEN) Translational steering committee and member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. In parallel, Dr Ballester has supervised 5 final degree projects, 1 final master’s project and she is currently co-directing 3 doctoral thesis at University of Valencia.

Dr Supachaya Sriphoosanaphan is a PhD candidate at University College London (UCL), London, UK, under the supervision of Professor Rajiv Jalan. He is also a transplant hepatologist at Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (Thai Red Cross Society), Bangkok, Thailand. His clinical and translational research focuses on improving outcomes in liver transplantation, liver failure, and cirrhosis. In particular, he is investigating the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in protection against hyperammonaemia, with the aim of developing this pathway as a novel therapeutic target in the clinical setting.