
Overview
Julia Wattacheril, MD, MPH is an associate professor of medicine, physician scientist, inventor and director of the Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Her clinical and translational work spans the multidisciplinary care of MASLD patients at all stages of their disease to the investigation of rare genetic variants influencing the development and progression of MASLD before and after liver transplantation. She currently leads an interdisciplinary research group using machine learning to identify at-risk and protected phenotypes within the electronic health record (EHR) for multi-omic analysis. Of particular interest for clinical outcomes discovered through EHR phenotyping include rapid progression to advanced liver disease, need for transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma. Awards include the Department of Surgery Innovation Award and Columbia Department of Biomedical Engineering Ignition Award for these software applications as they move into medicine.Wattacheril is the lead principal investigator for several clinical trials in MASH. Her early pilot work with proteomics and lipidomics in the development of metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis (MASH) led to her current efforts investigating multi-omic signatures associated with fibrotic MASH. She co-led a multicenter consortium investigating the clinical risks associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with all etiologies of chronic liver disease, with a particular local focus on diverse populations. At Columbia, she works closely with the Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics to integrate genomics into clinical care. She mentors across disciplines including computational geneticists to masters’ program students in nutrition to undergraduates in psychology. She has a commitment to community education, including faith-based and non-profit sectors.
Dr. Wattacheril is highly rated in 9 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Visceromegaly, Enlarged Liver, Liver Transplant, and Endoscopy.
Her clinical research consists of co-authoring 33 peer reviewed articles and participating in 4 clinical trials. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years.
Graduate Institution
Residency
Specialties
Licenses
Board Certifications
Fellowships
Hospital Affiliations
Languages Spoken
Gender
Insurance
Accepted insurance can change. Please verify directly with the provider.
Accepted insurance plans:
- EPO
- HMO
- PPO
- HMO
- INSURANCE PLAN
- MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
- MEDICARE MAPD
- MEDICARE PDP
- OTHER COMMERCIAL
- OTHER MEDICARE PART D
- HMO
- POS
- HMO
- INDEMNITY
- POS
- PPO
- OTHER MEDICAID
- STATE MEDICAID
- INSURANCE PLAN
- MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
- MEDICARE MAPD
- MEDICARE PDP
- MEDICARE SNP
- MEDICARE-MEDICAID PLAN
- OTHER MEDICARE PART D
- EPO
- PPO
- MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
- MEDICARE MAPD
Locations
622 West 168th Street, Floor 14, New York, NY 10032
Additional Areas of Focus
Dr. Wattacheril has provided the following conditions as areas of focus. Please note that we may not have enough data to validate their experience in some of these conditions.
Clinical Research
Clinical research consists of overseeing clinical studies of patients undergoing new treatments and therapies, and publishing articles in peer reviewed medical journals. Providers who actively participate in clinical research are generally at the forefront of the fields and aware of the most up-to-date advances in treatments for their patients.
4 Clinical Trials
CUIMC/Presbyterian Hospital And Vanderbilt Clinic
Dr. Gene Im is a transplant hepatologist and the Director of the Alcohol-associated Liver Disease Program at Columbia known as ADAPT (Advanced inter-Disciplinary Alcohol liver Program and Treatment), a patient-centered, integrated care and research program for patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). ADAPT is one of only a few integrated ALD clinics in the country.Dr. Im is an internationally recognized expert in ALD, including alcohol-associated hepatitis and liver transplantation based on his clinical focus and research achievements. He has co-authored several practice-changing articles, including the 2019 ALD Practice Guidance from AASLD, the 2024 MetALD Expert Position Statement, and the first experience of early liver transplantation for alcohol-associated hepatitis in North America.Currently, he is the Vice-Chair of the AASLD ALD Special Interest Group and serves on the Editorial Board for the journal Liver Transplantation. Dr. Im is also the founder of ALD-ALLY (Alcohol-associated Liver Disease patients deserve ALcohol LiteracY), an annual conference focused on actionable initiatives for advancing the science and care of patients with alcohol use disorder and ALD (www.ald-ally.com)Dr. Im is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation and Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases at Columbia University. Dr. Im is highly rated in 21 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hepatitis, Alcoholic Cirrhosis, Liver Failure, Liver Transplant, and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery.
Atlantic Medical Group Gastroenterology At Summit
Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos is a Transplant Surgeon and a Gastroenterologist in Summit, New Jersey. Dr. Pyrsopoulos is highly rated in 23 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Liver Failure, Hepatorenal Syndrome, Hepatitis, Liver Transplant, and Endoscopy. Dr. Pyrsopoulos is currently accepting new patients.
CUIMC/Herbert Irving Pavilion
Bo Shen, MD, is one of the world’s pre-eminent leaders in interventional inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pouch-related disorders due to his specialized expertise and experience treating a wide range of these conditions. Dr. Shen is the director of the IBD Center at Columbia and co-director of Columbia’s Global Center for Integrated Colorectal Surgery and IBD Interventional Endoscopy. He is also the Vice Chair for Innovation in Medicine and Surgery and a Professor of Medicine (in Surgery) and Edelman-Jarislowsky Professor in Surgical Sciences.In addition to pouchitis and pouch diseases, Dr. Shen specializes in critical diagnostic evaluation, and medical and endoscopic management of IBD, GI endoscopy and imaging technology. Dr. Shen is known as a pioneer in interventional endoscopic therapy for IBD and ileal pouch disorders - this includes postponing or eliminating the need for surgery in some cases.Dr. Shen comes to Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian from the Cleveland Clinic, where he served as medical director for the Center of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and the Ed and Joey Story Endowed Chair, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute. While there, Dr. Shen established a subspecialty Pouchitis Clinic and Interventional IBD Unite - the first and largest of its kind in the United States. He also created an IBD Board, modeled after oncology tumor boards, to help manage the most challenging cases with multiple specialists.A prolific researcher in the field with more than 600 peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Shen is funded by a number of government and philanthropic organizations, including the NIH, the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, the Broad Foundation, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Dr. Shen is highly rated in 35 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Crohn's Disease, Viral Gastroenteritis, Colitis, Ileostomy, and Endoscopy.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril
How do I make an appointment with Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril?
You can book an appointment with Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril by calling their office at 212-305-0914. MediFind provides direct contact information so you can schedule visits, second opinions, or consultations without navigating third-party calendars.
Is Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril a top-rated expert for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
MediFind is an objective health platform that identifies experts based on real-world data. Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril is classified as an Distinguished expert for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, meaning they are among the top experts in the country for this condition. This ranking is based on their volume of patients, published research, and peer connections.
What conditions does Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril specialize in?
While Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril is a Gastroenterology, they have specific expertise in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Visceromegaly, and Enlarged Liver. MediFind analyzes a doctor's articles and referral patterns to identify their specific areas of focus within Gastroenterology.
Does Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril participate in research or clinical trials?
Yes. Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril has published 33 articles and abstracts on conditions like Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. You can view a list of Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril's latest peer-reviewed publications and clinical trial participation on their profile to see if they are active in new treatments.
Does Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril accept my insurance?
Dr. Julia J. Wattacheril accepts most major insurance plans, including Cigna and EmblemHealth. We recommend calling the office directly at 212-305-0914 to verify that your specific plan is currently accepted before your visit.
Areas of Expertise
MediFind evaluates expertise by pulling from factors such as number of articles a doctor has published in medical journals, participation in clinical trials, speaking at industry conferences, prescribing and referral patterns, and strength of connections with other experts in their field.
Learn more about MediFind’s expert tiers
- Distinguished
- Enlarged LiverDr. Wattacheril isDistinguished. Learn about Enlarged Liver.
- Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseDr. Wattacheril isDistinguished. Learn about Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
- VisceromegalyDr. Wattacheril isDistinguished. Learn about Visceromegaly.
- Advanced
- Alcoholic CirrhosisDr. Wattacheril isAdvanced. Learn about Alcoholic Cirrhosis.
- Banti's SyndromeDr. Wattacheril isAdvanced. Learn about Banti's Syndrome.
- CirrhosisDr. Wattacheril isAdvanced. Learn about Cirrhosis.
- Esophageal VaricesDr. Wattacheril isAdvanced. Learn about Esophageal Varices.
- HepatitisDr. Wattacheril isAdvanced. Learn about Hepatitis.
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)Dr. Wattacheril isAdvanced. Learn about Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).
- Experienced
- AscitesDr. Wattacheril isExperienced. Learn about Ascites.
- Autoimmune HepatitisDr. Wattacheril isExperienced. Learn about Autoimmune Hepatitis.
- Caroli DiseaseDr. Wattacheril isExperienced. Learn about Caroli Disease.
- CholangitisDr. Wattacheril isExperienced. Learn about Cholangitis.
- EndoscopyDr. Wattacheril isExperienced. Learn about Endoscopy.
- Fibrolamellar CarcinomaDr. Wattacheril isExperienced. Learn about Fibrolamellar Carcinoma.



