Dr. Nancy L. Ascher

Dr. Jennifer C. Lai is a general and transplant hepatologist who specializes in caring for patients with chronic viral hepatitis, autoimmune disorders or cirrhosis, particularly those awaiting liver transplantation. Lai is active in patient-oriented research in three major areas: integrating core geriatric issues – such as frailty, disability, need for palliative care and multimorbidity (having more than one disease) – to patients with cirrhosis, investigating disparities in organ allocation and distribution, and assessing the impact of liver donor quality on outcomes. As principal investigator for the Functional Assessment in Liver Transplantation (FrAILT) Study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Lai applies measures of frailty and functional status to patients with end-stage liver disease awaiting transplantation. Her research lays the groundwork for preparing these patients with therapeutic interventions that may improve their outcomes and quality of life. She is director of hepatology research at UCSF. Lai earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and combined medical and master of business administration degrees from Tufts University. She completed her residency at New York–Presbyterian Hospital and fellowships in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology at UCSF. Lai is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Society of Transplantation, American Gastroenterological Association and American College of Gastroenterology. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Lai is highly rated in 23 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Liver Failure, Ascites, Cirrhosis, Liver Transplant, and Kidney Transplant.

Aijaz Ahmed is a Transplant Surgeon in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Ahmed is highly rated in 32 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hepatitis, Hepatitis C, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Liver Transplant, and Hepatectomy.

Dr. Steven Hays, a pulmonologist, is medical director of the UCSF Lung Transplant Program, which is known for accepting patients with complex conditions while maintaining superior survival rates. His expertise is in caring for patients with end-stage lung disease who proceed through the lung transplant process. He treats conditions that include cystic fibrosis, emphysema associated with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and interstitial lung disease. In research, Hays focuses on studying how airway remodeling occurs in the transplanted lung. Hays earned his medical degree at the University of Kansas. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UCSF. He also completed a lung transplant fellowship at Stanford Health Care. Dr. Hays is highly rated in 15 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, Acute Interstitial Pneumonia, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Cystic Fibrosis, and Lung Transplant.