About the Section of Digestive Diseases

Our program has a long history of excellence in clinical care, research, and education. Over 50 years ago, we formed one of the nation’s first sections of hepatology and then gastroenterology. Our impact on fundamental and clinical investigation in digestive and liver disorders continues to grow and endure. We currently offer comprehensive clinical and research programs in a broad array of gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

The section is home to the Yale Liver Center, one of the premier centers of liver research in the world. First established and funded in 1984, the Yale Liver Center is one of only a few National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported liver centers in the United States.

Our clinical program is similarly accomplished. For example, our Center for Advanced Endoscopy is among the busiest interventional endoscopy programs in the Northeast. We perform complex advanced procedures not done elsewhere in the state.

We also provide training to nearly two dozen fellows in our ACGME-accredited GI fellowship program (including clinical and NIH-sponsored research fellows) and advanced fellows in liver transplantation, interventional endoscopy, and inflammatory bowel disease.

We have some of the most renowned physicians and scientists in the world, including recent presidents of the major U.S. gastroenterology and hepatology organizations, including the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

We are committed to advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology and hepatology by translating laboratory and clinical investigation into cutting-edge, state-of-the-art patient care.

Digestive Diseases at Yale traces its roots back to 1938 when Samuel Kushlan, MD, established a gastroenterology unit at New Haven Hospital (the precursor to Yale New Haven Hospital).

In 1941, he was the first to perform GI endoscopy in Connecticut. In 1947, Gerald Klatskin, MD, performed the first liver biopsy at Yale. Shortly after, he founded the Liver Study Unit – the first in the country – at Yale School of Medicine.

In 1955, Howard Spiro, MD, established and directed the Gastroenterology unit at Yale School of Medicine. In 1982, James Boyer, MD, who trained under Klatskin, combined the Liver and Gastroenterology units into the Section of Digestive Diseases. Boyer was chief of the combined section for nearly 15 years, followed by James Anderson, MD, PhD, and Michael Nathanson, MD, PhD. The current chief is Loren Laine, MD.

The section has long been and continues to be at the forefront nationwide regarding research, clinical care, and education. Many of the people who completed fellowships here have become section chiefs, department chairs, and deans. Our faculty members have received the most prestigious awards in our field, including the AGA Friedenwald Award, the AASLD Distinguished Achievement Award, and the Distinguished Achievement Award in Basic Science from the AGA.

We are committed to building on our history to remain a leader in research, patient care, and education.