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Michael Schilsky, MD

Professor of Medicine
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Additional Titles

Medical Director, Adult Liver Transplant, Yale New Haven Transplantation Center

Contact Info

Yale School of Medicine

Department of Medicine (Digestive Diseases), PO Box 208019

New Haven, CT 06520-8019

United States

About

Titles

Professor of Medicine

Medical Director, Adult Liver Transplant, Yale New Haven Transplantation Center

Biography

Michael Schilsky, MD, became medical director of liver transplantation at Yale New Haven Hospital in 2007, with appointments in medicine and surgery at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Schilsky received his medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his residency and fellowship in gastroenterology and research training in liver diseases at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center. His clinical and research interests include transplant hepatology, inherited metabolic disorders of the liver, Wilson disease and hemochromatosis. Dr. Schilsky previously served as director of the liver medicine clinic at the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center and medical director for liver transplantation at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he developed a comprehensive program for the care and evaluation of liver transplant patients. Dr. Schilsky coauthored the AASLD practice guidelines for Wilson disease and is author of numerous original manuscripts and reviews.

Appointments

Education & Training

Fellow
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1989)
Fellow
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1987)
Resident
Bronx Municipal Hospital Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1985)
MD
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (1982)
BS
SUNY at Stonybrook (1978)

Research

Overview

I am an investigator in clinical trials for patients with Wilson disease, including the testing of once daily use of trientine for maintenance therapy, study of the novel agent WTX 101 (choline-tetrathiomolybdate), a head-to-head trial of trientine tetrahydrochloride and D-penicillamine for Wilson disease, studies on bioavailable (non-ceruloplasmin bound) copper and gene therapy for Wilson disease. I am also the lead and organizing investigator for the multicenter multinational registry for Wilson disease based out of Yale University.


Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Copper; Liver Failure, Acute; Liver Transplantation

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Michael Schilsky's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    American Liver Foundation

  • activity

    Wilson's Disease Association

  • activity

    Yale New Haven Hospital

  • activity

    Yale New Haven Transplantation Center

  • honor

    Honorary Professorship

Clinical Care

Overview

Michael Schilsky, MD, is the medical director of Adult Liver Transplant at Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center. He is an internationally recognized expert in Wilson disease, a rare genetic disorder in which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body.

Dr. Schilsky says he was drawn to the study and treatment of Wilson disease because of its complexity, and he is optimistic about the growing promise of new treatments that can help patients with this difficult medical condition. “Wilson disease can be hard to diagnose as it can present with a constellation of symptoms, but once considered we have great tools now to establish the diagnosis and treat this disorder,” he says. “The future is very bright. We hope to have a cure someday, perhaps by genetic therapy. In the meantime, new innovations and medications being tested in clinical trials are truly helping patients.”

An advisor to the Wilson Disease Association, Dr. Schilsky helped write guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder for both the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease and the European Association for Liver Disease. Here in the Northeast, Yale is the only Center of Excellence designated by the Wilson Disease Association. We are one of a limited number of sites worldwide to participate in a clinical trial for a promising new therapy for Wilson disease, an oral medication known as WTX101.

Left untreated, Wilson disease can cause advanced liver disease or acute liver failure. Dr. Schilsky specializes in managing these challenging cases, including those caused by other metabolic liver diseases. If a liver transplant is required (these are performed at Yale-New Haven Hospital) Dr. Schilsky cares for patients both before and after the surgery. Dr. Schilsky is also a professor of medicine (digestive diseases) and surgery (transplant and immunology) at Yale School of Medicine.

Clinical Specialties

Hepatology

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Gastroenterology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1987
  • Internal Medicine

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1985

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Appointment Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Yale School of Medicine

Department of Medicine (Digestive Diseases), PO Box 208019

New Haven, CT 06520-8019

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

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