Liver Excellence Gala - Liver Coalition of San Diego

With great pride, we have hosted our annual Liver Excellence Gala to honor those making a difference in the liver community! Previously, the Flavors of San Diego was recognized as the premier culinary fundraiser in San Diego benefiting the liver community. The last Flavors of San Diego was held in 2019. Last year, Flavors Chef Jeffrey Strauss with Pamplemousse Grille created an extraordinary culinary experience for us and will be returning for this year’s Gala!

Most importantly, we are excited to be honoring excellence in the field while bringing the liver disease community together. Three awards will be presented this year to honor those making a difference in our community.

Funds raised through the Liver Excellence Gala continues a three-decade tradition of supporting local impact. These efforts continue through the Liver Coalition of San Diego whose mission is to save lives by improving liver health and preventing liver disease through community-based education, linkages to care, advocacy, and research programs.

EVENT DETAILS

Event Date: Sunday, October 20, 2024

Location: Don Room at El Cortez,
702 Ash St, San Diego, CA 92101

Time: 5:00PM – 9:30PM

Event Attire: Cocktail

2024 award recipients

Physician of the Year

Gabriel Schnickel, MD

The Physician of the Year Award has been established to recognize an outstanding clinician and leader in the field of liver disease.

Gabriel Schnickel, MD, MPH, is a board-certified surgeon specializing in liver and kidney transplantation. His expertise also includes treating liver cancer, bile duct cancer, liver cysts, and benign liver tumors.

Dr. Schnickel has served as the Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation at UC San Diego's Division of Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery since 2017. UC San Diego Health's liver transplantation team is the region's leader in transplantation, with over 25 years of experience performing transplants using livers from deceased and living donors. They performed 148 liver transplants in 2023, demonstrating their expertise in achieving a high volume of transplants safely and successfully. Through a joint liver transplantation program with Sharp HealthCare, they receive referrals from across the nation and internationally, helping more patients throughout the community.

As a professor in the Department of Surgery, Dr. Schnickel instructs medical students, residents, and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. His research interests focus on transforming organ donation and allocation in the United States and exploring the interface between organ donation and contemplative sciences. He also serves as the executive director of the nascent UC San Diego REIMAGINE Center.

Dr. Schnickel has co-authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, with his work appearing in journals such as The American Journal of Transplantation, Liver Transplantation, Transplantation, and The Journal of Immunology, among others.

He received his medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 2001 and completed his general surgery residency at UCLA. He further specialized with a fellowship in Abdominal Transplant Surgery at UCLA from 2009 to 2011. His commitment to public health is evidenced by his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan, obtained in 2015.

Dr. Schnickel is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.

Dr. Schnickel joined other medical leaders, patients, and caregivers to form the Liver Coalition of San Diego in 2020, where he serves as the Chair of the Medical Advisory Council. He also serves as a National Medical Advisor for the American Liver Foundation, a national voice on liver disease.

Outside of work, Dr. Schnickel enjoys cycling, skiing, and spending time with his family. He can often be seen walking with his family at the San Diego Liver Walk.

It is our honor to present Dr. Gabriel Schnickel with the Physician of the Year Award.

PAST Physician of the Year & PHYSICIAN LEGACY AWARD recipients

Physicians who have done outstanding clinical work and demonstrated leadership in the field of liver disease.

2023	*Dr. Paul Pockros	Scripps Translational Science Institute
2019	Dr. Christian Ramers	Family Health Centers of San Diego
2018	Dr. John Person	Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group
2017	Dr. Catherine Frenette	Scripps Green Hospital
2015	Dr. Rohit Loomba	UC San Diego Health
2014	Dr. Tarek Hassanein	Southern California Liver Centers
2013	Dr. Paul Pockros	Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation
2012	Dr. Lisa Nyberg	Kaiser Permanente – San Diego Medical Center
2011	Dr. Christopher Marsh	Scripps Green Hospital and Scripps Clinic

* The Physician Legacy Award, building off the Physician of the Year award, was established to recognize an outstanding clinician and leader in the field of liver disease.

Innovations Award: Gilead Sciences

The Innovations Award was created to recognize innovation in the life sciences sector for treatment advances of liver disease.

Gilead Sciences is being recognized for their commitment to drive life-changing science and create healthier futures for people living with liver disease. Their investment in key liver disease indications from primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV), hepatitis C (HCV), chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)/Fibrosis Studies, speaks to Gilead Science’s dedication to deliver novel medicines to populations with high unmet medical need.

We are proud to present this year’s Innovations Award to Gilead Sciences.

PAST Innovations Award recipients

Recognizing innovation in the life sciences sector for treatment advances of liver disease.

2023	Intercept	Intercept was recognized for their focus on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat rare and serious liver diseases, including primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (sAH). With their expertise, they had made key discoveries in the field of liver health. While advancing treatments for rare and serious liver diseases, we applauded Intercept’s belief that treatment goals should aim to prevent end-stage liver disease and in turn increase transplant-free survival. The award was accepted by Mary Erickson, Vice President, Clinical Research, Translational Medicine.
2023	ProSciento	ProSciento was recognized as a leading scientific voice and contributor to advancements in new therapeutics and devices for metabolic diseases. ProSciento’s establishment of novel approaches fueled by data and analytics that improved nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) research that supported the development of critically needed therapeutics for patients. In addition to their unparalleled NASH trial experience, ProSciento’s NASH PASS linked patients with NAFLD/NASH clinical studies. Additionally, through their Metabolic Continuum Roundtable Forums, ProSciento brought together leading voices to facilitate advances in science, clinical research, and patient care for NASH. The award was accepted by Marcus Hompesch, CEO and Chairman of the Board
2019	Retrophin	Retrophin was recognized for their focus on the development and commercialization of bile sulfur to treat bile acid synthesis disorders, and other genetic pediatric liver diseases. Additionally, Retrophin has done pediatric patients with undiagnosed cholestasis a huge favor by offering the Emory Genetic Cholestasis Panel, which tests for the 68 genes now associated with cholestasis, for free. The award was accepted by accepted by Eric Dube, CEO.
2018	BIOCOM	BIOCOM was recognized for their leadership with the passage of the Protect Medical Innovation Act and for supporting California’s life science sector as it makes vital investments to find treatments and cures for liver disease. The award was accepted by Joe Panetta, CEO.
2017	Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.	Conatus Pharmaceuticals was recognized for their focus on the development and commercialization of medicines to treat liver disease, especially NASH and NAFLD. The award was accepted by Steven Mento, PhD.

Dr. Anders Nyberg Volunteer of the Year

Richard Jaenisch, MPH

The Dr. Anders Nyberg Volunteer of the Year Award was created to recognize those who embody the values of compassion and dedication of service to the liver community.

This award is named to honor the memory of Anders Nyberg, MD, PhD, a physician with Kaiser Permanente who was well known in the patient and caregiver community for his compassion, caring nature, and approachability.  He was humble, but accomplished, and known for his values of excellence and integrity. He was adored by his patients and received countless awards for his patient care and clinical research. With these shared qualities, this award was first presented in October of 2023 in his memory to honor those who share the same values in supporting the liver disease community in San Diego County.  Dr. Anders Nyberg passed away on March 14, 2023.

At age 12, Rick was diagnosed with hepatitis C, a result of vertical transmission from his mother at birth. Despite various treatments, his high viral load would not relent, and ultimately, he received a liver transplant at age 30. Following the transplant, he was prescribed newer medications tailored to his specific strain of HCV, and 18 years after his initial diagnosis, he was cured.

Rick channeled his lived experience into advocacy, writing articles for numerous outlets, serving as a peer counselor, meeting with legislators, speaking at events, and raising funds through the local liver walk. In 2018, he agreed to chair the Consumer Committee for the Eliminate Hepatitis C San Diego Initiative, a public-private partnership between the County and community stakeholders. Over the next few years, he completed his Master’s in Public Health focused on Epidemics and Global Health, and got married.

Rick continues his work with the Eliminate Hepatitis C San Diego Initiative as an active Task Force member. He has also become a member of the Board of Directors of the Liver Coalition and advocates for increased funding for Hepatitis C. This year, Rick was selected to serve on AASLD’s Patient Advisory Group.

We are proud to present the Dr. Anders Nyberg Volunteer of the Year Award to Richard Jaenisch, MPH.

PAST Dr. Anders Nyberg Volunteer of the Year Recipients

This award was created to recognize those who embody the values of compassion and dedication of service to the liver community.

2023

Rita McCrerey

As a caregiver, Rita was inspired by both Dr. Anders Nyberg and his wife Dr. Lisa Nyberg to get involved in liver-related community organizations.  She started volunteering with LifeSharing Donate Life Organization and the local liver advocacy organization in 2005, serving as board president during a period of revitalization and then again with the organization reformed as the Liver Coalition of San Diego. Rita currently serves as the Board President as the organization celebrates its third-year anniversary.

Christie Media Award: San Diego Physician

The Christie Media Award recognizes outstanding journalism that promotes liver health, raises awareness of key issues, and educates about liver diseases.

This award is named to honor the memory of former Board Member Brian Christie, who joined our leadership on December 5, 2016, this award celebrates his openness about his life, his numerous professional achievements—including over a decade as CNN’s primary anchor and local anchoring at KUSI—and his courageous battle against Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). Brian passed away on January 17, 2021.

San Diego Physician, official publication of San Diego County Medical Society, is being recognized for their vision ‘Physicians United for a Healthy San Diego’. With a membership of over 4,600, the monthly publication has partnered with physicians from the liver community to publish a series of medical educational articles on hepatitis C (published in September 2019, September 2022, and June 2023) and its recent article on Alcohol Use Disorder and Liver Disease (September 2024).

We are proud to present the Christie Media Award to San Diego Physician, official publication of the San Diego County Medical Society.

PAST Christie Media Award Recipients

This award recognizes outstanding journalism that promotes liver health, raises awareness of key issues and educates about liver diseases.

2023	Paul Sisson	In honor of their journalistic pursuits of promoting awareness of hepatitis C in San Diego and the work they put into their article: Hepatitis C is curable and efforts are ramping up in San Diego County to eliminate the disease, published in The San Diego Union-Tribue on August 11, 2023.
2023	Blake Nelson

Below is the menu Chef Jeffrey Strauss with Pamplemousse Grille created last year...

what will he be creating for us this year?

Starters

Mini Duck Tacos with Hoisin Sauce
Tempura Rock Shrimp with Plum Wine Sauce
Tiny Kobe Burgers with Truffle Cheese
Vegan Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

With wine pairing selected by Chef Strauss

First Course

Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad, Baby Arugula, Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette, Micro Flowers, Herb Buttered Toast

Second Course

Red Wine Braised Short Rib "Osso Buco" Style, Saffron Risotto Cake, Melange of Fall Vegetables, Gremolata Sauce
Vegan: Artichoke Bottom with Ragout of Beluga Lentils & Ratatouille, Melange of Fall Vegetables

Dessert

Passionfruit Tart with Coconut Meringue, Berry Compote

Evening Program

5:00 PM - Registration Opens & Reception Starts
6:00 PM - Seated for Dinner
6:15 PM - Welcome and Opening Remarks
6:20 PM - Chef’s First Course with Wine Pairing
6:45 PM - 2024 Awards Presentation - The Christie Media Award
6:50 PM - Chef’s Second Course with Wine Pairing
7:15 PM - 2024 Awards Presentation - Dr. Anders Nyberg Volunteer of the Year Award
7:30 PM - 2024 Award Presentation - Innovations Award
7:40 PM - Chef’s Dessert with Wine Pairing
7:45 PM - 2024 Award Presentation - Physician of the Year Award
8:45 PM - Closing Remarks