Zhi Zhong named to highest honor of the FAASLD

Zhi Zhong, professor of drug discovery and biomedical sciences, was recently elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (FAASLD).

AASLD is the leading organization of scientists and health care professionals committed to preventing, curing, and understanding liver disease. This is the highest honor for AASLD members and ‘recognizes superior professional achievement in clinical or academic practice, and in basic or clinical research. It is awarded to members (physicians, scientists, researchers or health care providers) who have made a significant contribution to the knowledge and/or practice of liver and biliary diseases, and who are considered leaders in the field.”

A highly respected scientist, Zhong's research interest lie in alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver diseases; ischemia/reperfusion-, cholestasis-, and drug-induced liver injury; and free radical production and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Last year, Zhong and John Lemasters, GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Endowed Chair and professor of drug discovery and biomedical science, were awarded a new grant to advance research on alcoholic liver disease and mitochondria. The five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was a competitive renewal grant, allowing Zhong to continue research first funded in 2018.