Estella M Alonso

Estella M Alonso is the Sally Burnett Searle Professor of Pediatric Transplantation and a Professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) and Medical Social Sciences (Outcome and Measurement Science). She serves as Medical Director of the Siragusa Transplant Center and Vice Chair for the Department of Pediatrics at Lurie Children's Hospital.

• Education: MD from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (1985), Residency at McGaw Medical Center (1988), Fellowship at University of Chicago Hospital (1990).

Research Focus: Her work centers on health outcomes after pediatric liver transplantation and acute liver failure, examining survival, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), cognitive outcomes, long-term immunosuppressive complications, and immunosuppression withdrawal trials. She leads the Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Network and ancillary studies.

Recent Publications highlight advancements in liver disease assessment (e.g., histologic scoring systems, shear wave elastography) and clinical challenges like frailty in pediatric liver disease and bacterial infections preceding transplants. These studies emphasize patient outcomes, diagnostic tools, and post-transplant care.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Murray Davidson Award (2021)
  • Inaugural AASLD Fellow (2014)

Labs & Institutes: Affiliated with the Center for Human Immunobiology, Comprehensive Transplant Center, IPHAM - Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes, NUCATS, and Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute.