David N. Assis

Dr. David N. Assis is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases) and Program Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship at Yale School of Medicine. His clinical focus includes autoimmune and cholestatic liver diseases, such as autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). He also treats cystic fibrosis-related liver complications and is co-director of Yale’s Autoimmune and Cholestatic Liver Diseases Program.

Dr. Assis holds an MD from Jefferson Medical College and completed residency and chief residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. His postgraduate training includes gastroenterology and hepatology fellowships at Yale School of Medicine, with a focus on translational research. His research investigates the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in autoimmune hepatitis, bile-derived organoids in PSC, and the impact of psychological stress on liver disease.

He is actively involved in professional organizations, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), where he co-chairs the writing group for PSC guidance. His awards include the 2014 Kushlan Junior Faculty Award and recognition as a Connecticut’s Best Doctor in 2019.

• Education: MD (Jefferson Medical College, 2005), BS (Messiah College, 2001).
• Certifications: Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, and Transplant Hepatology (ABIM).
• Leadership: Member of PSC Partners Seeking a Cure and Autoimmune Hepatitis Association.

His research spans clinical trials for PSC and PBC treatments, including studies on all-trans retinoic acid and organoid models. He also contributes to cystic fibrosis liver disease guidelines and translational research in exome sequencing for liver diagnostics.