Lisa B. VanWagner

Lisa B. VanWagner, M.D., M.Sc., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, serving as Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases and Director of the Clinical Scientist Training Program. She specializes in metabolic dysfunction-associated liver diseases (MASLD/MASH) and liver transplantation, with a focus on cardiovascular risk mitigation. Dr. VanWagner holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Virginia, with advanced training in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology.

• Education: B.A. Psychology (Northwestern University), M.D. (University of Virginia), M.Sc. Clinical Investigation (Northwestern University)
• Research Interests: Cardiometabolic disease prediction in chronic liver patients, liver-heart interaction, health services research, and electronic health record analytics.

Her work has been recognized by awards from AASLD, EASL, AST, and AHA. She has authored over 160 manuscripts and secured NIH, foundation, and industry funding. Dr. VanWagner leads professional organizations including the AASLD and AHA, and her lab focuses on population-based approaches to liver disease and cardiovascular risk.

Notable achievements include defining geographic disparities in NAFLD care, developing cardiac risk assessment tools for transplant candidates, and advancing consensus guidelines for heart-liver transplantation. She also addresses social determinants of health in liver disease outcomes, emphasizing equity in access to transplant evaluation.