Therese Bittermann

Therese Bittermann, MD, MSCE is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, affiliated with the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics. Her research focuses on improving liver transplantation practices through analysis of organ allocation policies, immunosuppression management, and post-transplant outcomes. Funded by NIH grants and the Fred & Suzanne Biesecker Pediatric Liver Center, her work addresses disparities in access to care and long-term patient survival. She holds a BA from Northwestern University, an MD from Drexel University College of Medicine, and an MS from the University of Pennsylvania.

Research priorities include studying geographic and socioeconomic factors affecting living donor liver transplantation rates, the impact of immunosuppression regimens on cancer risk, and pediatric transplant outcomes. Her NIH K08 award supports investigation into post-transplant infection risks using Medicare claims data. Grants from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases enable exploration of exception points in pediatric transplantation prioritization.

Key achievements include demonstrating how neighborhood-level social determinants predict living donor utilization, identifying financial barriers to living donation, and revealing how psychosocial risk factors influence transplant candidacy. Over 30 peer-reviewed articles highlight her contributions to understanding MELD scoring accuracy, sarcopenic obesity's role in liver regeneration, and the association between homelessness and cirrhosis outcomes.

Professional accolades include three cycles of pilot funding from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Biesecker Center and two NIH Loan Repayment Program awards. Her translational research bridges clinical practice and policy, aiming to optimize resource allocation while reducing health disparities in transplantation.