Dr. Anna Mae Diehl is a distinguished physician scientist and leading authority in hepatology whose career has spanned more than three decades of groundbreaking research in liver disease. She currently holds the prestigious Florence McAlister Distinguished Professorship of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine while maintaining active roles as an Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center and Member of the Duke Cancer Institute. After earning her MD from Georgetown University in 1978, she completed her medical residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, establishing the foundation for her exceptional career at the intersection of clinical care and scientific discovery. Her dual expertise as both a practicing hepatologist and laboratory researcher has positioned her uniquely to translate fundamental biological insights into clinical applications for patients with liver disease.
Dr. Diehl's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced understanding in two critical areas of liver pathobiology: the immune system's regulation of liver injury and regeneration, and the reactivation of fetal developmental pathways in adult liver repair processes. Her laboratory was among the first to identify the crucial role of hedgehog signaling in liver fibrogenesis and steatohepatitis progression, discoveries that have reshaped scientific understanding of how chronic liver damage leads to cirrhosis and cancer. Through an iterative bedside-to-bench-to-bedside approach, her team has uncovered critical mechanisms involving innate immune dysregulation, microbiome abnormalities, and cell death mediators in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, providing the conceptual foundation for novel therapeutic strategies now in multi-center clinical trials. Remarkably, her basic research programs have enjoyed continuous NIH support since 1989, reflecting the sustained significance and impact of her work on the field of hepatology.
Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Diehl has played a pivotal role in shaping the clinical and scientific landscape of liver disease through leadership in major research networks including the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network. She actively mentors the next generation of physician scientists through Duke's CTSA K12 Program and other training initiatives, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to complex liver disorders. Currently, her research focuses on targeting hepatocyte senescence to improve outcomes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, exploring how cellular aging processes contribute to disease progression and potential therapeutic interventions. As she continues to lead innovative clinical trials and translational research programs in sclerosing cholangitis, cirrhosis, and fatty liver diseases, her work remains instrumental in developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to prevent the progression to end-stage liver disease.
