Dr. Neil Kaplowitz stands as a preeminent authority in hepatology and liver disease research with a distinguished career spanning over five decades at the forefront of medical science. He currently holds the prestigious position of Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Gastrointestinal Division at the Center for Liver Disease Research at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Kaplowitz serves as Director of the USC NIDDK-sponsored Research Center for Liver Diseases and holds the USC Associates/Thomas H. Brem Chair in Medicine and Budnick Chair in Liver Disease, demonstrating his exceptional standing in academic medicine. His academic journey began with medical training at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, followed by residency at Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital, establishing the foundation for his transformative contributions to hepatic pathophysiology.
Dr. Kaplowitz has made pioneering contributions that have fundamentally advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying drug-induced liver injury and hepatotoxicity, elucidating critical pathways related to drug elimination, liver defense systems, and the regulation of hepatocyte life and death. His groundbreaking research on glutathione metabolism, oxidative stress, and the toxicity of oxygen metabolites has transformed the field's comprehension of liver disease pathogenesis, with particular emphasis on the significance of ER and mitochondrial stress in hepatic injury. With an impressive scholarly record encompassing more than 175 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 120 scholarly reviews, and nine edited books on liver diseases, his work has garnered over 54,000 citations, reflecting its profound impact on both basic science and clinical hepatology. Dr. Kaplowitz's investigations into homocysteine, ER stress, and alcoholic liver injury have provided crucial insights that continue to inform therapeutic approaches for liver disorders worldwide.
Recognized with numerous prestigious honors including the AASLD Distinguished Achievement Award, the William S. Middleton Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and election to both the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, Dr. Kaplowitz's influence extends far beyond his laboratory. As director of the USC Research Center for Liver Diseases, he has fostered an exceptionally productive research environment that has trained generations of hepatologists and advanced the field through collaborative scientific inquiry. His current work focuses on developing sophisticated computational models of drug-induced liver injury that promise to revolutionize prediction and mechanistic understanding of this critical clinical problem, with applications spanning academia, pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory agencies. Dr. Kaplowitz continues to lead innovative research exploring signal transduction pathways in liver injury while mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists, ensuring his legacy of excellence in hepatology will endure for decades to come.
