Liver Awareness Foundation at the Canadian Liver Meeting 2026
Liver Awareness Foundation at the Canadian Liver Meeting 2026
Liver Awareness Foundation at the Canadian Liver Meeting 2026
Liver Awareness Foundation joined clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, and leaders from across Canada at the Canadian Liver Meeting (CDDW-CLM 2026).
Our Founder and President, Vanessa Wojtala, spoke at the meeting on “Transforming Lived Experience into Liver Health Advocacy,” sharing her experience building Liver Awareness Foundation and the role lived experience can play in liver health education, awareness, and advocacy.
Transforming Lived Experience Into Liver Health Advocacy
Vanessa’s presentation explored how lived experience can contribute to the way liver disease is understood and communicated.
Drawing from her own experience with alcohol-associated liver disease, liver failure, and recovery, Vanessa spoke about the gaps in liver health awareness she experienced as a young adult and how those experiences ultimately influenced the creation and direction of Liver Awareness Foundation.
Her presentation also addressed the importance of working alongside clinical expertise while ensuring the experiences of people directly affected by liver disease remain represented in education and advocacy.
Continuing the Conversation on Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease
The Canadian Liver Meeting brought together experts working across liver disease research, clinical care, public health, and policy.
Following the session “Future Directions in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: From Biology to Policy,” Vanessa had the opportunity to continue these conversations with clinicians, researchers, and leaders working in alcohol-associated liver disease, including members of Liver Awareness Foundation’s clinical leadership.
For Liver Awareness Foundation, these discussions are particularly relevant to our work addressing stigma surrounding alcohol-associated liver disease and improving liver health awareness among young adults.
Bringing Young Adult Liver Health Into the Conversation
Liver Awareness Foundation works to make liver health easier for young adults to understand before serious disease develops.
Our work combines education, lived experience, and clinical insight to address liver disease risks, improve awareness of early detection, and reduce the stigma that can prevent open conversations about liver health.
Participating in the Canadian Liver Meeting provided an opportunity to bring that perspective into a national meeting alongside the clinicians, researchers, and organizations working to advance liver health in Canada.
It also marked an important moment for Liver Awareness Foundation as we continue building relationships across the liver community and expanding the role young adult education and lived experience can play in the future of liver health.
Mind Your Liver. It Needs You.®
