MIND YOUR LIVER. IT NEEDS YOU. ™
We bring together clinical expertise, bold advocacy, media strategy, and lived experience to lead a new era in liver health. United by purpose and powered by a shared vision: rewriting the future of liver health for this generation and the ones to come.
mind your liver. it needs you. ™
Vanessa is the founder and creative force of the Liver Awareness Foundation.
Vanessa’s commitment to liver health advocacy began after facing sudden catastrophic liver failure in 2022, thousands of miles from home. Determined to understand her prognosis, Vanessa immersed herself in learning about liver function, diseases, and lifestyle medicine. As a survivor of liver failure, alcohol-related hepatitis, and stage 4 cirrhosis, she confronted life or death, and that personal journey profoundly transformed her, shaping her unwavering dedication to this cause. With a background in multimedia journalism, sports marketing, and digital entrepreneurship, Vanessa is committed to living an alcohol-free life (including wine!). Her journey of determination and resilience has motivated her to educate and empower others about liver health. Vanessa is LAF’s lead strategist and collaborates with health professionals and communities to support individuals on their lifestyle journeys. Passionate about advocating for those affected by alcohol-related liver disease and mental health disorders, she embodies LAF’s core principle: Mind Your Liver. It Needs You.™
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mind your liver.it needs you. ™
Elizabeth (Liz) Lee is a nurse practitioner at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, UHN, with over 16 years of experience in chronic liver disease management, particularly cirrhosis and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).
She is involved in quality improvement initiatives, research projects, and is an active member of the AASLD and CASL ALD SIG committees. Liz also supports patient-led initiatives, including the Chinese Hepatitis B Support Group, and promotes clinical education for hepatology nurses. She is a Hub Member for ECHO Ontario Liver, past president of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN), an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto, and chairs the Colina Yim Hepatology Update.
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mind your liver. it needs you. ™
Dr. Arab is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA. Trained at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Chile and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. He is the Director for Alcohol Sciences at the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute of Liver Disease and Metabolic Health.
Dr. Arab is an Associate Editor for Hepatology (flagship AASLD journal). He is currently the Chair of the Special Interest Group on alcohol-associated liver disease of the AASLD. Additionally, he is the Past-Chair of the Education & Scholarship Committee of the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS). Dr. Arab has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, co-authored several book chapters, and delivered lectures on liver-related topics at national and international meetings. He has also participated in the generation of clinical practice guidelines for alcohol-related liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and hepatorenal syndrome and regularly serves as an expert reviewer of research grants and scientific research abstracts for multiple societies, funding agencies, and international peer-reviewed journals. He is also a Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute.
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mind your liver. it needs you. ™
Dr. Flemming is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University with clinical training in gastroenterology, hepatology and liver transplantation. After completing her Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology training at Queen’s University, she completed two years of advanced hepatology and a Master’s in Clinical Research at the University of California San Francisco.
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mind your liver. it needs you. ™
Dr. Gerald Scott Winder is a senior staff physician in the Transplant Institute and Department of Psychiatry at Henry Ford Health and Clinical Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery at Michigan State University. He holds a medical degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine and a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He completed a general psychiatry residency and a consultation-liaison psychiatry fellowship at the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. As a consultation-liaison psychiatrist, Dr. Winder specializes in the psychiatric care of the medically ill. In this clinical niche, he has co-founded specialty clinics embedded in organ transplantation, neurology, and hepatology working on interprofessional teams providing integrated psychiatric and medical care to patients whose diseases cross medical disciplines.
mind your liver.it needs you. ™
Vanessa Wojtala is founder of the Liver Awareness Foundation (LAF) and a fierce advocate for liver health. Her journey into advocacy began in 2022 with a near-fatal experience: catastrophic liver failure, thousands of miles from home. Determined to understand her prognosis, she immersed herself in the study of liver function, disease, and lifestyle medicine. As a survivor of liver failure, alcohol-related hepatitis, and stage 4 cirrhosis, her personal battle fuels a relentless mission to raise awareness and educate young people about liver health.
With a diverse background in media communications, multimedia journalism, sports marketing, advertising, and fundraising, Vanessa brings a strategic and creative edge to her work. Her expertise in public awareness and outreach strengthens her ability to execute LAF’s vision and expand its reach.
She holds an Honours BA in Media and Communications (University of Guelph) and a diploma in Journalism (Humber College), a combined education that bridges media theory with hands-on storytelling across platforms.
At LAF, Vanessa is committed to building a powerful movement backed by experts, developing educational programs, collaborating with leading medical professionals, and driving community engagement. She is especially passionate about building peer support systems that offer young people real tools, lived experiences, and expert-backed guidance.
A vocal advocate for alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) awareness and early detection, Vanessa is dedicated to reducing stigma around mental health challenges that contribute to harmful drinking habits and unhealthy lifestyles.
Living alcohol-free (including wine), she leads by example, encouraging mindful choices and informed decisions to protect liver health.
Looking ahead, she envisions LAF as a pivotal resource, empowering young people with knowledge, prevention strategies, and a voice in their own health.
Vanessa embodies LAF’s core message: Mind Your Liver. It Needs You.™
Elizabeth (Liz) Lee is a nurse practitioner at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, UHN, with over 16 years of experience in chronic liver disease management, particularly cirrhosis and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).
She is involved in quality improvement initiatives, research projects, and is an active member of the AASLD and CASL ALD SIG committees. Liz also supports patient-led initiatives, including the Chinese Hepatitis B Support Group, and promotes clinical education for hepatology nurses. She is a Hub Member for ECHO Ontario Liver, past president of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN), an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto, and chairs the Colina Yim Hepatology Update.
Dr. Arab is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Schulich School of Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. Trained at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Chile and Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Dr. Arab is a Gastroenterology and Hepatology specialist, Transplant Hepatologist, and Clinical Researcher with an interest in clinical/translational research and epidemiology in alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, co-authored several book chapters, and delivered lectures on liver-related topics at national and international meetings. He has also participated in the generation of clinical practice guidelines for alcohol-related liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and hepatorenal syndrome and regularly serves as an expert reviewer of research grants and scientific research abstracts for multiple societies, funding agencies, and international peer-reviewed journals. He is also a Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute.
He is an Associate Editor for Hepatology (flagship American Association for the study of Liver Diseases [AASLD] journal). Additionally, he is spearheading international collaboration groups aiming to study alcohol-associated liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (AH-LATIN, STELLA, and Global AlcHep BigData Network). Dr. Arab is a member of the AASLD Global Outreach and Engagement Committee. He is currently the Chair of the Special Interest Group on alcohol-associated liver disease of the AASLD. Additionally, he is the Chair of the Education & Scholarship Committee of the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS).
Dr. Flemming is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Queen’s University with clinical training in gastroenterology, hepatology and liver transplantation. After completing her Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology training at Queen’s University, she completed two years of advanced hepatology and a Master’s in Clinical Research at the University of California San Francisco.
In her clinical practice she manages a wide variety of patients with chronic liver disease from early disease stages to decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver transplant. She is a clinician scientist who leads a research program which leverages Ontario administrative data housed at ICES to evaluate the epidemiology and outcomes of patients with cirrhosis and recently appointed as the ICES-Queen’s Site Director. Her research has been supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program.
In addition, Dr. Flemming is an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, serves as the Chair for the Guidelines Committee of the Canadian Association for the Study of Liver Disease (CASL), and is a member of the CASL Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee, AASLD Women’s Initiatives Committee, and the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.
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MIND YOUR LIVER. IT NEEDS YOU. ™
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