Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates recently announced that one of its physicians – Norman Gitlin, MD – was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) as part of the 2014 inaugural class of AASLD fellows. Founded in 1950, and now an international society, the AASLD is the leading organization of physicians, scientists, researchers, and health care professionals committed to preventing and curing liver disease, as well as to promoting liver health and quality patient care. The Fellow designation is considered one of the most prestigious for AASLD members. It is awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to studying and caring for patients with liver disease and who are considered leaders in the field.

For decades, Dr. Gitlin has played a key role in both the clinical research and treatment of liver diseases. A native of South Africa, his medical career began in England as a student of world-renowned hepatologist Dame Professor Sheila Sherlock (co-founder of AASLD), and went on to earn many other distinctions in the medical community, including Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. He previously held various academic appointments at the University of California in San Francisco and was named chief of hepatology and professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He has authored three textbooks on liver disease and published numerous papers on the subject, as well as served on the editorial boards for several national journals and medical societies.

For the past 15 years, Dr. Gitlin has been in private practice with Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates and sees patients at the Emory Midtown location. In addition, he serves as the Medical Co-Director of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates’ Liver Center. His specialty includes liver transplantation, and he is an authority on drug-induced liver disease and herbal/traditional therapies used in the treatment of liver disease and hepatitis C. He is actively involved in a number of research studies, including the treatment of hepatitis C and B and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.