Northeast Ohio Liver Alliance

05/26/2026

Check out our lastest newsletter highlighting NEOLA at the 17th Annual Cleveland Asian Festival on May 16 & 17th!

The weekend of May 16 & 17, NEOLA hosted a table at the Cleveland Asian Festival as our inaugural Community Education and Care Access initiative. We were were able to engage with countless members of the community through education and meaningful conversations surrounding liver health!

05/04/2026

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month!

During the 31 days in May, we aim to raise awareness of hepatitis A, B, and C, while encouraging testing, vaccination, and treatment.

National Hepatitis Testing Day is observed on May 19th. All adults aged 18 and over should get screened at least once for hepatitis B and C, as many chronic infections are undiagnosed.

These recommendations come from the latest evidence-based research for prevention, surveillance, and treatment by liver societies such: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF THE LIVER (EASL), Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), La Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado (ALEH), SOLDA - Society on Liver Disease in Africa, and various international patient advocacy groups.

Viral Hepatitis Quick Facts:
💛 An estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic viral hepatitis, though many are unaware of their infection.
❤️ Hep A causes a highly contagious liver infection but is preventable with a safe and effective vaccine.
💛 Hep B is a highly infectious liver infection caused by a virus that is also vaccine-preventable.
❤️ Hep C is a liver virus causing inflammation that is spread through blood-to-blood contact, often remaining "silent" without symptoms – but it can be cured with available treatments!

Resources:
NFID - https://www.nfid.org/know-the-abcs-of-hepatitis-prevention/
AASLD - https://www.aasld.org/
EASL - https://easl.eu/
APASL - https://www.apasl.info/
ALEH - https://alehlatam.org/
SOLDA - https://www.solda-society.org/

05/01/2026

🌟 Big news! 🌟We are officially turning the page and starting an exciting new chapter! TRIO Northern Ohio has changed our name, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share this journey with our incredible friends and supporters. While our look and name might be fresh, our commitment to our transplant candidates, recipients, and the community remains the same. Thank you for being part of our story—we can't wait to show you what’s next! 🚀✨
Cleveland MOTTEP
Eversight
Kidney Foundation of Ohio
National Kidney Foundation
Lifebanc
Life Connection of Ohio
Northeast Ohio Liver Alliance
Transplant House of Cleveland
Team Ohio 4 Life
University Hospitals
Cleveland Clinic

05/01/2026

Join us at the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion at Case Western Reserve University on May 13th for the second Anthony S. Tavill Liver Rounds of 2026!

Visit the https://liveralliance.org/liver-rounds/ for more information and to register today!

04/29/2026

And our final Team presenting at our upcoming on May 13th!:
Representing University Hospitals we have Dr. Julie Gartland! Joining her will be Dr. Naemat Sandhu as moderator and Dr. Kunal Kapoor as the team's specialty advisor.

Join us to hear their case: "Lost in Transplantation"!

Register today by visiting https://liveralliance.org/liver-rounds/ today!

04/29/2026

Introducing our second Team presenting at our May 13th !:
Representing Cleveland Clinic we have Dr. Woo Jin Choi! Joining him will be Dr. Mahzar Khalil as moderator and the team's specialty advisor will be announced soon.

Join us to hear their case: "The Fragile Success"!

Register today by visiting https://liveralliance.org/liver-rounds/ !

04/28/2026

Our education dream team!

Thank you so much to Ashley Hepner, CNP; Mary Penko, BSN, RN, CCTC; Maura George, RN, BSN, CCTC; and Natalie Crtalic-Lowther MFN, RD, LD for educating our attendees on the ABCs of Waiting for a Liver Transplant !

We are so grateful for everyone who attended and shared their questions and concerns as liver transplant , , and 💜

And finally, a big thank you to Gilead Sciences supporting this webinar.

- the webinar will be posted soon to our website here: https://liveralliance.org/past-webinars/

04/28/2026

Introducing our first Team for our upcoming on May 13th!:

Representing MetroHealth we have Dr. Peter Noll! Joining him will be Dr. Adrian Lindsey as moderator and Dr. Priyal Gandhi as the team's specialty advisor.

Join us to hear their case: "The Forgotten Prescription"!

Register today by visiting https://liveralliance.org/liver-rounds/ !

04/27/2026

📣PARTNER EVENT SPOTLIGHT📣

2026 PBCers Organization Conference – PBCers at 30🎉

Have you heard about the upcoming event 2026 PBC Conference, PBCers at 30 – Honoring Our Past, Defining Our Future 🎉?

📅 Date: Jun 4, 2026
📍 Location: 2544 Executive Drive, Indianapolis, IN, 45241, US

Join us at the 2026 PBCers Conference: PBCers at 30 – Honoring Our Past, Defining Our Future in Indianapolis IN June 4-6.

Registration Fee: $80.00 until April 24th starting April 25th $100.00 Conference fee includes Thursday’s Reception, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday.

Patient Scholarship: $500.00 ( patients only, requirements -register by May 1st & attend. You will recieve the scholarship in cash at lunch on Saturday)

Venue: Wyndham Indianapolis Airport

Room Rate: $120 per night (rate valid June 3rd – June 9 for those wanting to explore Indianapolis beyond the conference) Rooms must be booked by May 20, 2026 to receive this rate. Free 24 hour Airport Shuttle is available. For those driving Parking is free.

Booking Link: Wyndham Indianapolis Airport Rooms & Rates

The conference opens Thursday June 4, 2026 with Registration and Welcoming Reception. Meet the other attendees while enjoying the food and drinks from 6 to 8:30.

Friday starts with registration for those who arrived later Thursday night and breakfast in Fortune Hall at 7:30 AM. Presentations in the Hall of Champions begins at 9 AM ending around 4PM. After a break we will return for dinner at 6 which will include a celebration of our 30 year anniversary as a non profit supporting PBC patients. Saturday will follow the same schedule.

This year we are offering an option for those attendees the may have trouble hearing in a large conference room. We have partnered with KODA to provide captioning through an app on your phone. This app also will be able to translate to Spanish.

The PBC Research Foundation will be in attendance to premiere enrollment in their patient registry. You will be able to book a time to meet with them and start the process.

👉 Registration link: https://whova.com/portal/registration/xRroMboaBlrG4ZryCWLY/

Secure your spot before the registration deadline and be part of something inspiring.

03/31/2026

Due to inclement weather interfering with internet connection in NE Ohio today (tornado warning!), we have postponed our webinar to April 7th.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused those who were registered for today, and hope you can make it next week.

Webinar details:

Join us for our upcoming patient roundtable webinar on *The ABCs Of Waiting For A Liver Transplant* on April 7th presented by panelists Maura George, RN, BSN, CCTC, Mary Penko, BSN, RN, CCTC, and Natalie Crtalic-Lowther MFN, RD, LD with moderator Ashley Hepner, CNP!

During this webinar, our panel of experts will be:
-discussing the importance of A and B vaccinations for transplant candidates
-reviewing the necessity of proper while awaiting transplant
-explaining the different organ donors used in transplant
-discussing "Dry Runs" - what are they and why do they occur?

As always with our webinars, questions are encouraged and our panelist will do their best to get through as many as they can!

For more information and to register for free, visit https://liveralliance.org/events/liverabcs/