Jennifer Lai, MD, MBA

  • Integrative Hepatologist, Osher Center for Integrative Health
  • Professor of Medicine in Residence, UCSF
  • Endowed Professor of Liver Health & Transplantation, UCSF
  • Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Jennifer Lai

Experience

Jennier Lai, MD, MBA, is a transplant hepatologist and physician nutrition specialist at UCSF based at the Parnassus campus. She is board-certified in hepatology/transplant, nutrition, and integrative medicine, and holds the Endowed Professor of Liver Health and Transplantation within the UCSF Health Division of Gastroenterology. Since 2013, Dr. Lai has led an NIH-funded research program focused on understanding the role of physical and cognitive frailty in those with advanced liver disease needing and undergoing liver transplant. In recognition of the rapidly growing population of patients with liver disease who can (and should) be managed with lifestyle approaches—and frustrated by the hepatology field that centers around managing the liver when it’s sick rather than promoting liver health—Dr. Lai has increasingly focused her clinical and academic work on trying to shift her field toward a more proactive and holistic approach to managing liver disease. She will be starting up a 4-session GMV series—Nutrition for Liver Health—aimed at empowering patients with the practical, evidence-informed approaches to improve their liver and overall health.

Education and Training

  • Integrative Health Fellowship, Osher Collaborative
  • Gastroenterology/Transplant Hepatology, UCSF
  • Internal Medicine, Columbia University
  • MD/MBA, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • BS, Stanford University

Personal Statement

I believe that caring for patients with chronic liver disease means looking beyond the liver to the whole person. My approach blends the science of hepatology with the practical tools of integrative medicine, guiding patients to use evidence-based strategies to manage their condition, prevent disease progression, address symptoms, and enhance overall well-being in ways that are both realistic and sustainable.

Publications

Jennifer Lai
Back to top