Co-authors (from left) Alia Hasham, MD; Manoj Kumar, MD, MPH; Anthony Martinez, MD; Sandeep Samuel, MD; Andrew Talal, MD, MPH; and Thomas Mahl, MD (not pictured)
UB Experts Contribute to HCV Next
Published August 11, 2014 This content is archived.
Story by Suzanne Kashuba
University at Buffalo experts in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition are contributing co-authors to HCV Next, the first multidisciplinary publication focused exclusively on the hepatitis C virus.
Available in print and on the Healio.com website, the magazine offers context and perspective on the latest research developments. It is designed to inform and educate an estimated 10,000 specialty and general physicians who diagnose and treat HCV.
Content also helps patients understand the disease and new treatment options that may be available to them.
Collaboration, Communication Among Specialists is Key
“With the rapid pace of drug development in HCV as well as the development of regional centers of excellence in hepatology — such as we have recently established here at UB within clinics — there is a tremendous need for rapid dissemination of new information for physicians of all specialties,” notes Andrew H. Talal, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and a member of the HCV Next editorial board.
“HCV Next is attempting to fill that void.”
“Contributing to this publication offers an excellent opportunity to promote the faculty and trainees here at UB on the national stage as leaders in the field,” he adds.
“It also helps establish UB as a leader in the eyes of the pharmaceutical industry, which can help attract clinical trials, allowing us to offer cutting-edge therapies to patients before they are widely available.”
In a May/June 2014 HCV Next interview, co-chief medical editor Ira M. Jacobson, MD, emphasized the importance of collaboration and open communication among liver and infectious disease doctors and addiction medicine specialists to address the multiple needs of patients.
Jacobson, the medical director of the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C in New York City, notes that Talal has led efforts to create physical spaces where patients are seen by multidisciplinary specialists.
At Buffalo General Medical Center, for example, “our liver clinic involves gastrointestinal fellows, pharmacists, internists, hepatologists and addiction medicine specialists who all see patients with various forms of liver disease,” says Talal. “We also have research nurses who consult with potential subjects for clinical trials.”
UB Items Discuss Pregnancy, Abnormal Proteins
In addition to Talal, HCV Next co-authors have included the following UB faculty members and physician-trainees in the gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition fellowship program:
- Manoj Kumar, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor
- Thomas C. Mahl, MD, clinical professor and interim chief of the division
- Anthony D. Martinez, MD, clinical associate professor
- Alia Hasham, MD, fellow
- Sandeep T. Samuel, MD, fellow
Talal, Kumar and Hasham co-authored the patient profile, “The Challenge of Pregnancy in HCV Infection,” in the magazine’s premiere January/February 2014 issue.
“Since pregnancy modifies host-virus interactions, it is crucial to understand clinical manifestations of the infection and its effect on the overall magnitude of the disease, its diagnosis and management,” notes Talal.
“Physicians also should understand the effect of pregnancy on HCV immunity and appreciate the factors that influence mother-to-child viral transmission.”
Samuel, Talal and Martinez co-authored “Current Concepts on the Patient With HCV and Cryoglobulinemia,” a patient profile in the March/April issue. The article discusses current best practices for treating HCV patients with abnormal blood proteins.
Hasham and Mahl collaborated on “The Patient With NAFLD and Chronic HCV” for the July/August issue. This patient profile discusses diagnosis and care for HCV patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Need for HCV Information Will Likely Grow
According to the World Health Organization, more than 150 million people carry the virus and more than 350,000 people die every year from HCV-related liver disease.
The need for HCV information will likely grow, as newly approved treatments are adopted and evolve.
In addition, more people are expected to be diagnosed with the infection, as new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines call for screening all people born between 1945 and 1965. A New York State law now requires health care providers to offer HCV screening to patients in this age group.
Magazine Published 6 Times Each Year
HCV Next is published every other month by the New Jersey-based SLACK Incorporated, publisher of Infectious Disease News.
Topics include diagnostics, practice management issues, drug interactions and the treatment of patients with comorbidities.