A Special Interview with Prof. Jeffrey V. Lazarus

In a highly anticipated interview hosted by Metabolism and Target Organ Damage on May 23, 2024, Prof. Jeffrey V. Lazarus, a globally recognized authority in liver health, engaged in an enlightening conversation with Prof. Bernadette Moore and Dr. Xiaomian Tan from the University of Leeds.

Recalling significant milestones in his career, Prof. Lazarus spoke about the completion of the global, multidisciplinary COVID-19 Consensus Statement. He emphasized how a collaborative spirit could unite experts worldwide and shape pivotal public health responses.

In this recent webinar on "Steatotic Liver Disease: Beyond Nomenclature to Understanding", Prof. Lazarus reiterated that message throughout the interview. He acknowledged its importance in advancing comprehension of MASLD, stressing the ongoing need to promote the adoption of MASLD terminology among healthcare professionals, researchers and the wider community.

Furthermore, in the webinar, Prof. Lazarus spoke about the insights gleaned from a global survey on MASLD/MASH stigma. He highlighted the persistent challenges posed by stigma, including hindering effective care, and suggested that comprehensive, multidisciplinary models of care can help combat discrimination within healthcare systems.

An aspect that he mentioned to help invite this paradigm shift was the need to adopt the nomenclature change, e.g., from NAFLD to MASLD.

Finally, Prof. Lazarus closed the webinar by providing some advice on what makes scientific journals reputable and strong. As an editor/reviewer, he underscored the importance of aligning with current best practices to facilitate clear scientific communication. He also stressed the significance of streamlining review processes as a means of incentivization. Overall, clear guidelines, training, and acknowledgment through recognition or rewards could serve as examples of strategies to expedite the review process.

Questions for this interview:

1. You’ve authored numerous publications and led significant projects, including the Global COVID-19 Consensus Statement and The Lancet HIV series on HIV Beyond Viral Suppression. Could you share a particularly memorable or impactful moment from your journey as a researcher and advocate?

2. What do you think about the webinar "Steatotic Liver Disease: Beyond Nomenclature to Understanding" held on April 22, 2024? Do you think this webinar has contributed to a better understanding of the naming of MASLD?

3. Can you elaborate on the key findings from the global survey on the prevalence and impact of stigma among patients with MASLD/MASH, along with insights from healthcare practitioners?

4. What is your opinion on manuscripts that still use NAFLD after the release of the nomenclature paper? Would you recommend to authors the adoption of MASLD as an editor/reviewer?

5. You serve on the Editorial Boards of prominent journals like HIV Medicine and Journal of Hepatology. What do you enjoy most about your role as an editor? Do you have any suggestions for further enhancing the development of the journal M&TOD?

6. Swift peer review is crucial for both authors and editorial teams. What policies do you believe can effectively incentivize reviewers to expedite the review process?

Personal Introduction:

Prof. Jeffrey V. Lazarus (PhD, MIH, MA) is a distinguished researcher and advocate in liver health with multiple international academic appointments. He is a professor of Global Health at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy in New York City, and research professor and Head of the Health Systems Research Group at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), where he leads the Public Health Liver team. Additionally, he is an affiliated professor at the University of Copenhagen’s WHO Collaborating Centre for research and training in the patient perspective on medicines use, and an adjunct professor in the Liver Unit at Mt. Sinai, New York.

Prof. Lazarus serves on the steering committee of the Global NASH Council and is a member of the EASL Public Health and Policy Committee, where he leads the global Healthy Livers, Healthy Lives coalition. He co-chairs the NIT Summit and Innovations in SLD Care Think-tank and serves on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Hepatology and Liver International. In 2023, he received the American Liver Foundation Distinguished Scientific Achievement award.

Editor: Jennifer Lee
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Yan Zhang
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Metabolism and Target Organ Damage