Dr. Jan Petrasek, MD, PhD has joined the Division of Digestive Diseases.

Hometown: Prague, Czech Republic

Residency: UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX – Internal Medicine

Fellowships: Gastroenterology – UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX and Transplant Hepatology – UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX

Division: Digestive Diseases

Tell us about yourself. I graduated from medical school in Prague, Czech Republic. From there, I relocated to the University of Massachusetts Medical School to study the mechanisms of liver inflammation and fatty liver disease. My research defined several novel therapeutic targets in alcoholic liver disease, and established the scientific foundation for a multicenter clinical trial investigating the role of the interleukin-1 blockade in the treatment of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. After completing my post-doctoral fellowship in Massachusetts, I underwent clinical training in internal medicine, gastroenterology and transplant hepatology as well as additional research training in the physician-scientist training program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I will be looking forward to contributing to the growth of the clinical hepatology program (general and transplant hepatology) at UMMC and to enriching the hepatology teaching curriculum for residents and fellows. In addition, I will be looking into options of establishing hepatology research projects at UMMC.

Welcome Dr. Petrasek to UMMC!