Hepatitis C and liver disease: the journey to cure and eliminate

Professor Catherine Stedman is a Consultant Gastroenterologist / Hepatologist at Christchurch Hospital and Clinical Director of Gastroenterology. She is also President of the New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology.

Catherine is motivated by research that helps to solve problems of medical need, and her training in both gastroenterology and clinical pharmacology means that she has expertise in new drug development. Many liver problems begin as an unexplained hepatitis. The research journey involves discovering the cause of the hepatitis, and then development of targets for treatment and eventual cure.

Catherine has been involved at the forefront of the development of new oral antiviral therapies for Hepatitis C that were first demonstrated to cure Hepatitis C in Aotearoa / New Zealand. This research has led to major progress in treating people with advanced liver disease, and the WHO adopting global goals of Hepatitis C elimination. Autoimmune liver diseases have a high incidence in New Zealand, and Catherine's research has also been involved in understanding the epidemiology of these liver diseases and the impact they have on people who are affected by them.

In this IPL, Catherine will discuss her research journey through these fields of medical development and the rewarding interface of combining areas outside medicine, including motherhood, with an academic medical specialist career.

This lecture will be followed with light refreshments, tea, coffee and juice.

Registration

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Livestream

This event will be livestreamed from 5:55pm, Wednesday 3 May 2023, at the following web address:

Zoom link for Professor Catherine Stedman's IPL