4910-Chalasani, Naga

Naga P. Chalasani, MD

David W. Crabb Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Professor of Medicine

Adjunct Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology

Address
702 Rotary Circle, Suite 225

Indianapolis, IN 46202
PubMed:

Bio

Dr. Chalasani completed medical school in India before moving to the United States to pursue an Internal Medicine residency at Emory University in Atlanta, followed by a fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the same institution.

He joined Indiana University School of Medicine in 1997 as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Chalasani currently serves as the David W. Crabb Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Adjunct Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, and Director of the Terance Kahn Liver Research Program.

Throughout his career, he has held numerous leadership positions, including Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2007–2020), Associate Dean for Clinical Research (2017–2020), Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine (2020–2021), and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Indiana University Health (2022–2024).

Dr. Chalasani is a highly regarded clinician who has been recognized as a Top Doctor for more than 15 consecutive years. He has maintained continuous National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding since 1999 and currently serves as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded U01 and R01 awards.

Internationally recognized for his contributions to the fields of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and drug-induced liver injury (DILI), Dr. Chalasani is among the most published and cited investigators at Indiana University. As of February 2025, his Google Scholar profile reflected an H-index of 120 and more than 75,000 citations. In 2026, he was named Co-Editor-in-Chief of HEPATOLOGY, the flagship journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), further recognizing his leadership and impact in the field of hepatology.

He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the Association of American Physicians (AAP), and the National Academy of Medical Sciences–India (2024). In addition to his research accomplishments, he has mentored more than 75 undergraduate and graduate students, medical students, subspecialty trainees, and junior faculty members. Twenty of his mentees have gone on to secure federal funding, including K awards, U01, R21, and R01 grants, Department of Defense funding, and VA Merit Review awards.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to hepatology research and mentorship, the Naga P. Chalasani Endowed Professorship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology was established at Indiana University School of Medicine in October 2022.

Key Publications

  1. Vilar-Gomez E, Vuppalanchi R, Gawrieh S, Pike F, Samala N, Chalasani N. Significant Dose-Response Association of Physical Activity and Diet Quality With Mortality in Adults With Suspected NAFLD in a Population Study. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023 Sep 1;118(9):1576-1591. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002222. Epub 2023 Feb 16. PMID: 36799895.
  2. Powell NR, Liang T, Ipe J, Cao S, Skaar TC, Desta Z, Qian HR, Ebert PJ, Chen Y, Thomas MK, Chalasani N. Clinically important alterations in pharmacogene expression in histologically severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nat Commun. 2023 Mar 17;14(1):1474. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37209-1. PMID: 36927865; PMCID: PMC10020163.
  3. Nicoletti P, Dellinger A, Li YJ, Barnhart H, Phillips E, Chalasani N; Drug Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) investigators. HLA-B*53:01 Is a Significant Risk Factor of Liver Injury due to Phenytoin and Other Antiepileptic Drugs in African Americans. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Jan 1;119(1):200-202. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002454. Epub 2023 Aug 8. PMID: 37552102; PMCID: PMC10841235.
  4. Jarasvaraparn C, Vilar-Gomez E, Yates KP, Wilson LA, Neuschwander-Tetri B, Loomba R, Cummings O, Vos M, Xanthakos S, Schwimmer J, Molleston JP, Sanyal A, Tonascia J, Chalasani N. Age, BMI, and Type 2 Diabetes Modify the Relationship Between PNPLA3 and Advanced Fibrosis in Children and Adults With NAFLD. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 May;22(5):1024-1036.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.12.009. Epub 2023 Dec 23. PMID: 38145725; PMCID: PMC11045318.
  5. Gawrieh S, Dasarathy S, Tu W, Kamath PS, Chalasani NP, McClain CJ, Bataller R, Szabo G, Tang Q, Radaeva S, Barton B, Nagy LE, Shah VH, Sanyal AJ, Mitchell MC; AlcHepNet Investigators. Randomized trial of anakinra plus zinc vs. prednisone for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis. J Hepatol. 2024 May;80(5):684-693. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.01.031. Epub 2024 Feb 10. PMID: 38342441; PMCID: PMC11214682.
  6. Samala N, Xin Y, Wilson LA, Yates K, Loomba R, Hoofnagle JH, Chalasani N; NASH Clinical Research Network. Non-Hispanic Black Persons With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Have Lower Rates of Advanced Fibrosis, Cirrhosis, and Liver-Related Events Even After Controlling for Clinical Risk Factors and PNPLA3 Genotype. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Sep 1;119(9):1857-1865. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002756. Epub 2024 May 14. PMID: 38483303; PMCID: PMC11399313.
  7. Chalasani N, Vilar-Gomez E, Loomba R, Yates KP, Diehl AM, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Dasarathy S, Kowdley KV, Terrault N, Wilson LA, Tonascia J, Sanyal AJ. PNPLA3 rs738409, age, diabetes, sex, and advanced fibrosis jointly contribute to the risk of major adverse liver outcomes in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Hepatology. 2024 Nov 1;80(5):1212-1226. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000896. Epub 2024 Apr 23. PMID: 38652636; PMCID: PMC11798878.
  8. Gawrieh S, Vilar-Gomez E, Wilson LA, Pike F, Kleiner DE, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Diehl AM, Dasarathy S, Kowdley KV, Hameed B, Tonascia J, Loomba R, Sanyal AJ, Chalasani N; NASH Clinical Research Network. Increases and decreases in liver stiffness measurement are independently associated with the risk of liver-related events in NAFLD. J Hepatol. 2024 Oct;81(4):600-608. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.05.008. Epub 2024 May 16. PMID: 38762169; PMCID: PMC11410523.
  9. Alkhouri N, McCarthy D, Bayne AV, Blonquist T, Yurko-Mauro K, Vuppalanchi R, Lawitz E, Chalasani N. The effect of vitamin E and docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)-A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial (PUVENAFLD). Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2024 Sep;60(5):552-562. doi: 10.1111/apt.18149. Epub 2024 Jul 12. PMID: 39001559.

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