The History of the American Liver Foundation

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The History of the American Liver Foundation

The American Liver Foundation (ALF) is the nation's leading nonprofit

organization promoting liver health and disease prevention. ALF provides

research, education and advocacy for those affected by hepatitis and other

liver-related disease.

 

Although liver disease is among the ten major causes of death in the United

States, there was no national voluntary health agency devoted exclusively to

combating liver diseases until 1976, when the American Liver Foundation was

formed.

 

In 1974, the Governing Board of the American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases (AASLD) formed a committee to study the role of a voluntary health

agency to combat liver disease and to develop a plan for initiating such an

organization. The committee was chaired by Dr. Burton Combes, a former AASLD

President and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas

Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Other members included Dr. James Boyer, of Yale’s Liver Unit in New Haven; Dr. E. Rolland Dickson, Mayo Clinic;

Dr. Lawrence Gartner, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Dr. Carroll Leevy,

College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; Dr. Willis Maddrey, Johns

Hopkins School of Medicine; Dr. Allan Redeker, University of Southern California

School of Medicine; Dr. Fenton Schaffner, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; and

Dr. John Senior, Graduate Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Their study indicated that a voluntary organization could play a significant

role in combating liver disease and reversing years of neglect of this major

health hazard. In 1976, the American Liver Foundation was incorporated with

these physicians serving as founders and the original Board of Directors.

 

The goals of the American Liver Foundation were developed in detail in the

Articles of Incorporation and include three major efforts:

 

 

A program of general education to increase public appreciation and

understanding of social, human and economic costs imposed by diseases of the

liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. The education program includes development

and distribution of literature and audio/visual materials to the public,

highlighting the importance of the liver, liver diseases and their prevention;

promotion of self-help groups for patients and relatives of patients with liver

disease; development of chapters to carry out education at the local level.

 

 

The promotion and implementation of medical education programs designed to

enhance the understanding of physicians and other medical practitioners of

effective diagnosis and treatment for those suffering from or at risk of

developing such diseases.

 

 

The establishment of nationwide research programs into the cause, prevention,

and treatment of diseases of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. These

programs include research into the normal liver and biliary systems; the causes

and treatment of cirrhosis, hepatitis, gallbladder disease, cancer of the liver,

and abnormalities of the bile ducts; inquiry into the effects of environmental

agents and infestation; nutritional and metabolic disorders; genetic and

immunological susceptibility; and other causes of liver and biliary tract

diseases.

 

 

In 1979, the ALF granted its first Student Research Fellowships and awarded a

Research Prize for the outstanding research project to a Postdoctoral Fellow.

Since the inception of the Scientific Grants Program, ALF has provided over $14

million in scientific grants to Liver Scholars, Postdoctoral Fellows, Physician

Researchers, and Student Researchers.

 

The strength of the American Liver Foundation lies in its chapters. As recently

as 1997, ALF’s chapters served only 26% of the country, with one full-time staff

member. Currently, ALF has 25 chapters and more than 200 support groups, serving

over 75% of the country. Chapters have developed a host of methods to drive home

messages of liver health through such programs as Liver Updates, support groups,

screening programs and Organ Donor Awareness. They have also had great success

developing such distinctive fundraising activities as Flavors of... events,

Liver Walks, and Bid for Life.

 

There has been much progress since 1976, but the challenge remains. Many serious

liver diseases are potentially preventable; education about them can give

individuals an opportunity to participate in their own preventive health care.

An increase in research can make it possible to develop improved treatments and

find cures. We hope you will join ALF in the fight against hepatitis and liver

disease.

 

 

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