Department of Medicine
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Department of Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo Andres Duarte-Rojo, MD, MS, PhD

Gastroenterology

Medical Director of Liver Transplantation

Medical Director, Center for Liver Diseases

Email: duarterojoa@pitt.edu

Phone: 412-647-7922
Contact
Office: Center for Liver Diseases
3471 Fifth Ave., Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
Phone: 412-647-7922
Fax: 412-647-9268
E-mail: duarterojoa@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Roxann Huemme
Address: Center for Liver Diseases
3471 Fifth Ave., Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: RMH82@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-647-7922
Fax: 412-647-9268
Education and Training
Education
MD, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education - Monterrey, Mexico, 2001
MS, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) - Mexico City, Mexico, 2009
PhD, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) - Mexico City, Mexico, 2014
Training
Residency - Internal Medicine, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition S. Zubiran, Mexico, 2006
Fellowship - Gastroenterology, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition S. Zubiran, Mexico, 2009
Fellowship - Clinical Hepatology, Toronto Western Hospital - University of Toronto - Toronto, Canada, 2010
Fellowship - Transplant Hepatology, Mayo Clinic - Rochester, MN, 2011
Research Interest
Dr. Duarte-Rojo conducts clinical and translational research in disorders of physical function/sarcopenia and the benefits of exercise in advanced liver disease, as well as evaluating effective approaches to pre- and post-transplant NILDA. His work includes studies one the assessment of frailty metrics in transplant candidates, trials on the use of prehabilitation to reverse frailty metrics, how to better identify minimal hepatic encephalopathy and the interaction between frailty and hepatic encephalopathy. Using clinimetrics and a patient-centered approach, he aims to better target diagnostic and treatment endpoints to advance the care of patients with cirrhosis and improve clinical outcomes in liver transplantation.
Clinical Interest
Dr. Duarte-Rojo is a Board-certified Transplant Hepatologist who's clinical interests include complications of cirrhosis and portal hypertension, comprehensive care of waitlisted candidates with advanced liver disease and non-invasive liver disease assessment (NILDA). He recently authored "Introducing the smartphone app, EL-FIT (Excercise and Live FITness), to help monitor and prehabilitate liver transplant candidates" and also created the app.

Dr. Duarte-Rojo has over 100 peer reviewed manuscripts including consensus and guidelines for professional societies.
Educational Interest
As an academic hepatologist, Dr. Duarte-Rojo is committed to the education and training of transplant hepatology fellows, gastroenterology fellows, residents, medical students and all related medical professionals. He conducts bi-weekly Sarcofit Lab meetings where he mentors multiple trainees to advance in the field of sarcopenia and physical fitness in advanced liver disease.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Duarte-Rojo, A., Ruiz-Margain, A., Montano-Loza, A.J., Macias-Rodriguez, R.U., Ferrando, A., Kim, W.R. Exercise and Physical Activity for Patients with End-stage Liver Disease: Improving Functional Status and Sarcopenia while on the Transplant Waiting List. Liver Transplantation. 2018; 24(1): 122-39.
Garcia-Saenz-de-Sicilia, M., Duvoor, C., Altamirano, J., Chavez-Araujo, R., Prado, V., de Lourdes Candolo-Martinell,i A., Holanda-Almeida, P., Becerra-Martins-de-Oliveira, B., Fernandez-de-Almeida, S., Bataller, R., Caballeria, J., Duarte-Rojo, A. A Day-4 Lille Model Predicts Response to Corticosteroids and Mortality in Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2017; Feb;112(2): 306-15.
Macias-Rodriguez, R.U., Ilarraza-Lomeli, H., Ruiz-Margain, A., Ponce-de-Leon-Rosales, S., Vargas-Vorackova, F., Garcia-Flores, O., Torre, A., Duarte-Rojo, A. Changes in Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient Induced by Physical Exercise in Cirrhosis: Results of a Pilot Randomized Open Clinical Trial. Clinical & Translational Gastroenterology. 2016; Jul 14; 7(7): e180.
Dunn, M. A., Kappus, M. R., Bloomer, P. M., Duarte-Rojo, A., Josbeno, D. A., Jakicic, J. M. Wearables, physical activity and exercise testing in liver disease. Seminars in Liver Disease. 2021; In press.
Ruiz-Margain, A., Xie, J. J., Roman-Calleja, B. M., Pauly, M., White, M. G., Chapa-Ibarguengoitia, M, Campos-Marguia, A., Gonzalez-Regueiro, J. A., Macias-Rodriguez, R. U., Duarte-Rojo, A. Phase angle from bioelectrical impedance for the assessment of sarcopenia in cirrhosis with or without ascites. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2020; September 2: Inprint.
Bajaj, J. S., Lauridsen, M., Tapper, E. B., Duarte-Rojo, A., Rahimi, R. S., Tandon, P., Shawcross, D. L., Thabut, D., Dhiman, R. K., Romero-Gomez, M., Sharma, B. C., Montagnese, S. Important Unresolved Questions in the Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy: An ISHEN Consensus. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020; July; 115(7): 989-1002.
Chen, H. W., Ferrando, A., White, M. G., Dennis, R. A., Xie, J., Pauly, M., Park, S., Bartter, T., Dunn, M. A., Ruiz-Margain, A., Kim, W. R., Duarte-Rojo, A. Home-Based Physical Activity and Diet Intervention to Improve Physical Function in Advanced Liver Disease: A Randomized Pilot Trial. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 2020; November;65(11): 3350-3359.
Lai, J. C., Sonneday, C., Tapper, E. B., Duarte-Rojo, A., Dunn, M. A., Bernal, W., Carey, E., Dasarathy, S., Kamath, B., Kappus, M., Montano-Loza, A. J., Nagai, S., Tandon, P. Frailty in Liver Transplantation: A Consensus Statement from the American Society of Transplantation Liver and Intestinal Community of Practice. American Journal of Transplantation. 2019; 19: 1896-906.
Addepally, N. S., George, N., Martinez-Macias, R., Garcia-Saenz-de-Sicillia, M., Kim, W. R., Duarte-Rojo, A. Hemoglobin A1c Has Suboptimal Performance to Diagnose and Monitor Diabetes Mellitus in Patients with Cirrhosis. Digestive Disease and Sciences. 2018; Dec;63(12): 3498-3508.
Duarte-Rojo, A., Bloomer, P. M., Rogers, R. J., Hassan, M. A., Dunn, M. A., Tevar, A. D., Vivis, S. L., Bataller, R., Hughes, C. B., Ferrando, A. A., Jakicic, J, M., Ray Kim, W. Introducing EL-FIT (Exercise & Liver FITness), a smartphone app to prehabilitate and monitor liver transplant candidates. Liver Transplantation. 2020; November 24: Online.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: Physical and cognitive function in transplant candidates and their association with hepatic encephalopathy and morta
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Axcella Health, Inc.
Grant Number: IND AGR
Start Year: 2020
End Year: 2025
Title: Predicting post-transplant mortality and global functional health based on pretransplant functional status in liver transplantation
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: University of California - San Francisco / National Institute of Aging
Grant Number: R01 AG059183
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2021
Notable Achievements
Associate Editor - Annals of Hepatology, 2020
Editorial Board - Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2020
Editorial Board - Liver Transplantation, 2019
PLRC / NIH P30 - Pilot and Feasibility Grants, 2019-2021
Pilot Research Award - American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), 2018-2019
Innovation Fund - AASLD Foundation, 2017-2019
Research Awards Committee - AASLD Foundation, 2015-2018, 2020
Clinician Scientist Program (Career Development Award) - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 2015-2018
International Training Grant - American College of Gastroenterology, 2009
Young Clinicians Program - World Gastroenterology Organization, 2009

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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