Victor Chen, MD, PhD

Primary Academic Title

Associate Professor of Medicine

Background

Centers and Institutes

• Johns Hopkins Green Spring Station
• Comprehensive Transplant Center
• DELTA Center for Alcohol Research
• Transplant Research Center
• Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/po-hung-chen-620073143/

X Profile

https://twitter.com/pohungVChen

Clinical Trial Keywords

Alcohol use disorder treatment; Liver transplant; Motivational intervention; Cognitive-behavioral therapy; Biomarker

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

• PRO Study: NASH Tx Should Also Focus on Improved QOL—Advanced fibrosis tied negatively to multiple patient-reported outcomes, MedPage Today (February 19, 2019)

• Destigmatizing Liver Transplant for Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder, Inside Tract (Winter 2021)

• During pandemic, hospitals see rise in alcohol-related liver disease, NBC News (July 17, 2021)

• 5 Surprising Things to Know About Fatty Liver Disease, AARP Health (May 6, 2022)

• The U.S.’s alcohol-induced death rate rose sharply in the pandemic’s first year, Science News (November 4, 2022)

• Study Reveals High Prevalence of Alcohol, Opioid Use Among Patients with Crohn's Disease, Inside Hopkins (April 10, 2023)

• Johns Hopkins Among Few in U.S. to Offer Early Liver Transplants for Patients with Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease, Inside Tract (Spring 2023)

• Hep C Infections in Pregnancy Skyrocketed Over the Past Two Decades, Medpage Today (July 21, 2023)

• Hepatitis C Rates Soar Among Pregnant Women, HealthDay (July 21, 2023)

• HCV-positive pregnancies in US increased 16-fold from 1998 to 2018, Healio (August 1, 2023)

• Increased Hepatitis C Infections During Pregnancy Linked to Opioid Epidemic, Contagion Live (August 7, 2023)

• Trends in the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Infection During Pregnancy and Maternal-Infant Outcomes in the U.S., 1998 to 2018, Clinical Connection (November 26, 2023)

• Some Patients with Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease May Find New Hope, Clinical Connection (May 3, 2024)

• Options for Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Therapies Should Include Metabolic Risk, DDW News (May 22, 2024)

• Examining Substance Misuse in Crohn’s Disease, Physician's Weekly (June 27, 2024)

• The Gastroenterologist’s Role in Treating Substance Misuse, Physician's Weekly (July 9, 2024)

• Second Chance, Hopkins Medicine (September 30, 2024)

Contact for Research Inquiries

4940 Eastern Avenue, Suite A-502
Baltimore, MD 21224
410-550-1793 (phone)
410-550-7861 (fax)

Research Interests

Substance Use Disorder, Alcohol-associated Liver Disease, Liver Transplantation, Epidemiology, Health Economics/Outcomes, Causal Inference, Clinical Trials, Qualitative Research, Mixed Methods Research

Research Summary

As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Chen's research centers on the intersection of substance use disorder, alcohol-associated liver disease, and liver transplantation. His academic work spans the clinical medicine (T2), implementation science (T3), and population health (T4) stages of the translational research continuum. In addition to an MD, Dr. Chen holds a PhD in Clinical Investigation and a Certificate in Public Health Economics from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This extensive methodological training informs his rigorous approach to observational and interventional studies, using advanced epidemiologic techniques and mixed-methods implementation research designs to evaluate healthcare delivery strategies and assess real-world outcomes.

Dr. Chen is the principal investigator or project leader of several extramurally funded research grants, including a K23 and a P50 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In 2023, the American College of Gastroenterology recognized Dr. Chen's research scholarship with an invitation to participate in its inaugural Clinical Research Leadership Program.

PubMed - Publications

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=po-hung+chen&cmd=DetailsSearch

Research Gate - Research Profile

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Po-Hung-Chen-3

Courses & Syllabi

• Genes to Society - GI/Liver Block, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2013-present
• Introduction to Clinical Research Summer Course, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2019-present
• Foundations in Public Health: Epidemiology, Ethics, and Health Care Systems, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2023-present

Honors

• Grand Prize, Board Review Question of the Week, American College of Gastroenterology, 2013
• Faculty Teaching Award, Johns Hopkins Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2014
• Clinical Research Scholar, Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, 2017-2019
• Invited Participant, Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence Analytics in Medicine Program, 2018
• Top Peer Reviewers, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2019
• Clinician Scientist Award, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2020
• Fellow, American College of Gastroenterology, 2022
• Invited Participant, American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Research Leadership Program, 2023
• Inductee, Alpha Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, 2023
• Fellow, American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2025
• Fellow, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2026

Lectures & Presentations

• "Role of liver transplantation for alcoholic hepatitis: should patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis be denied liver transplantation outright?" Academic Debate, Digestive Diseases Week 2015, Washington, DC, 5/19/15
• "NASH: beyond diet and weight loss." 42nd Annual Topics in Gastroenterology and Hepato-Biliary Update, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 11/9/16
• "Basic approach to abnormal liver enzymes." 42nd Annual Topics in Gastroenterology and Hepato-Biliary Update, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 11/10/16
• "Autoimmune hepatitis." 43rd Annual Topics in Gastroenterology and Hepato-Biliary Update, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 11/8/17
• "Alcoholic liver disease and liver transplantation." Grand Rounds, Department of Internal Medicine, MedStar Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, MD, 3/30/18
• "Noninvasive assessments of liver fibrosis." 45th Annual Topics in Gastroenterology and Hepato-Biliary Update, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 10/3/19
• "Alcohol-associated Liver Disease." Noon Conference, Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research, Baltimore, MD, 7/15/22
• "Early Liver Transplants for Patients with Severe Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Clinical Outcomes, Patient Experiences, and Public Perception." Breakout Session, United Network for Organ Sharing Transplant Management Forum, Denver, CO, 5/17/23
• "Emerging Concepts in the Diagnosis and Management of Alcohol-associated Liver Disease." Liver Talks, Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Hanoi, Vietnam) / Vietnam Viral Hepatitis Alliance, Virtual, 9/28/23
• "Liver Transplantation for Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Clinical and Experiential Considerations in 2023." Grand Rounds, Division of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Diseases, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, MA, 11/7/23
• "Early Liver Transplantation for Severe Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis: the keys for selection, prognostication and monitoring – Clinical cases: Panel discussion/debate." Lecture Session, The Liver Meeting 2023, Boston, MA, 11/11/23
• "Experts’ Perspectives on Challenges and Strategies for the Future of the Alcohol-associated Liver Disease (ALD) Field – Challenges on Clinical Research and Patient Care in ALD." Community Conversations, The Liver Meeting 2023, Boston, MA, 11/13/23
• "Alcohol-associated Liver Disease in 2023: Public Health Impacts and Therapeutic Strategies." Special Topic Session, 17th National Conference of Vietnam Association for the Study of Liver Diseases & Vietnamese Society of Hepato-Biliary Pancreatic Surgery, Hanoi, Vietnam, 12/23/23
• "Global Alcohol Use and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease - Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic." Webinar, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Virtual, 1/9/24
• "Substance Use Testing in Liver Transplant Evaluations." Concurrent Session, 2024 American College of Medical Toxicology Annual Scientific Meeting, Washington, DC, 4/12/24
• "Future Integrated Care Delivery Model for Early ALD Detection and Intervention." Workshop: Reducing alcohol-associated liver disease burden through early screening and management in the general population, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 4/17/24
• "Medications for Alcohol-associated Liver Disease – Ready for Primetime?" Topic Forum, Digestive Disease Week 2024, Washington, DC, 5/20/24
• "What a Gastroenterologist Needs to Know in Caring for Patients with Alcohol-associated Liver Disease." American College of Gastroenterology 2024 Eastern Regional Postgraduate Course, Washington, DC, 6/8/24
• "The Flip Side of the Coin: Treating Alcohol Use Disorder in the Presence of Concurrent Liver Disease." Session 8: Early Liver Transplantation, 3rd Johns Hopkins DELTA Center Symposium on Alcohol-associated Hepatitis: Pathogenesis, Treatment and Challenge, Washington, DC, 11/2/24
• "Approaching Alcohol Use Disorder in the Presence of HCV (and Other Liver Diseases)." Hepatitis C ECHO, Iowa Primary Care Association, Virtual, 12/17/24
• “Ask a Hepatologist / Addiction Medicine Physician.” HOPE (Healing Ourselves with Peers and Education) Program Community Education Session, Sober Livers, Fatty Liver Foundation, Virtual, 3/27/25
• “Liver/GI Potpourri for Heart Transplant Evaluation: Phosphatidylethanol, Liver Fibrosis Staging, Colon Cancer Screening.” Advanced Heart Failure/Transplantation Conference, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 4/11/25
• “Assessment of Metabolic Dysfunction in Patients with ALD.” Clinical Symposium, Digestive Disease Week 2025, San Diego, CA, 5/5/25
• “Alcohol Use Disorder and Liver Disease in Young Adults.” Visiting Professorship, Hepatitis Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine & Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan), 7/2/25
• “Alcohol hepatitis and liver transplantation – Update.” Society for the Advancement of Transplant Anesthesia Regional DMV-P Liver Transplant Anesthesia Meeting 2026, Philadelphia, PA, 1/10/26

Memberships

• American College of Gastroenterology
• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
• American Gastroenterological Association
• International Liver Transplantation Society
• Research Society on Alcohol
• Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
• American Society of Addiction Medicine

Professional Activities

• Continuing Medical Education Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2019-2021
• Steering Committee, Alcohol-associated Liver Disease Special Interest Group, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2021-2023
• Medical Safety Officer, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network Data Coordinating Center, 2021-present
• Practice Guidelines Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2022-2024
• Research Committee, American College of Gastroenterology, 2023-2024
• Practice Parameters Committee, American College of Gastroenterology, 2024-present
• Lauren Gerson GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) Program, American College of Gastroenterology, 2024-present
• Research Awards Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, 2026-present