Rates of liver disease are increasing throughout the United States due to several factors, including diabetes, obesity, hepatitis, trends in binge drinking, and more. In response to this significant public health challenge, Connecticut recently designated it as a public health priority and established April 19 as an annual Connecticut Liver Health Day to promote awareness, prevention, and earlier detection of liver disease statewide.
This initiative came from a recommendation of the Connecticut State Working Group on Metabolic Liver Diseases, which was co-chaired by Wajahat Mehal, MD, PhD, professor of medicine (digestive diseases), and Bubu Banini, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (digestive diseases).
“Liver disease is often described as a 'silent disease’ because symptoms do not typically become apparent until the disease has progressed to advanced stages,” says Banini. “Through collaboration across the state, we aim to increase public awareness and coordinate screening efforts so that we can identify patients in the early stages of the disease and reduce the impact of liver diseases.”
On April 19, 2026, Yale School of Medicine will co-host the Connecticut Liver Health Day Educational Luncheon with the Liver and Health Innovation Consortium. During the event, panelists from Yale School of Medicine, the State of Connecticut, local communities, and patient advocacy groups will discuss ways to increase awareness and screening, share successes, and talk about policy changes to improve liver health across the state. Yale School of Medicine will also offer Continuing Medical Education credits for this educational activity.
“None of us can address liver health alone,” says Mehal. “By bringing together physicians, policymakers, community health workers, and patient advocates across Connecticut, we can do much more to enhance early recognition, collaborate across specialties, and identify practical strategies to help improve liver health in our population.”
Registration for the luncheon is now open.
Yale faculty will also participate in other events happening across the state focused on liver health, including an interactive community event sponsored by Yale New Haven Health.