This has been a year of tremendous turmoil across the world, but it has also been a time of tremendous generosity, fortitude, and empathy.
Throughout the pandemic and the transition to a fully virtual work environment, we learned to look within ourselves and to those we could count on, our community. We relied on the dedication, creativity, and agility of our team and those supporting us and cheering us on. We stayed focused on our goal to improve the lives of the half a billion people around the world who are living with more than 100 different types of liver diseases.
In 2021, we will continue to commit ourselves to the care, the attention, and the services that the liver community needs to not only survive, but thrive.
It has been a year of growth for our organization as we scale to meet the needs of the liver community. We initiated a Pediatric and Rare Liver Diseases Council. We expanded our team to turn up the volume and breadth of our messages and actions. We learned to hold all of our meetings and events virtually, which further expanded our reach and engagement to liver health advocates around the world.
In 2020, GLI offered specialized COVID-19 information tailored specifically to liver patients and hosted a weekly live show to discuss the challenges facing the liver community and share stories and messages of hope to inform and inspire all who tuned in. The show hosted over 40 guests including clinicians, policymakers, thought leaders, liver patients, transplant recipients and advocates.
Our Advanced Advocacy Academy trained 52 advocates from 5 continents, 11 countries, and 22 U.S. states, who participated in over 19 hours of live sessions over the course of the week. The influence these advocates have is exponential, as they each developed plans to build their own networks, influence, and engage countless others in the community. We are also proud to say that the Advanced Advocacy Academy has matured to the point where we are now able to employ advocates in GLI programs.
Our Liver Cancer program experienced massive growth as it added plain language patient guidance, educational videos, webinars, and discussions with expert guests to support the more than 800,000 people diagnosed with liver cancer each year. As part of Liver Cancer Awareness Month, 78 signatories committed themselves to a global call to action to double the 5-year liver cancer survival rate by 2030.
The NASH program united the nonalcoholic steatohepatitis community this year as it published a Narrative Guide to Communication about NASH, published plain language guidance for NASH patients in 12 languages, and hosted an initiative dedicated to accelerating the acceptance and adoption of non-invasive diagnostics as an alternative to biopsy. GLI nimbly shifted to a virtual format and organized an influential and wide-reaching International NASH Day this year, which engaged 80 partner organizations in 26 countries, and received the endorsement of AASLD and EASL.
Throughout the year, GLI has worked at the national and global level to actively shape public policy, promote innovation, encourage collaboration across sectors, and implement optimal legislative and regulatory approaches that are patient centric and advance liver disease to its rightful place on the global public health agenda.
How were we able to do this and much more? With your help and with your confidence in us.
As we approach 2021, we are going ahead stronger than ever, more committed to our purpose of making the world a place where liver patients heal and thrive.
Your support means a great deal to us. For 2021, we will work for your good health. Please join us in our quest for the health of all people.
