Donna R. Cryer, JD, President and CEO, Honored with Awards from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and Global Genes for leadership in connecting, empowering, inspiring and advocating for people living with liver disease

(Washington, DC, Friday, November 19, 2021)——Global Liver Institute (GLI), the only patient-led liver health nonprofit operating internationally, celebrates its President and CEO, Donna R. Cryer, JD, receiving both the AASLD Distinguished Advocacy Service Award and Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Founder’s Award within the same week.

“It is an honor to receive these awards from AASLD and Global Genes — longstanding and deeply valued GLI partners — in recognition of all that we do 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,” said Mrs. Cryer, a rare liver disease patient and 27-year transplant recipient. “These awards are particularly significant to me because they also celebrate patient leadership and Black female leadership which are rarely recognized outside of siloed spaces. On behalf of Team GLI, I want to thank all of our partners- clinicians, researchers, industry innovators, policy makers, and patients – for facilitating our efforts to elevate and amplify the patient voice and the value of diverse lived experiences in improving liver health care and policy. It has been a time of tremendous turmoil across the world, but also one of generosity, fortitude and empathy. We continue to commit ourselves to creating a united liver health community marked by inclusiveness, equity, and effectiveness.”

The AASLD Distinguished Advocacy Service Award, which recognizes sustained service to the hepatology community by raising awareness, garnering public and legislative support, and promoting liver health and patient care, was awarded to GLI during The Liver Meeting Digital Experience™ on November 12. The RARE Champions of Hope Founder’s Award — which Mrs. Cryer received just a week later on November 18 at a ceremony that was part of the Global Genes RARE Health Equity Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — recognizes founders of impactful organizations in the rare disease community and acknowledges a commitment to connecting, empowering, and inspiring the community and advocating for people living with rare disease.

“Our strong and steady growth over the past seven years has redefined the scope and scale of opportunities to serve those who live with liver disease as well as the families and caregivers who support them,” said GLI Board Chair Victor J. Reyes, MBA. “As we reflect on all we have accomplished, it further underscores all we have yet to do. We hope these awards will highlight opportunities to partner with GLI to expand our ability to  provide strategic leadership, infrastructure, training and support for the community of liver health organizations and patients across the United States and around the world. Both the Distinguished Advocacy Service Award and RARE Founder’s Award provide much appreciated recognition and encouragement as we continue to do this important work.”

GLI has had the honor of making an impact and serving the community in various ways, including:

• Training over 200 advocates from 36 U.S. states and 15 countries at our Advanced Advocacy Academy (A3) over four years
• Engaging over 200 organizational members —medical societies, advocacy organizations, industry innovators — through our NASH Council, Liver Cancers Council and Pediatric and Rare Diseases Council
• Representing two countries, more than 40 U.S. states and 11 community liver advocacy organizations through GLI’s Liver Action Network (LAN), an affiliation model that affords a central structure for the formulation of policy positions and programmatic solutions
• Introducing the Liver Illness, Visibility, Education and Research (LIVER) Act with U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to improve the lives of all people impacted by liver disease
• Accelerating the acceptance of non-invasive diagnostics as an alternative to biopsy with the Beyond the Biopsy initiative
• Increasing global awareness and early intervention of NASH on International NASH Day: 120 partners, 36 countries. #NASHDay – 11.5 million impressions
• Raising awareness of liver cancer and reducing the stigma of liver disease through our #OctoberIsForLivers and #BossesWearBurgundy campaigns reaching 11.5 million impressions
• Providing timely information to patients living with liver disease through weekly GLI LIVE shows

Learn more about GLI and its activities in this short video.

About Global Liver Institute

Global Liver Institute (GLI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in the belief that liver health must take its place on the global public health agenda commensurate with the prevalence and impact of liver illness. GLI promotes innovation, encourages collaboration, and supports the scaling of optimal approaches to help eradicate liver diseases. Operating globally, GLI is committed to solving the problems that matter to liver patients and equipping advocates to improve the lives of individuals and families impacted by liver disease. Follow GLI on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.