8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration, Breakfast, and Booths 

• Check-in at registration desk
• Light breakfast and networking opportunity

Opening Session

9:00 AM – 9:05 AM: Welcome and Symposium Introduction

• Speaker: Sarah Manes

• Overview of the symposium’s goals, agenda highlights, and the importance of fostering collaboration to address liver health challenges.

9:05 AM – 9:40 AM: Achieving Health Equity With Liver Disease in Minnesota   

• Speaker: 

• Breaking the Stigma: Understanding misconceptions about liver diseases, the impact of stigma on care access and outcomes, and strategies to create a more supportive environment for patients.

• Addressing Health Inequities: Examining key drivers of disparities in liver disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, with a focus on under-resourced communities and equitable care.
• Data-Driven Insights: Presentation on liver disease prevalence, risk factors, and health outcomes across Minnesota, highlighting areas for targeted intervention and improvement.

9:40 AM – 9:50 AM: Patient Story: Living with Liver Disease

• Speaker: 

• A personal journey highlighting overcoming stigma, healthcare challenges, and the importance of advocacy within the liver disease landscape.

9:50 AM – 10:00 AM: Morning Break

• Move to lecture room

Part 2: An Introduction to Liver Health

10:00 AM – 10:05: Overview and Introductions

• Speaker: Sandra Ponce

10:05 AM – 10:45AM: Understanding Liver Disease: Advances in Non-Invasive Testing & Screening

• Speaker: 

• Identifying risk factors for liver disease 
• Hepatitis B & C: Key facts, transmission, risk factors, risk reduction, screening, and treatment options.
• Fatty liver disease: What is it, who is at risk, how to screen for it, and available treatments.
• The role of metabolic health, obesity, and diabetes in liver disease, including screening and management strategies.
• The pathway to liver cancer: Prevention, early detection through screening, and treatment advancements.

• Q&A (10 minutes)

10:45 AM- 10:55 AM: Patient Advocacy Segment:

• Speaker: 

• Personal stories of an individual who is living with or has overcome liver disease.
• How early detection made a difference in their health outcomes

10:55 AM- 11:30 AM: Nutrition 

• Speaker: 
• Healthy Foods To Add: Display examples of healthy proteins, grains, dairy, and healthy fats that can be added to traditional meals to help promote a healthier, nutritional diet.  
• Choose Healthier Cooking Methods: Opt for grilling, steaming, or baking instead of frying, and replace butter or lard with heart-healthy oils like olive or avocado oil.
• Make Culturally Appropriate Adjustments: Modify traditional recipes instead of eliminating favorite foods, introduce gradual changes, and use familiar flavors to make healthier choices sustainable.
• Q&A (10 minutes)

11:30 AM- 12:00 PM: Weight Interventions 

• Speaker: 

• Incorporate Daily Exercise: Teach simple ways to add movement into daily routines, such as walking after meals, using stairs instead of elevators, or engaging in fun physical activities like dancing or gardening.
• Explore Weight Loss Alternatives: Provide an overview of medical and lifestyle-based weight loss options for those struggling with traditional methods.
• Review Medical Interventions: Discuss weight loss pills, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and surgical options.
• Support Sustainable Change: Emphasize the importance of setting realistic goals, maintaining a balanced diet, and seeking guidance to ensure long-term success, how to sustain a healthy weight after an intervention.
• Q&A (10 minutes)

12:00 PM | Closing Remarks  

• Speaker: Sandra Ponce
• Survey link 
• Invite attendees to grab lunch and visit booths 

Part 3: Networking  

12:00 PM- 1:30 PM: Lunch and Booths 

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration, Breakfast, and Booths 

• Check-in at registration desk
• Light breakfast and networking opportunity

Opening Session

9:00 AM – 9:05 AM: Welcome and Symposium Introduction 

• Speaker: Sarah Manes

• Overview of the symposium’s goals, agenda highlights, and the importance of fostering collaboration to address liver health challenges.
• Introduce keynote speaker

9:05 AM – 9:40 AM: Achieving Health Equity With Liver Disease in Minnesota   

• Keynote Speaker: 

• Breaking the Stigma: Understanding misconceptions about liver diseases, the impact of stigma on care access and outcomes, and strategies to create a more supportive environment for patients.

• Addressing Health Inequities: Examining key drivers of disparities in liver disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, with a focus on under-resourced communities and equitable care.
• Data-Driven Insights: Presentation on liver disease prevalence, risk factors, and health outcomes across Minnesota, highlighting areas for targeted intervention and improvement. Presenting on the State of Liver Disease and how this leads to liver cancer diagnosis.
• Setting the tone for the conference.

9:40 AM – 9:50 AM: Patient Story: Living with Liver Disease

• Speaker: 

• A personal journey highlighting overcoming stigma, healthcare challenges, and the importance of advocacy within the liver disease landscape.

9:50 AM – 10:05 AM: Morning Break

• Move to lecture room

Part 2: Advancing Liver Health  (Provider track)

10:05 AM – 10:10 AM: Opening Remarks and Framing the Session

• Speaker: Sarah Manes
• Overview of current challenges and opportunities in liver disease management, with an emphasis on integrating the latest research into clinical practice.
• Introduce next speaker.

10:10 AM – 10:45 AM: Metabolic Dysfunction- Associated Steatonic Liver Disease: Diagnosis and Emerging Treatments

• Speaker:

• Advances in non-invasive diagnostic techniques, including biomarkers and imaging.
• Current and emerging pharmacological treatments for metabolic dysfunction- associated steatohepatitis (MASLD).
• Risk factor management to prevent disease progression.
• Q&A (10 minutes)

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM: Hepatitis B & C: Toward Elimination

• Speaker: 

• Latest screening guidelines and diagnostic advancements (POC RNA tests).
• Antiviral therapies and updates on cure rates for Hepatitis C.
• Public health efforts and strategies for reducing hepatitis prevalence: treating patients with addictions 
•  Q&A 

11:15 AM – 11:45 AM: Metabolic Syndrome and Liver Health

• Speaker:

• The intersection of obesity, diabetes, and liver disease.
• Strategies and screening for managing metabolic risk factors to prevent liver complications.
• Role of lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy in liver health.
•  Q&A 

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM: Cirrhosis: Improving Outcomes in Advanced Disease

• Speaker: 

• Advances in cirrhosis management, including portal hypertension treatment and transplant options.
• Innovations in cirrhosis-related complication prevention (e.g., HE, variceal bleeding).
• Screening and surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients.
• Q&A 

12:15 PM – 12:20 PM: Closing Remarks 

• Facilitator: Sarah Manes

• Announce Lunch location 
• Encourage participants to attend booths 

12:20 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch and Networking 

Part 3: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) 

1:00 PM – 1:05 PM: Liver Cancer Overview

• Speaker: Sarah Manes

• Overview of current challenges and opportunities in liver cancer management, with an emphasis on integrating the latest research into clinical practice

1:05 PM – 1:40 PM: Engage & Elevate: Gathering Provider Insights on Screening and Patient Needs in Liver Health

• Moderator: TBD

• This moderated session engages providers to discuss disparities in liver disease screening, follow-up care, and patient support—especially in underserved communities.
• Attendees will be encouraged to share their real-world experiences, identify barriers in current screening practices, and highlight unmet patient needs.
• Audience participation is central to the session’s purpose.

1:40 PM – 2:10 PM: Screening Guidelines and Early Detection

(talk about HERE attendees taking part of a survey to help a workgroup that’s formed to write screening guidelines)

• Speaker:
• Latest screening guidelines for high-risk populations and how patients keep falling through the cracks. 
• Advances in imaging modalities (ultrasound, MRI, and CT) for early detection.
• Role of biomarker testing (e.g., AFP, GALAD score) in improving diagnostic accuracy.
• Q&A

2:10 PM – 2:40 PM: Surgical Management of HCC/Liver Transplant 

• Speaker: 
• Patient selection criteria for liver resection.
• Innovations in surgical techniques and perioperative care.
• Outcomes and recurrence risk reduction strategies.
• Q&A

2:40 PM – 3:10 PM: Curative Therapies for HCC

• Speaker: 

• Systemic Therapy:
• First line therapies 
• Second line therapies
• Significant advancements and future projections 
• Locoregional Therapy – Interventional Radiology (IR) Procedures 
• Ablation techniques: radiofrequency (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA).
• Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE): Patient selection and procedural advancements.
• Transarterial radioembolization (TARE): Indications and efficacy.
• Histrotrips

• Q&A

3:10 – 3:15 PM: Closing Remarks  

• Facilitator: Sarah Manes 
• Summary of key insights and next steps for continued learning and collaboration.