Jorge Bezerra, M.D. Titles and Appointments Professor & Chair Endowed Title Robert L. Moore Chair in Pediatrics School Medical School Department Pediatrics Graduate Programs Immunology You have reached the Academic Profile. For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile. Biography Jorge A. Bezerra, M.D., joined UT Southwestern as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics in October 2022. He is also Pediatrician-in-Chief at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. A pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Bezerra earned his medical degree from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte School of Medicine in Brazil. After a pediatrics residency at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, he completed clinical and research fellowships in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at CCHMC. Dr. Bezerra is the principal investigator of multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health focused on preclinical and translational research on biliary atresia, the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children. His scientific achievements include the discovery of a key immunologic signature in the liver of children with biliary atresia. Using predictive analytics, the Bezerra lab identified matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) as a diagnostic biomarker of biliary atresia. The discovery led to a test now transitioning to clinical use to facilitate diagnostic algorithms and shorten the time to surgical treatment. Dr. Bezerra is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He is also a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and served as the 71st President of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in 2020. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Education Medical School Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul - Brazil (1984) Residency University of Arizona Health Sciences Center (1989), Pediatrics Fellowship Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (1993), Pediatric Gastroenterology Research Interest Biliary Atresia Cholestatic Liver Diseases Inherited Liver Diseases Viral Hepatitis Publications Featured Publications Plasticity between type 2 innate lymphoid cell subsets and amphiregulin expression regulates epithelial repair in biliary atresia. Russi AE, Shivakumar P, Luo Z, Bezerra JA, Hepatology 2023 Oct 78 4 1035-1049 Customized Postoperative Therapy Improves Bile Drainage in Biliary Atresia: A Single Center Preliminary Report. Pandurangi S, Kim S, Asai A, Bondoc A, Balistreri W, Campbell K, Miethke A, Peters A, Rogers M, Taylor A, Attia SL, Gibbons T, Mullapudi B, Sheridan R, Tiao G, Bezerra JA, J Pediatr Surg 2023 Aug 58 8 1483-1488 Serum Bile Acids as a New Prognostic Biomarker in Biliary Atresia Following Kasai Portoenterostomy. Harpavat S, Hawthorne K, Setchell KDR, Narvaez Rivas M, Henn L, Beil CA, Karpen SJ, Ng VL, Alonso EM, Bezerra JA, Guthery SL, Horslen S, Loomes KM, McKiernan P, Magee JC, Merion RM, Molleston JP, Rosenthal P, Thompson RJ, Wang KS, Sokol RJ, Shneider BL, Hepatology 2022 Sep Serum Biomarkers Correlated with Liver Stiffness Assessed in a Multi-center Study of Pediatric Cholestatic Liver Disease. Leung DH, Devaraj S, Goodrich NP, Chen X, Rajapakshe D, Ye W, Andreev V, Minard CG, Guffey D, Molleston JP, Bass LM, Karpen SJ, Kamath BM, Wang KS, Sundaram SS, Rosenthal P, McKiernan P, Loomes KM, Jensen MK, Horslen S, Bezerra JA, Magee JC, Merion RM, Sokol RJ, Shneider BL, Hepatology 2022 Sep Use of funded multicenter prospective longitudinal databases to inform clinical trials in rare diseases-Examination of cholestatic liver disease in Alagille syndrome. Shneider BL, Kamath BM, Magee JC, Goodrich NP, Loomes KM, Ye W, Spino C, Alonso EM, Molleston JP, Bezerra JA, Wang KS, Karpen SJ, Horslen SP, Guthery SL, Rosenthal P, Squires RH, Sokol RJ, Hepatol Commun 2022 Aug 6 8 1910-1921 Serum Proteomics Uncovers Biomarkers of Clinical Portal Hypertension in Children With Biliary Atresia. Osborn J, Mourya R, Thanekar U, Su W, Fei L, Shivakumar P, Bezerra JA, Hepatol Commun 2022 05 6 5 995-1004 The Liver Biopsy in Neonatal Cholestasis: Just a Cherry on Top? Russi AE, Pandurangi S, Bezerra JA, Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken) 2022 Mar 19 3 111-113 Maternal regulation of biliary disease in neonates via gut microbial metabolites. Jee JJ, Yang L, Shivakumar P, Xu PP, Mourya R, Thanekar U, Yu P, Zhu Y, Pan Y, Wang H, Duan X, Ye Y, Wang B, Jin Z, Liu Y, Cao Z, Watanabe-Chailland M, Romick-Rosendale LE, Wagner M, Fei L, Luo Z, Ollberding NJ, Tang ST, Bezerra JA, Nat Commun 2022 01 13 1 18 Biliary organoids uncover delayed epithelial development and barrier function in biliary atresia. Amarachintha SP, Mourya R, Ayabe H, Yang L, Luo Z, Li X, Thanekar U, Shivakumar P, Bezerra JA, Hepatology 2022 01 75 1 89-103 The 2020 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for the Discovery of Hepatitis C Virus: A Triumph of Curiosity and Persistence. Ghany MG, Lok ASF, Dienstag JL, Feinstone SM, Hoofnagle JH, Jake Liang T, Seeff LB, Cohen DE, Bezerra JA, Chung RT, Hepatology 2021 11 74 5 2813-2823 Results 1-10 of 117 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Books Featured Books Transplantation of the liver. In Transplantation for cholestatic liver disease Bezerra JA, Balistreri W (1996). Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders Co Metabolic diseases in children. In Liver Diseases D?Agata I, Bezerra JA. (2001). Brazil, Editora Atheneu Metabolic liver disease. In Gastroenterologia e Hepatologia em Pediatria: Diagnostico e Tratamento Bezerra JA (2003). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Medsi Neonatal cholestasis. In Gastroenterologia e Hepatologia em Pediatria. Bezerra JA (2003). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Medsi Endoscopia Pediatrica (Pediatric Endoscopy). In Gastrointestinal evaluation in immunodeficient children Guthery S, Bezerra JA (2004). Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, Guanabara Koogan Biliary atresia. In Textbook of Pediatric Gatrointestinal Disease: 4th Edition, Volume 2 Campbell K, Bezerra JA. (2004). Lewiston, NY, BC Decker Diagnosis and management of acute diarrhea in children. In Current Opinion in Pediatrics Bezerra JA, Cohen MB (1991). United States, Wolters Kluwer Cirrhosis. In Current Pediatric Therapy Bezerra JA, Balistreri W (1993). Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders Co Progress in pediatric hepatology. In Current Opinion in Gastroenterology Bezerra JA, Balistreri WF (1996). United States, Wolters Kluwer Cell transplantation into transgenic mice. In Falk Symposium Bezerra JA (2002). Springer Dordrecht Biliary atresia. In National Organization of Rare Disorders: A guide to rare disorders Bezerra JA (2002). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Honors & Awards ChairmanBoard of Scientific Councilors, Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2021) Honorary MemberAcademy of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte School of Medicine, Natal, Brazil (2021) The Klatskin LecturerYale University (2021) PresidentAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (2020) Castle Conolly Top Doctors in America (2018-2021) ChairmanNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, ZRG1 DKUS-P (03) (2017) Councilor and Governing Board MemberAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (2016) TrusteeFoundation of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (2016-2018) FellowAmerican Gastroenterological Association (2015) Award for distinguished scientific accomplishments15th Brazilian Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Natal, Brazil (2014) FellowAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (2014) Mentorship Achievement AwardCincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center (2014) Associate EditorHepatology (2012) William and Rebecca Balistreri Chair of Pediatric HepatologyCincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center (2009-2022) The Best Doctors in America2005 (2008-2021) Graduating Resident Award for Excellence in Clinical ServiceDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ (1989) Graduating Resident Award for Excellence in ResearchDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ (1989) Graduating Resident Award for Excellence in TeachingDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ (1989) Pediatric Resident Research AwardAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (1989) Best Graduating Student, Merit MedalFederal University of Rio Grande do Norte School of Medicine (1984) Top Doctor, Pediatrics2014-2015, 2017-2021, Cincinnati Magazine Professional Associations/Affiliations American Association for Advancement of Science (2000) American Association for Studies of Liver Diseases (1994) American Association for Studies of Liver Diseases, Fellow (2014) American Association of Physicians (2015) American Gastroenterological Association (1994) American Gastroenterological Association, Fellow (2015) American Pediatric Society (2005) American Physiological Society (2003) American Society for Clinical Investigation (2005) North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (1994) Society for Pediatric Research (2000)
