Shari Rogal, MD, MPH
CHERP
Profile
Dr. Rogal works clinically as a transplant hepatologist with a research interest in improving waitlist and transplant outcomes by addressing symptoms and quality of life in the transplant population in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. She is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine and the John J. Fung Assistant Professor of Transplant Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.
Her research focuses on improving outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease by improving the management of mental health symptoms, addiction, and pain in this population. Despite the number of known drug interactions and the critical role the liver plays in metabolizing medications, little work has been done to develop safe protocols for managing symptoms such as pain in depression in patients with chronic liver disease. In addition to this research focus, Dr. Rogal is also developing implementation strategies to reduce disparities in hepatitis C treatment. This work focuses on vulnerable populations including those with mental health and substance use disorders.
She has found that untreated pre-transplant depression was associated with increased rejection and that poorly-managed depression in the early post-transplant period is among the strongest predictors of long-term post-transplant mortality. Dr. Rogal plans to develop behavioral interventions to address mental health symptoms in the peri-transplant period in order to improve health outcomes.
