Anjana A Pillai, MD

  • Professor of Medicine
    Professor of Surgery
  • Clinical Interests: Alcoholic Liver Diseases, Cholangiocarcinoma, Gastroenterology Endoscopy, Hepatitis C, Liver Cancer, Liver Diseases Hepatology, Liver Transplantation, Liver Tumors Benign and Malignant, Variceal Bleeding, Viral Hepatitis
  • Websites: Research Network Profile
  • Contact: aapillai@uchicago.edu

Anjana Pillai, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist who specializes in managing chronic liver diseases, complex liver transplants and hepatobiliary malignancies. She is the Medical Director of the Transplant Institute and of the Adult Liver Transplant Program. In addition, in her role as the Director of the liver tumor program, Dr. Pillai leads a team of specialists with expertise in benign and malignant liver tumors who together see patients in one location to enhance the patient experience. As a professor of medicine and surgery and a full member of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, she collaborates with the cancer center to provide individualized treatment options to her patients.

Dr. Pillai is also active in national and international societies that focus on advancing research and setting industry standards, including the UNOS National Liver Review Board for adult HCC and the Governing Board for the International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA). She is the past Chair of the Liver and Intestinal Community of Practice (LICOP) Executive Committee of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and is the current chair of the Liver Cancer Special Interest Group of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Additionally, she is the Founder and course director of HCC-LIVE, an annual conference dedicated to advancing liver cancer care. Her contributions to these organizations help shape the future of liver transplantation, liver cancer and ensure her patients benefit from the latest medical research.

University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, FL
MD

University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL
- Internal Medicine

Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL
- Transplant Hepatology

Recommendations to Overcome Barriers to Transplant Fellowship Training: A Report from the American Society of Transplantation Fellows Task Force.
Recommendations to Overcome Barriers to Transplant Fellowship Training: A Report from the American Society of Transplantation Fellows Task Force. Am J Transplant. 2025 May 13.
PMID: 40373877

Direct-acting antivirals lower mortality and recurrence in HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma post liver resection: A multicenter international study.
Direct-acting antivirals lower mortality and recurrence in HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma post liver resection: A multicenter international study. Surgery. 2025 Jul; 183:109396.
PMID: 40334495

Advances in Locoregional and Systemic Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
Advances in Locoregional and Systemic Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Gastroenterology. 2025 May 02.
PMID: 40320088

Combined Liver with Other Solid Organ Transplants: Promises, Pitfalls and ethical dilemmas, An Expert Opinion.
Combined Liver with Other Solid Organ Transplants: Promises, Pitfalls and ethical dilemmas, An Expert Opinion. J Hepatol. 2025 Apr 30.
PMID: 40316053

Reimagining Liver Cancer Allocation: Defining a New Vision.
Reimagining Liver Cancer Allocation: Defining a New Vision. Gastroenterology. 2025 Apr; 168(4):650-651.
PMID: 39756523

Value of HCC surveillance in a landscape of emerging surveillance options: Perspectives of a multi-stakeholder modified Delphi panel.
Value of HCC surveillance in a landscape of emerging surveillance options: Perspectives of a multi-stakeholder modified Delphi panel. Hepatology. 2024 Dec 18.
PMID: 39699563

Influence of Acuity Circles on Hepatocellular Carcinoma and the Interaction of Gender and Race in Liver Transplantation.
Influence of Acuity Circles on Hepatocellular Carcinoma and the Interaction of Gender and Race in Liver Transplantation. Clin Transplant. 2024 Dec; 38(12):e70045.
PMID: 39620868

A history of transplant oncology-The story of Steve Jobs.
A history of transplant oncology-The story of Steve Jobs. Liver Transpl. 2025 Apr 01; 31(4):545-547.
PMID: 39621057

Survival Outcomes of Radiofrequency Ablation for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database: Comparison with Radiotherapy and Resection.
Survival Outcomes of Radiofrequency Ablation for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database: Comparison with Radiotherapy and Resection. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2025 Mar; 36(3):489-498.e3.
PMID: 39491643

The Changing Demographics and Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
The Changing Demographics and Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Clin Liver Dis. 2025 Feb; 29(1):1-15.
PMID: 39608950

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