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Kiran Bambha, MD, MSc
Associate Professor
Biography

Dr. Bambha is a Transplant Hepatologist and Associate Professor of Medicine.

Dr. Bambha obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary and a Master’s of Science degree in Physiology and Biophysics from the Medical College of Virginia. She received her Medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and completed her clinical training programs in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and advanced training in Clinical Research at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Dr. Bambha moved to the University California, San Francisco for her Transplant Hepatology fellowship and was recruited to the faculty at UCSF where she was Assistant Professor. She was then recruited to the transplant hepatology faculty at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where she worked for 7 years prior to being recruited to the transplant hepatology faculty at the University of Washington as an Associate Professor of Medicine. She is currently Medical Director of the UW Live Donor Liver Transplant Program, as well as Director of the Liver Clinical Trials Unit in the UW Liver Clinical and Translational Research Center (Liver CTRC).

Dr. Bambha's expertise is in epidemiologic and outcomes methods and her research focuses on investigation of factors that impact the organ allocation process and MELD allocation system for patients with chronic and end-stage liver diseases. She is also currently conducting several randomized controlled clinical trials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry related to interventions targeting molecular pathways of inflammation and fibrogenesis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) pathogenesis. Her other area of active interest surround the concepts of frailty and sarcopenia among patients with end-stage liver disease, particularly in the setting of liver transplant candidacy. As an investigator, Dr. Bambha is a prior recipient of the Jan Albrecht Award for commitment to clinical research in liver disease sponsored by the American Association of the Study of Liver Diseases. She has over 38 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Bambha is a board certified transplant hepatologist with clinical expertise in caring for patients with cirrhosis and patients with acute and chronic liver diseases including: viral hepatitis, autoimmune and cholestatic liver diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, other metabolic and genetic liver diseases, and hepatocellular carcinoma. She also cares for patients with portal hypertensive complications and is actively engaged in the care of patients in the pre- and post-liver transplant settings. She has served on several committees for the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, as well as for the American Gastroenterological Association.

Recent Publications
Displaying 20 Most Recent Publications from PubMed

November 2018. Living liver donation improves patient and graft survival in the pediatric population. Montenovo MI, Bambha K, Reyes J, Dick A, Perkins J, Healey P. Pediatr Transplant. 2018 Nov 18:e13318. doi: 10.1111/petr.13318. [Epub ahead of print]

November 2018. Future Trends in Demand for Liver Transplant: Birth-Cohort Effects among Patients with NASH and HCC. Shingina A, DeWitt PE, Dodge JL, Biggins SW, Gralla J, Sprague D, Bambha K. Transplantation. 2018 Nov 16. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000002497. [Epub ahead of print]

April 2018. Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Associates Independently With Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with Cirrhosis. Rice J, Dodge JL, Bambha KM, Bajaj JS, Reddy KR, Gralla J, Ganapathy D, Mitrani R, Reuter B, Palecki J, Acharya C, Shaw J, Burton JR, Biggins SW. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Apr 26. pii: S1542-3565(18)30407-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2018.04.045. [Epub ahead of print]

February 2017. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio correlates with proinflammatory neutrophils and predicts death in low model for end-stage liver disease patients with cirrhosis. Kalra A, Wedd JP, Bambha KM, Gralla J, Golden-Mason L, Collins C, Rosen HR, Biggins SW Liver Transpl. 2017 Feb; 23(2):155-165.

June 2016. Early weight changes after liver transplantation significantly impact patient and graft survival. Martinez-Camacho A, Fortune BE, Gralla J, Bambha K Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 Jan; 28(1):107-15.

February 2016. Impact of body mass index on posttransplant outcomes reexamined. Bambha KM, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Biggins SW Liver Transpl. 2016 Feb; 22(2):261-2.

December 2015. Implications of an aging liver transplant waiting list: Survival benefit should be based upon 'mile-age' and performance. Bambha KM Liver Transpl. 2015 Dec; 21(12):1459-61.

December 2015. Bile acid receptors and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Yuan L, Bambha K World J Hepatol. 2015 Dec 8; 7(28):2811-8.

November 2015. Optimizing repeat liver transplant graft utility through strategic matching of donor and recipient characteristics. Hung K, Gralla J, Dodge JL, Bambha KM, Dirchwolf M, Rosen HR, Biggins SW Liver Transpl. 2015 Nov; 21(11):1365-73.

November 2015. Systematic review: microbial dysbiosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Wieland A, Frank DN, Harnke B, Bambha K. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2015 Nov;42(9):1051-63. doi: 10.1111/apt.13376. Epub 2015 Aug 24.

October 2015. Low, rather than high, body mass index confers increased risk for post-liver transplant death and graft loss: Risk modulated by model for end-stage liver disease. Bambha KM, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Sprague D, Biggins SW Liver Transpl. 2015 Oct; 21(10):1286-94.

August 2015. The corrected donor age for hepatitis C virus-infected liver transplant recipients. Dirchwolf M, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Bambha KM, Nydam T, Hung KW, Rosen HR, Feng S, Terrault NA, Biggins SW Liver Transpl. 2015 Aug; 21(8):1022-30.

May 2015. Duodenal perforation secondary to migrated biliary stent in a liver transplant patient: successful endoscopic closure with an over-the-scope clip. Kriss M, Yen R, Fukami N, Bambha K, Wani S Gastrointest Endosc. 2015 May; 81(5):1258-9.

April 2015. Risk factors associated with acute heart failure during liver transplant surgery: a case control study. Mandell MS, Seres T, Lindenfeld J, Biggins SW, Chascsa D, Ahlgren B, Wachs M, Bambha KM Transplantation. 2015 Apr; 99(4):873-8.

January 2015. Low awareness of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among patients at high metabolic risk. Wieland AC, Mettler P, McDermott MT, Crane LA, Cicutto LC, Bambha KM J Clin Gastroenterol. 2015 Jan; 49(1):e6-e10.

November 2014. Balanced coagulopathy in cirrhosis-clinical implications: a teachable moment. Roberts JR, Bambha K. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Nov;174(11):1723-4. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.4023.

November 2014. Survival benefit of repeat liver transplantation in the United States: a serial MELD analysis by hepatitis C status and donor risk index. Biggins SW, Gralla J, Dodge JL, Bambha KM, Tong S, Barón AE, Inadomi J, Terrault N, Rosen HR. Am J Transplant. 2014 Nov;14(11):2588-94. doi: 10.1111/ajt.12867. Epub 2014 Sep 19.

October 2014. Stage of cirrhosis predicts the risk of liver-related death in patients with low Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores and cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation. Wedd J, Bambha KM, Stotts M, Laskey H, Colmenero J, Gralla J, Biggins SW Liver Transpl. 2014 Oct; 20(10):1193-201.

September 2014. Coffee consumption in NAFLD patients with lower insulin resistance is associated with lower risk of severe fibrosis. Bambha K, Wilson LA, Unalp A, Loomba R, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Brunt EM, Bass NM Liver Int. 2014 Sep; 34(8):1250-8.

October 2013. Identifying practice gaps to optimize medical care for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Wieland AC, Quallick M, Truesdale A, Mettler P, Bambha KM Dig Dis Sci. 2013 Oct; 58(10):2809-16.

May 2013. Differential effects of donor and recipient IL28B and DDX58 SNPs on severity of HCV after liver transplantation. Biggins SW, Trotter J, Gralla J, Burton JR Jr, Bambha KM, Dodge J, Brocato M, Cheng L, McQueen M, Forman L, Chang M, Kam I, Everson G, Spritz RA, Klintmalm G, Rosen HR J Hepatol. 2013 May; 58(5):969-76.

December 2012. Projected future increase in aging hepatitis C virus-infected liver transplant candidates: a potential effect of hepatocellular carcinoma. Biggins SW, Bambha KM, Terrault NA, Inadomi J, Shiboski S, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Rosen HR, Roberts JP. Liver Transpl. 2012 Dec;18(12):1471-8. doi: 10.1002/lt.23551.

October 2012. Race- and gender-related variation in natural killer p46 expression associated with differential anti-hepatitis C virus immunity. Golden-Mason L, Stone AE, Bambha KM, Cheng L, Rosen HR Hepatology. 2012 Oct; 56(4):1214-22.

June 2012. Drug-induced liver injury due to varenicline: a case report. Sprague D, Bambha K BMC Gastroenterol. 2012 Jun 8; 12:65.

March 2012. Ethnicity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Bambha K, Belt P, Abraham M, Wilson LA, Pabst M, Ferrell L, Unalp-Arida A, Bass N Hepatology. 2012 Mar; 55(3):769-80.

March 2012. Assessing mortality in women with hepatitis C virus and HIV using indirect markers of fibrosis. Bambha K, Pierce C, Cox C, French AL, Tien PC, Sharp GB, Augenbraun M, Glesby MJ, Villacres MC, Plankey M, Strickler HD, Gange SJ, Peters MG AIDS. 2012 Mar 13; 26(5):599-607.

November 2011. Natural killer inhibitory receptor expression associated with treatment failure and interleukin-28B genotype in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Golden-Mason L, Bambha KM, Cheng L, Howell CD, Taylor MW, Clark PJ, Afdhal N, Rosen HR Hepatology. 2011 Nov; 54(5):1559-69.

September 2010. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene variation associated with chronic kidney disease after liver transplant. Bambha K, Kim WR, Rosen CB, Pedersen RA, Rys C, Kolbert CP, Cunningham JM, Therneau TM Mayo Clin Proc. 2010 Sep; 85(9):814-20.

May 2010. Fatty liver: think globally. Everhart JE, Bambha KM Hepatology. 2010 May; 51(5):1491-3.

November 2009. Transplant tourism to China: the impact on domestic patient-care decisions. Biggins SW, Bambha K, Terrault N, Inadomi J, Roberts JP, Bass N. Clin Transplant. 2009 Nov-Dec;23(6):831-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2008.00949.x. Epub 2009 Jan 10.
Contact Info
Education

Advanced Fellowship, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, University of California, San Franscico

Clinical Research Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

T32 Training Grant, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Residency, Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Intership, Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

MD, Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans

M.Sc., Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Biology, High Honors, College of William and Mary Williamsburg, Virginia
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