Dr. Friedman is the Dean for Therapeutic Discovery and Chief of the Division of Liver Diseases, at Mount Sinai. He has performed pioneering research into the underlying causes of scarring, or fibrosis associated with chronic liver disease. Dr. Friedman was among the first to isolate and characterize the hepatic stellate cell, the key cell type responsible for scar production in liver. His work has spawned an entire field that is now realizing its translational and therapeutic potential, with new anti-fibrotic therapies for liver disease reaching clinical trials. He is a widely respected author with over 300 peer-reviewed publications focused on the research and treatment of liver disease.
He served as Chief of the Division of Liver Diseases at Mount Sinai since 2001 and in 2012 as Dean for Therapeutic. As President of the American Assn. for the Study of Liver Diseases in 2009, Dr. Friedman oversaw several major new initiatives that accelerated its growth and brought the Association to new levels of income and international visibility.