Meet the PI
Sarah R. Lieber, M.D., M.S.C.R.
Sarah R. Lieber, M.D., M.S.C.R., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. She is a transplant hepatologist—her clinical practice emphasizes patient-centered care for individuals with advanced liver disease in need of liver transplantation.
Dr. Lieber's research interests are focused on survivorship after liver transplantation, including patient-reported and medical outcomes, as well as implementation of health behavior interventions. Her studies focus on survivorship—the lived experience of going through a life-saving and life-changing liver transplantation. This includes the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial impact of going through liver transplantation. Her research also focuses on caregiver experiences before and after liver transplantation. Beyond her research interests, she is passionate about community engagement in liver health including patient perspectives on research in liver disease.
Current Lab Members
Alvaro Noriega Ramirez, B.S.
Clinical Research Coordinator
Born and raised in Mexico. Alvaro’s family moved to Texas when he was 16 years old. He has a bachelor's degree in cellular biology and chemistry from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Alvaro began working with Dr. Lieber and Dr. VanWagner in 2022. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, running, and trying new restaurants.
Lisa B. VanWagner, M.D., M.Sc.,
Co-Investigator. Associate Professor of Medicine. Director of Digestive and Liver Diseases Clinical Research. Director of the Clinical Scientist Training Program
Lisa VanWagner, M.D., M.Sc., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in liver transplantation medicine, fatty liver disease, and cardiac cirrhosis.
Her clinical research laboratory utilizes human population-based approaches, large electronic health record data analysis, and health services research methods to define and characterize cardiometabolic disease risk prediction, prevention, and treatment approaches in patients with chronic liver disease.
During her free time, Dr. VanWagner enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Amit Singal, M.D., M.S.
Co-Investigator. Professor. Medical Director of the Liver Tumor Program. Chief of Hepatology
Amit Singal, M.D., M.S., is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in treating patients with liver cancer and other liver diseases. He is a Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care and the David Bruton Jr. Professor in Clinical Cancer Research.
Dr. Singal’s research focuses on diagnosing and treating liver cancer before it becomes incurable. He has received numerous grants, including from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CPRIT, and the Department of Defense, and he lectures on his work frequently throughout the world
During his time off, Dr. Singal likes to travel internationally. And he loves to cheer on his home teams – the Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Lions, and Detroit Red Wings – when they are in Dallas.
Mary Joy Tuquero, M.S.
Clinical Research Assistant
Raised in a military family, Mary Joy was born in Germany and raised in Dallas, TX. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry at UNT and M.S. in Medical Science at SCUHS. Her interest in healthcare began when she worked as a medical scribe and eventually began performing various roles such as a medical assistant, healthcare administration, and clinical research. She is motivated and excited to gain more experience and knowledge in liver transplant research, working alongside Dr. VanWagner and Dr. Lieber’s team. During her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, boxing, watching Netflix shows and anime, and is currently learning Muay Thai.
Dyanna Gregory, M.S., MSLIS, M.Eng.
Data Analyst
Originally from Illinois, Dyanna earned her B.S. in community health and M.S. in library and information science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She moved to Chicago to pursue an M.S. in biostatistics and bioengineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. She began working for Dr. VanWagner in 2015 at Northwestern University and then transitioned to UTSW to work with Dr. VanWagner and Dr. Lieber in 2022.
