Sessions

Nutrition and the liver are interrelated in many ways. Some ways are well understood; others are not. Your liver plays a key role in converting food into the chemicals essential for life and serves several important metabolic tasks in handling nutrients. If you or your loved one are living with a liver disease, eating a healthy balanced diet is essential to maintain strength and a healthy weight. Join us on April 5th at 7pm ET for our upcoming Living with Liver Disease session on nutrition with University of Alberta professor and Registered Dietitian Dr. Diana Mager.

Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.

An autoimmune liver disease means that the body’s immune system is attacking the liver. The most common categories of autoimmune liver disease are autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). These conditions may lead to scarring (cirrhosis), potentially liver failure and the need for a liver transplant. Although these conditions are considered autoimmune in nature, the cause and possible environmental triggers of each remain unclear. Join us on May 26th at 7pm (ET) for our upcoming Living with Liver Disease session on autoimmune liver disease with University of Manitoba associate professor of medicine and liver specialist, Dr. Stephen Wong.

Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.

Join us Tuesday June 7th at 7pm (ET) for our Living With Liver Disease session with University of Calgary Professor of Medicine and liver specialist Dr. Mark Swain, where we will discuss non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), understanding and coping with your liver disease diagnosis, what medications you should avoid, things to do while you wait to hear back from you doctor, as well as navigating the health care system.


June 9th is International NASH Day:

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in Canada. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the progressive form of NAFLD and affects more than 115 million people worldwide. Because NASH symptoms are often not clear, NASH is often underdiagnosed and underreported. NAFLD and NASH are major risk factors for concurrent conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Unchecked, NAFLD and NASH may lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and the need for a liver transplant.


Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.

Join us Tuesday July 19th at 7pm (ET) for our Living With Liver Disease session with University of British Columbia Professor of Medicine and liver specialist Dr. Eric Yoshida, where we will discuss viral hepatitis, recent updates with Hepatitis B and C, the different treatment protocols, and stigma.

Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.

Liver failure happens when the liver becomes so sick and damaged that it stops working, either partly or completely. Although this is rare, liver failure can happen even in children. Many children are able to recover, but others become extremely ill, and some may need a liver transplant to survive.

Join us Tuesday September 27th at 7pm (ET) for our Living With Liver Disease session with University of Calgary clinical assistant professor and liver specialist, Dr. Simon Lam. In this session, we will discuss the different types of children’s liver disease, treatment management options, and quality of life.

Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.

Liver cancer is a leading cause of death. The number of new cases of liver cancer in Canada is increasing.

There are two types of primary liver cancer in adults (cancer that starts in the cells of the liver) are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Liver cancer usually starts out as a small lump, called a tumour, and can grow larger or can develop in more than one site in the liver over time. It usually starts slowly in a liver that has been exposed to certain risk factors for liver cancer.

Many factors play a role in the development of cancer. Because the liver filters blood from all parts of the body, cancer cells from elsewhere can lodge in the liver and start to grow. Cancers that begin in the gastrointestinal tract (gut) often spread to the liver. Liver cells can regenerate after injury (scarring that can occur as a result of liver disease). Sometimes the regeneration of liver cells is associated with changes (mutations) that have been linked to the development of liver cancers.

Join us Tuesday October 20th, at 7pm (ET) for our Living With Liver Disease session with Vancouver General Hospital liver transplant specialist and gastroenterologist, Dr. Vladimir Marquez. In this session, we will discuss everything liver cancer, from prevention to risk factors, as well as treatment/management options.

Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.

Learning how to navigate the system and looking after your own (or your loved one’s) health is a massive task. Join us on Wednesday, December 7th at 7pm ET for our final living with liver disease session on Navigating the Health Care System, where speakers will discuss general tips and trick on navigating the system, ways to maximize an in person/virtual appointment with your doctor, and explaining how clinical pathways work so that people living with liver disease and their caregivers can get a better understanding of the care options available to them.

Following the session, the CLF will host regional/provincial peer-to-peer breakout rooms. These breakout rooms will serve as a judgement-free zones where people living with liver disease can discuss their journeys with liver disease as well as other relevant topics. These discussions will not be recorded.