American Liver Foundation Elects David Frank as New Board Chair

FAIRFIELD, N.J., March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- American Liver Foundation (ALF) is excited to announce the election of David Frank as its new chair of the board. David, who has served as Vice Chair of ALF's board since March of 2025, is the Senior Product Manager for Equities Cash & Derivatives at Wells Fargo Securities in NYC. He replaces outgoing board chair, Emmanuel Thomas, MD, PhD, FAASLD, Tenured Professor, at the University of Miami School of Medicine in the Department of Pathology, who served for the past three years and was on the ALF Board of Directors for a total of 10 years also serving as chair of the Nominating Committee and Investment Committee. ALF board chairs serve three consecutive one-year terms.

"I'm proud to have had the privilege to lead ALF through a period of unprecedented growth where we funded an historic $1.1M in support of cutting-edge research, formed a great partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) aimed at increasing awareness of liver health through a dedicated Veterans Information Center on the ALF website, and created ALF's Living Donor Network, the first national database for non-directed donors who wish to donate a part of their liver to transplant centers nationwide," said Dr. Thomas.  "During my term of volunteer service, I recruited many leaders from the liver community to join ALF's Board of Directors. We are so grateful for David's leadership and vision as he takes the helm of ALF to lead us through these coming years offering his dedication, passion, and vision for millions of Americans living with liver disease."  

David first became involved with ALF in 2014 after the loss of his beloved mother, Geraldine, at the age of 62, who had a brief but devastating six-week battle with late-stage metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). MASH is considered a silent killer because some people have no symptoms until the late stages similar to David's mother; this disease took David's entire family by surprise. David found a way to turn his immeasurable grief into actionable steps to raise awareness regarding liver disease and MASH by volunteering with ALF and helping to launch the Greater New York Associate Board of Young Professionals in 2017. He also founded NASH AWARE, a global blog dedicated to educating the public about Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). Today, his blog reaches readers in dozens of countries each month. He is also a frequent speaker at NASH conferences, International NASH Day events and is featured regularly in ALF's educational content. In 2022, he officially joined ALF's National Board of Directors.

"I'm deeply honored to be elected as the new board chair for an organization that is the leading voice in the fight against liver disease," said David Frank. "ALF has spent 50 years funding vital research, educating patients and providers, fundraising through community and national events, and leading advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill – but with over 100 million Americans living with liver disease, we must move faster and reach further. In honor of my mother, I'm proud to help lead ALF into its next 50 years and expand our impact in tackling this urgent public health crisis."

ALF has continued to thrive for the last five years under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Stiehl. In addition to electing David Frank as its new board chair, the following ALF Foundation Officers were also elected: Connie Deneweth, CPA (treasurer) and Anne Doyen, Esq. (Secretary).  

For more information about ALF, go to www.liverfoundation.org and if you have any questions or concerns regarding liver disease, please call our FREE helpline at 1.800.GO.LIVER (800.465.4837).

About the American Liver Foundation
American Liver Foundation (ALF) is a national community of patients, caregivers and medical professionals dedicated to helping people improve their liver health. Providing guidance and life-saving resources, we are a beacon for the 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. We advocate for patients and families, fund medical research and educate the public about liver wellness and disease prevention. We bring people together through our educational programs and events and create a network of support that lasts a lifetime. ALF is the largest organization focused on all liver diseases and the trusted voice for patients and families living with liver disease. For more information visit www.liverfoundation.org or call: 1 800 GO LIVER (800-465-4837).

Facebook
X
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram

SOURCE American Liver Foundation