Global leader, physician treating people living with hepatitis B, joins our leadership team. |
Su Wang, MD, MPH, FACP, a prominent leader in the global hepatitis community and a member the Hepatitis B Foundation’s Board of Directors, has become the Foundation’s first Senior Advisor for Global Health.
This position will leverage Dr. Wang’s expertise to help lead the Foundation’s global advocacy and engagement programs by representing the Foundation at specific meetings and activities, developing partnerships and helping strengthen the international hepatitis B movement.
“Dr. Wang is a truly dedicated advocate for improving awareness, screening, linkage-to-care and treatment for people living with hepatitis B,” Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH, president of the Foundation, said. “I’m thrilled that Dr. Wang, who has worked with us for many years and is a recognized leader worldwide, has agreed to take this prominent new position.” Please read more here.
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Theobald was not sure how to react when he received a diagnosis of hepatitis B.
While trying to learn more about the disease, he found that there were no organizations focused on hepatitis B in his country.
He decided to turn his diagnosis into action by creating the Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana to help others. Please see his story here.
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April is Alcohol Awareness Month and we have an informative new blog here about how alcohol impacts liver health.
Our blog is an important source of information for people living with hepatitis B, public health advocates and partners, and the general public.
We need to keep our blog relevant and up-to-date with everything hepatitis B related! In an effort to improve our work, we are conducting a short survey to hear from you and create content that matters to you.
Our survey should only take one minute of your time but your responses will make a huge difference for readers. Please click here to complete our survey!
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Are you a provider who cares for people with hepatitis B and D?
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The Hepatitis B Foundation has launched a survey to learn more about hepatitis Delta awareness, knowledge, barriers (and facilitators) to screening and linkage to care.
If you care for people living with hepatitis B or D, we invite you to participate. Your feedback will help advance research and assist with creating provider-focused resources for hepatitis Delta.
Thank you, in advance, for taking the confidential survey, which is here.
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You can join the Run4HepB Team! Make your miles matter on Nov. 5 by joining the Hepatitis B Foundation’s TCS New York Marathon Official Charity Partner Team.
All RUN 4 HEP B team members will receive:
- Guaranteed race entry for the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon
- A personalized fundraising page to collect online donations
- Fundraising support and guidance
- Team branded gear and more!
Note: there is a $3,500 fundraising minimum to join RUN 4 HEP B.
Already have guaranteed entry? You can still join us! Runners who have already secured entry via lottery or qualifying time can receive all the benefits mentioned above by fundraising on behalf of RUN 4 HEP B.
We hope you'll make your miles matter and RUN 4 HEP B. Apply today!
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Recognition for a #justtB Storyteller and podcast cohost |
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Bright Ansah, who is one of our #justB Storytellers and cohost of our blog, "B Heppy" (see below), is being recognized by the U.S. government for his extensive involvement in the hepatitis B community's work with a engaging profile, which is posted here.
The focus is Bright's role as a consumer reviewer for hepatitis B for the Defense Department's Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program.
Thank you, Bright, for your efforts to support those living with hepatitis B and find better treatments and, someday, a cure!
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New "B Heppy" podcast: Hep B advocacy in Tanzania |
In this episode, Bright and Evangeline sit down with Shaibu Issa, a dedicated hepatitis B advocate from Tanzania. We talk about his story with hepatitis B from losing his brother, and feeling ostracized from his community, to now raising awareness and spreading information about hepatitis B.
Please listen here. You can find all the podcast episodes here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
AND, if you'd like to suggest a topic for B Heppy, please send an email to info@hepb.org.
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CHIPO partner highlight:
Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, D.C.
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The Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO) is a community coalition that was co-founded and is led by the Hepatitis B Foundation. It is made up of organizations and individuals who are interested in addressing the high rates of hepatitis B infection among African communities in the U.S. and globally.
This month, we are excited to highlight the work of one of our partners, the Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, DC, (HBI-DC), and their new Deputy Executive Director, Sandra Ashford. Please enjoy a recent interview with Sandra as she describes her work, including successes and challenges, and the positive impact HBI-DC has had by expanding their organization and mission.
Read the full article here.
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NEW FAQs: new questions that we hear from
people living with hep B on a regular basis
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The Hep B Foundation Frequently Asked Questions page is a wonderful resource for anyone with questions about hepatitis B. The questions are written based on real consults that we receive regularly.
Some topics include: talking to your partner about your diagnosis, functional cure, liver cancer, clinical trials and more.
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Welcoming an experienced public health pro to our team |
Kara Sapp has joined us as a public health coordinator.
She has always been interested in human and life sciences and obtained a BS and MS from Temple University in kinesiology with a focus in sport psychology during graduate school.
During the early days of the COVID-19, she worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, conducting contact tracing and case investigation.
More recently, Kara has been pursuing an MPH at the University of California Berkeley with a focus on health policy and management, which she will receive this month. Over the past two years, she has worked for the Veteran's Multi-Service Center and Bethesda Project on community outreach, recovery support, behavioral coaching, case management and program leadership for some of Philadelphia's most vulnerable populations. She has implemented a health intervention and conducted research to better serve clients and use the knowledge and skills she gained in graduate school.
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Emerging Scholars Scientific and Medical Advisory Board's journal article pick of the month
Our emerging scholar presenting this month's selected article is
Julie Lucifora, PhD, HDR, of the Centre Internationale de Recherche en Infectiologie, who chose two articles.
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A 3-Year Course Of Bulevirtide Monotherapy May Cure HDV Infection In Cirrhotics
Anolli MP, Degasperi E, Allweiss L, Sangiovanni A, Maggioni M, Scholtes C, Oberhardt V, Neumann-Haefelin C, Dandri M, Zoulim F, Lampertico P. J
2023 Jan 3:S0168-8278(22)03475-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.12.023.
Online ahead of print. PMID: 36931396
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Chronic Hepatitis Delta (CHD) leads to the most severe form of viral hepatitis and until recently patients had very limited therapeutic options. Bulevertide is the first specific drug against hepatitis delta virus (HDV) that was conditionally approved for the treatment of CHD in 2020 in Europe. It was designed to block HDV entry and thereby propagation within the liver of infected patients. In this case report, the authors described the first case of CHD cure in a patient with severe clinical conditions, including compensated cirrhosis and portal hypertension, receiving Bulevertide monotherapy. HDV viral load declined rapidly and became negative 28 weeks after beginning of the treatment. After 3 years, the treatment was stopped and HDV viral load remained undetectable for at least 72 weeks. All markers of liver function were normalized during or after treatment. This article raises hopes for patients with CHD. |
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Improved hepatitis delta virus genome characterization by single molecule
full-length genome sequencing combined with VIRiONT pipeline
Charre C, Regue H, Dény P, Josset L, Chemin I, Zoulim F, Scholtes C.
023 Mar;95(3):e28634. doi: 10.1002/jmv.28634. PMID: 36879535
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Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) is a small virus with a high genetic variability. Differences in HDV genome sequences may lead to differences in replication, propagation, pathogenesis and response to treatment. It is therefore very important to be able to properly assess HDV genome sequences variations in patients. So far, this was not routinely performed because sequencing approaches available were challenged by the features of the HDV genome. In this article, the authors developed a workflow to amplify, sequence, and analyze the whole HDV genome in a single fragment from patient’s sera. They made available online for free the bioinformatic tools necessary to analyze data. This new approach, that can be implemented in medical centers, will help to better characterize circulating HDV genomes among the population and allow correlation with disease outcome and response to treatments. |
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April 24-30: World Immunization Week
May - Hepatitis Awareness Month
July 24-26: Hep B United Summit in Washington, D.C.
July 28: World Hepatitis Day
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Learn more about our research and education programs at www.hepb.org
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The Hepatitis B Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B worldwide. Our commitment includes funding focused research, promoting disease awareness, supporting immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the primary source of information for patients and their families, the medical and scientific community, and the general public. |
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Hepatitis B Foundation I 3805 Old Easton Road Doylestown, PA 18902 I
215-489-4900 I info@hepb.org
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