I want to tell you about something I’m genuinely proud of, and something I think could change your life if you’re the right person for it.
We just opened applications for Year 2 of the Dr. Stephen A. Harrison Patient Advocacy Fellowship. If you haven’t heard of it, let me explain what it is and why it matters — to you personally, and to everyone living with liver disease.
Who was Dr. Harrison, and why does this exist
Dr. Stephen Harrison was one of the most important hepatologists working in MASH research. He understood something that most of the medical establishment still struggles with: that patients aren’t just subjects in a study. We’re people with knowledge, experience, and perspective that researchers desperately need but rarely ask for. The Fellowship is named in his honor because he believed — and proved through his work — that integrating patient voices into research makes the science better.
We launched the program last year with our first cohort, and the results exceeded what I’d hoped for. Our fellows participated in major scientific conferences, sat at the table with leading researchers, regulators, and pharmaceutical companies, and were recognized as an emerging expert group in patient-centered liver disease research.
Here’s what one of our inaugural fellows, Gabriela Portugal-Bouza from Utah, said about it: “The Fellowship has strengthened my confidence and understanding of how collaborative research works, where patients are recognized as partners. It’s been empowering to contribute alongside researchers and clinicians, representing the patient community, to help shape clinical trials and advance more patient-centered care.”
That’s not marketing language. That’s someone whose life changed because she was given the tools and the access to make a difference.
What the Fellowship actually involves
Up to 20 fellows will be selected for Year 2. Here’s what you get:
- Comprehensive education in clinical research, drug development, and health policy — designed specifically for patient advocates, not academics
- Mentorship from experienced professionals in the liver disease space
- Support to attend and participate in major scientific meetings — the same conferences where the drugs and policies that affect your life are being discussed
- A network of fellow advocates who understand what you’re going through and want to do something about it
The program is primarily focused on the United States, but it also welcomes applications from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. If you’re living with steatotic liver disease — whether it’s MASLD, MASH, or alcohol-related — and you want to be part of making the research better, this is your opportunity.
Why this matters more than you might think
Let me be direct about something. The biggest problem in our disease space isn’t the lack of drugs. We have Rezdiffra now, and more treatments are coming. The biggest problem is that the system was built without us. Clinical trials are designed by researchers for researchers. Endpoints are chosen based on what’s measurable, not always on what matters to the person taking the drug. Regulatory decisions are made by people who’ve never had a FibroScan or worried about their MELD score.
The Harrison Fellowship is our way of fixing that. Not by complaining about it, but by training patient advocates who can walk into those rooms and contribute as equals. Henry Chang, our Executive Director, put it well: “This level of partnership is critical to moving research forward.”
I’ve seen it work. The first cohort proved it’s possible. Now we need more people.
How to apply
Applications opened May 11, 2026. The deadline is June 22, 2026.
If you’re interested, go to harrisonfellows.org/apply and read through the eligibility criteria and application process. Don’t talk yourself out of it. If you’re living with this disease and you care enough to read a blog post about it, you’re probably exactly the kind of person we’re looking for.
The Fellowship is supported by Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, the founding sponsor of the program.
I started the Fatty Liver Foundation because I was tired of being told “there’s nothing we can do.” The Harrison Fellowship exists because there’s a lot we can do — but only if patient voices are part of the conversation. Be one of those voices.
Apply for the Harrison Fellowship
Donate to the Fatty Liver Foundation
Wayne Eskridge
President & Founder, Fatty Liver Foundation
