Guest Faculty:

Joseph S. Galati, MD
Medical Director, Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation
Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center

Dr. Joseph S. Galati is a transplant hepatologist with clinical interests in chronic alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, primary liver cancer, chronic hepatitis C, and non alcoholic fatty liver disease. Dr. Galati has more than 25 years of experience treating patients with acute and chronic liver disease, as well as disorders of the digestive tract. In 2018, he published a book titled Eating Yourself Sick. Dr. Galati hosts a radio show dedicated to current health issues in the news.

Akshay Shetty, MD
Transplant Hepatologist, Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation
Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Akshay Shetty is a transplant hepatologist with special interest in alcoholic and non alcoholic liver disease, liver transplantation, hepatitis, biliary diseases, and liver cancers. Dr. Shetty focuses on a patient-centered approach and has published peer-reviewed journal articles on treatment options for non alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as preventive management of compensated cirrhosis.

John P. Ontiveros, LCSW-S, ACM-SW, CCTSW
Lead Social Worker, Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation
Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center

John Ontiveros is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Accredited Case Manager with specialization as a Certified Clinical Transplant Social Worker. Mr. Ontiveros has experience in mental health and substance abuse, and he has spent the last 21 years in the hospital setting at Houston Methodist Hospital. He is a liver transplant social worker for the Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, focusing his work on clinical assessment, patient support, research, outcomes, and education/clinical supervision. Most recently, Mr. Ontiveros has been involved with initiatives focusing on substance abuse, patient adherence, and psychosocial variables impacting transplant outcomes.