Featured Event:
The Harold Cummins Memorial Lectureship
“Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Current Knowledge and Novel Nutritional Interventions”
Craig J. McClain, MD, AGAF, FACG, FAASLD, FACN
University of Louisville
Dr. McClain is Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology & Toxicology, Distinguished University Scholar, Associate Vice President for Translational Research, Associate Vice President for Health Affairs/Research at the University of Louisville. He is Chief of GI at the Robley Rex Louisville VAMC. He is also Director of the NIHfunded Alcohol Research Center and the NIH-funded Hepatobiology & Toxicology COBRE Center. He was the first physician member of the NIH PRAC (Peer Review Advisory Committee), served on the National External Advisory Council for NIAAA, and served on the NIH Council of Councils. His group was the first to describe dysregulated cytokines in alcohol associated liver disease (ALD). His group was also the first to describe toxicant-associated steatohepatitis and coined the term, TASH, to describe the condition. His group has extensively studied the inflammatory response and mechanisms of liver injury in ALD. His group is a leader in the area of nutrition and alcohol misuse/ALD. Importantly, his group is part of the NIAAA-funded consortium to find new therapies for alcohol-associated hepatitis. He led the American College of Gastroenterology Committee for Practice Guidelines for Nutrition in Liver Diseases, and those guidelines were published in 2025. He has published over 575 peer-reviewed publications and over 115 book chapters/reviews, mainly focusing on ALD. He has had continuous federal funding as PI for his research since 1977. He is currently funded for his research by multiple grants from the NIH and VA. He has directly mentored more than 135 graduate students, post-docs, medical students/residents/fellows. This number includes more than 35 junior faculty members on over 40 career development awards (e.g., K-awards). He has won multiple awards for his mentoring including AGA Foundation, 2007 Research Scholar Award (RSA) for Mentoring and the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award for Mentoring.
School of Medicine Main Auditorium • 1st Floor
Friday, February 27, 2026 - 1:00 p.m.
Reception to follow in lobby
Located within the School of Medicine at Tulane University's Downtown Campus in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Department of Structural and Cellular Biology (SCB) is committed to providing a quality education for both medical and graduate students while pursuing funded research, which will keep the Department at the forefront of cancer biology and neuroscience. The Department is further committed to providing service to the Medical School and University by the participation of the faculty on many key committees.
The department includes 12 full-time faculty members, a number of adjunct faculty, and a support staff which combine to meet its educational and research goals. Educational responsibilities include teaching major components of the first-year medical school curriculum, including Gross & Developmental Anatomy, Human Medical Histology and Medical Neuroscience, as well as teaching various related graduate level courses including our Anatomy Certification Program and Masters Degree Programs. Research areas of expertise include reproductive endocrinology and toxicity, neuroendocinology, neuroendocine influences of breast cancer, endocrine response mechanisms of breast cancer and prostate cancer, circadian biology and circadian disruption in cancer, transposable elements and genetic instability in cancer, mechanisms of initiation, progression and metastasis of prostate cancer, and experimental therapeutics for breast and prostate cancer.
