Norman D. Grace MD

Dr. Grace was the Chief of the Gastroenterology Division at the Faulkner Hospital from 1971 to 2001 and was Director of a gastroenterology fellowship program based at the Faulkner, St. Elizabeth’ and Lemuel Shattuck Hospitals until the Faulkner merged with the Brigham and Women'’ Hospital in 1998. Dr. Grace came to the Brigham as Director of the Clinical Hepatology Service (part-time) in March, 1999, and has established a strong clinical service with a major emphasis on clinical research in liver disease. Dr. Grace has an international reputation for his research in cirrhosis and portal hypertension, with a particular emphasis on the pharmacological treatment of portal hypertension. He has collaborated with colleagues from Yale, Barcelona and the Royal Free Hospital in London to conduct several randomized controlled trials on the use of non-selective beta blockers for the treatment of portal hypertension. He has also studied the role of surgical shunts and TIPS for the control of variceal bleeding. Much of his work over the years has been supported by grants from the NIH-NIDDK. Dr. Grace has also had a research interest in hemochromatosis and is past president of the International Association for the Study of Disorders of Iron Metabolism. He has been Chairman of the Boston Interhospital Liver Group for the past 20 years and is currently serving as Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the New England Chapter of the American Liver Foundation. On the national level, Dr. Grace has been active in the AASLD and has chaired its Public Policy Committee for the last seven years. Dr. Grace has also served as Assistant Dean of Hospital Affairs and Chairman of the Physical Diagnosis Program at Tufts for 15 years. Currently, Dr. Grace and his colleagues are conducting clinical trials in the pharmacological treatment of portal hypertension, the use of hemodynamic monitoring in the management of portal hypertension, and the treatment of HCV chronic hepatitis.