Robert Fontana MD

Dr. Robert John Fontana, MD, is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Michigan Medical School. He also serves as Program Director of the Transplant Hepatology Fellowship, where he plays a key role in training the next generation of hepatology specialists. Dr. Fontana is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in liver disease, with particular expertise in acute liver failure, drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and chronic liver diseases. He has been a leading figure in advancing the understanding of hepatotoxicity and serves as co-chair of the NIH-funded Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN), contributing significantly to research on the causes, diagnosis, and outcomes of liver injury related to medications and supplements.

He completed his medical training in internal medicine at Northwestern University, followed by fellowship training in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan, where he has remained a long-standing faculty member. His career spans decades of clinical care, research, and education in hepatology. A prolific investigator, Dr. Fontana has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, with research focusing on acute liver failure, viral hepatitis, and mechanisms of liver injury. His work has helped shape current approaches to diagnosing and managing complex liver diseases.