Stavra Xanthakos MD, MS

Stavra A. Xanthakos, MD, MS, is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist and hepatologist in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and a Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.   She is the director of the Cincinnati Children’s Steatohepatitis Program, one of the largest pediatric centers for children affected by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, and is also the medical director of the Surgical Weight Loss Program for Teens, one of the first and largest bariatric surgery programs for youth with severe obesity in the United States.   Her research has centered on optimizing outcomes for children affected by obesity and MASLD, including epidemiology, clinical trials of intensive lifestyle intervention, novel pharmacotherapy, and outcomes of bariatric surgery.

She also has a strong interest in the application of novel imaging methods for the assessment of steatosis and fibrosis in children with NAFLD.  She has a history of productive collaborations with colleagues across many institutions and diverse fields, including Endocrinology, Radiology, Obesity Medicine, and Surgery.  She has authored over 150 publications and is regularly invited to speak on topics related to pediatric obesity, MASLD, bariatric medicine, and professional development.