Lauren D. Nephew MD, MA, MSCE, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Additionally, she is an Associate Member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Simon Cancer Center.
Born and raised in Ohio, Dr. Nephew completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Gastroenterology and Liver Transplantation Fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Case Western Reserve University Lerner College of Medicine for medical school, Dr. Nephew completed a Master's program in Bioethics, and while at the University of Pennsylvania, she earned a Master's of Science in Clinical Epidemiology. She joined the faculty at IU School of Medicine in August 2017.
Dr. Nephew is a transplant hepatologist and health services researcher. Her research interests include understanding barriers to liver transplantation for vulnerable populations, disparities in care of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and the impact of the social and structural determinants of health on the outcomes of patients with liver disease. She recently published a review on disparities in transplantation in Liver Transplantation and has an ongoing study to understand barriers in access to curative treatments for patients with liver cancer.
Naga Chalasani, MD, who has worked extensively with Dr. Nephew, described her as a "key thought leader" in the investigation of health disparities in the care of patients with liver disease, especially those with liver cancer.
Similarly, Mohammad Al-Haddad, MD, who is Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, called her a "rising star" on the national level.
"Dr. Nephew leads our research on health care disparities in cirrhosis, and is shaping up as an authority on the topic of healthcare disparities and factors affecting access and quality of care," he said.
Dr. Nephew was recently appointed chair of the Diversity and Inclusions Committee for the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), and also represents the AASLD as chair of the Intersociety Group on Diversity, which is a coalition between the five top GI societies. She received the Indiana University School of Medicine Trustees' Teaching Award in 2021.
Dr. Nephew is a wife and the mother of two children, ages 2.5 and 6. Her family also recently welcomed a new beagle puppy named Scout. "I've always been more of a cat person, but my husband and children wore me down during the pandemic," Dr. Nephew said. "Scout is slowly winning over my heart."
