Cleveland Clinic gets $2 million gift to study fatty liver disease

Dr. Arthur McCullough Jr.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Clinic has received a $2 million gift from the Borra Family Foundation to establish the Pier C. and Renee A. Borra Family Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

The first holder of the chair will be Dr. Arthur McCullough Jr., chairman of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and vice chair for research and education in the Digestive Disease Institute. McCullough is accomplished in the study of liver disease and will apply the funds from the chair to research on fatty liver disease.

“Fatty liver disease affects 90 million people per year in the United States, so there is a need for increased attention,” said Dr. McCullough. “We are investigating the mechanisms of how fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and heart disease.”

The buildup of excess fat in liver cells often is benign, but it can lead to inflammation of the liver, according to the American Liver Foundation. An inflamed liver can become scarred and hardened over time. This hardening is called cirrhosis, a serious disease that often leads to liver failure, the foundation said.

Pier and Renee Borra have served on the Digestive Disease Institute’s board since its inception in 2002. Pier Borra has served as chairman of CORA Health Services Inc. in Lima, Ohio, since 1998.