Kiran M. Bambha
Associate Professor
Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology

Faculty Information

Biography

Kiran M. Bambha, M.D., M.Sc., is a board-certified transplant hepatologist with UW Medicine. She is a UW associate professor of Gastroenterology, medical director of the UW Live Donor Liver Transplant Program and director of the Liver Clinical Trials Unit.

Dr. Bambha treats patients with liver disease, portal hypertensive complications or needing liver transplantation. She strives to create active partnerships with her patients to achieve the best possible outcomes. 

Dr. Bambha earned her M.D. from Tulane University. The focus of her research is investigation of factors impacting the organ allocation process. Other research interests include interventions targeting molecular pathways of inflammation and fibrogenesis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis pathogenesis.

Board Certifications:

  • Transplant Hepatology, 2008, American Board of Internal Medicine
  • Gastroenterology, 2006, American Board of Internal Medicine
  • Internal Medicine, 2002, American Board of Internal Medicine
Education & Training: 
Fellowship in Transplant Hepatology
University of California, San Francisco
2007
Fellowship in Gastroenterology
Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
2006
Research Fellowship
Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
2004
Residency in Internal Medicine
Mayo Graduate School of Medicine
2002
Internship in Internal Medicine
Mayo Graduate School of Medicine
2000
Medical Education
Tulane University School of Medicine
1999
Master
Medical College of Virginia Hospitals
1993
Teaching Appointment
University of California, San Francisco
Teaching Appointment
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Research & Clinical Interests
Clinical Interests: 
  • Gastroenterology (Digestive)
  • Liver Transplant and Evaluation
  • Hepatology (Liver)
Publications
Publications: 

Bambha KM, Kim WR, Talwalkar J, Torgerson H, Benson JT, Therneau TM, Loftus EV Jr, Yawn BP, Dickson ER, Melton LJ 3rd. Incidence, clinical spectrum, and outcomes of primary sclerosing cholangitis in a United States community. Gastroenterology 2003;125(5):1364-9. PMID: 14598252 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Kim WR. Cost-effectiveness analysis and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERS): uses and pitfalls. European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2004;16(6):519-26. PMID: 15167152 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Kim WR, Therneau TM, Kremers WK, Thostenson J, Benson JT, Kamath PS, Wiesner RH, Dickson ER. Predicting survival among patients listed for liver transplantation: an assessment of serial MELD measurements. American Journal of Transplantation 2004;4:1798-1804. PMID: 15476479 [Original Work]

Rongey C, Bambha KM, Vanness D, Pedersen R, Malinchoc M, Therneau TM, Dickson ER, Kim WR. Employment and Health Insurance in Long-Term Liver Transplant Recipients. American Journal of Transplantation 2005;5:1901-8. PMID: 15996237 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Nagorney D, Sanderson S, Gores G. Hepatic Adenomatosis in a Young Woman with Glucose Intolerance. Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2006;3(9):526-31. PMID: 16951669 [Original Work]

Biggins SW, Bambha KM. MELD Based Organ Allocation: Who is Underserved? Seminars in Liver Disease 2006; 26(3):211-20. PMID: 16850370 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Kim WR, Pedersen R, Bida JP, Kremers WK, Kamath PS. Predictors of Early Re-bleeding and Mortality following Acute Variceal Hemorrhage in Patients with Cirrhosis. Gut 2008;57(6):814-20. PMID: 18250126 [Original Work]

Campos G, Bambha KM, Vittinghoff E, Rabl C, Ciovica R, Tiwari U, Ferrell L, Pabst M, Bass N, Merriman R. A Clinical Scoring System for Predicting Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Morbidly Obese Patients. Hepatology 2008;47(6):1916-23. PMID: 18433022 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Biggins SW. Inequities in the Model for End-stage Liver Disease: An Examination of Current Components and Future Additions. Current Opinions in Organ Transplantation 2008;13(3):227-33. PMID: 18685308 [Original Work]

Biggins SW, Bambha KM, Terrault N, Inadomi J, Roberts JP, Bass N. Transplant tourism to China: the impact on domestic patient-care decisions. Clinical Transplantation 2009; 23(6):831-8. PMID: 19191815 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Kim WR, Rosen C, Pedersen RA, Rys C, Kolbert CP, Cunningham J, Therneau TM. Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Variation is Associated with Renal Insufficiency after Liver Transplantation. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2010;85(9):814-20. PMID: 20810793 [Original Work]

Golden-Mason L, Bambha KM, Cheng L, Howell C, Taylor M, Clark P, Afdhal N, Rosen H. NK Inhibitory Receptor Expression Associated with Treatment Failure and IL28B Genotype in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C. Hepatology 2011;54(5):1559-69. PMID: 21983945 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Belt P, Abraham M, Wilson LA, Pabst M, Ferrell L, Unalp-Arida A, Bass N. Ethnicity and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Hepatology 2012;55(3):769-80. PMID: 21987488 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Pierce C, Cox C, French AL, Tien Phyllis, Sharp GB, Augenbraun M, Glesby MJ, Viillacres MC, Plankey M, Strickler HD, Ganges SJ, Peters MG. Assessing Mortality in Women with Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus using Indirect Markers of Fibrosis. AIDS 2012;26:599-607. PMID: 22156972 [Original Work]

Golden-Mason L, Stone AEL, Bambha KM, Cheng L, Rosen HR. Race- and gender-related variation in NKp46 expression associated with differential anti-viral immunity. Hepatology 2012; 56(4):1214-22. PMID: 22505144 [Original Work]

Sprague D, Bambha KM. Drug-induced liver injury due to varenicline. BMC Gastroenterology 2012, 12(1):65. PMID: 22681894 [Original Work]

Biggins SW, Bambha KM, Terrault NA, Inadomi J, Shiboski S, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Rosen HR, Roberts JP. Projected future increase in aging hepatitis C virus-infected liver transplant candidates: A potential effect of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver Transplantation 2012;18(12):1471-8. PMID: 23008049 [Original Work]

Biggins SW, Trotter J, Gralla J, Burton J, Bambha KM, Dodge J, Brocato M, Cheng L, McQueen M, Forman L, Chang M, Kam I, Everson G, Spritz RA, Klintmalm G, Rosen HR. Differential Effects of Donor and Recipient IL28B and DDX58 SNPs on Severity of HCV after Liver Transplantation. J Hepatology 2013;58(5):969-76. PMID: 23333445 [Original Work]

Wieland AC, Quallick M, Truesdale A, Mettler P, Bambha KM. Identifying Practice Gaps to Optimize Care for Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Digestive Diseases and Sciences 2013;58:2809-16. PMID: 23843097 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Wilson LA, Unalp A, Loomba R, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Brunt EM, Bass NM (for the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network – NASH CRN). Coffee consumption in NAFLD patients with lower insulin resistance is associated with lower risk of severe fibrosis. Liver International 2014;34:1250-8. PMID: 24267865 [Original Work]

Wieland AC, Mettler P, McDermott MT, Crane LA, Cicutto LC, Bambha KM. Low Awareness of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Among Patients at High Metabolic Risk. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 2015;49(1):e6-e10. PMID: 24440943 [Original Work]

Mandell S, Seres T, Biggins S, Wachs M, Bambha KM. Risk Factors Associated with Acute Heart Failure During Liver Transplant Surgery: A Case Control Study. Transplantation 2015;99(4):873-8. PMID: 25208319 [Original Work]

Wedd J, Bambha KM, Stotts M, Laskey H, Colmenero J, Gralla J, Biggins S. Stage of cirrhosis predicts risk of liver death in low MELD patients with cirrhosis awaiting liver transplant. Liver Transplantation 2014;20:1193-201. PMID: 24916539 [Original Work]

Roberts JR, Bambha KM. Balanced Coagulopathy in Cirrhosis – Clinical Implications: A Teachable Moment. JAMA Internal Medicine 2014;174:1723-4. PMID: 25201536 [Original Work]

Biggins SW, Gralla J, Dodge JL, Bambha KM, Tong S, Baron AE, Inadomi J, Terrault N, Rosen HR. Survival Benefit of Repeat Liver Transplantation in the United States: A Serial MELD Analysis by Hepatitis C Status and Donor Risk Index. American Journal of Transplantation 2014;14:2588-94. PMID: 25243648 [Original Work]

Kriss M, Yen R, Fukami N, Bambha KM, Wani S. Duodenal Perforation Secondary to Migrated Biliary Stent in a Liver Transplant Patient: Successful Endoscopic Closure with an Over-the-Scope Clip. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2015;81(5):1258. PMID: 25293828 [Original Work]

Hung K, Gralla J, Dodge JL, Bambha KM, Dirchwolf M, Rosen H, Biggins SW. Optimizing repeat liver transplant graft utility through strategic matching of donor and recipient characteristics. Liver Transplantation. 2015. 21(11):1365-73. PMID: 25865434 [Original Work]

Dirchwolf M, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Bambha KM, Nydam T, Hung KW, Rosen HR, Feng S, Terrault NA, Biggins SW. The corrected donor age for hepatitis C virus infected liver transplant recipients. Liver Transplantation. 2015;21(8):1022-30. PMID 26074140 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Sprague D, Biggins SW. Low, Rather than High, Body Mass Index Confers Increased Risk for Post-Liver Transplant Death and Graft Loss: Risk Modulated by MELD. Liver Transplantation. 2015;21(10):1286-94. PMID: 26097202 [Original Work]

Wieland A, Frank DN, Harnke B, Bambha KM. Systematic review: Microbial dysbiosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2105;42(9):1051-63. PMID 26304302 [Original Work]

Yuan L, Bambha KM. Bile acid receptors and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. World J Hepatol 2015;7:2811-8. PMID 26668692 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Dodge JL, Gralla J, Biggins SW. Impact of body mass index on posttransplant outcomes reexamined. Liver Transplantation 2016;22:261-2. PMID 26515405 [Original Work]

Martinez-Camacho A, Fortune BE, Gralla J, Bambha KM. Early weight changes after liver transplantation significantly impact patient and graft survival. European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2016;28(1):107-15. PMID 26469355 [Original Work]

Kalra A, Wedd JP, Bambha KM, Gralla J, Golden-Mason L, Collins C, Rosen HR, Biggins SW. Neutrophilto-lymphocyte ratio correlates with proinflammatory neutrophils and predicts death in low model for endstage liver disease patients with cirrhosis. Liver Transplantation 2017;23(2):155-65. PMID 28006875 [Original Work]

Montenovo MI, Bambha KM, Reyes J, Dick A, Perkins J, Healey P. Living liver donation improves patient and graft survival in the pediatric population. Pediatr Transplant. 2019;23(1):e13318. PMID: 30450729 [ Original Work]

Rice J, Dodge JL, Bambha KM, Bajaj JS, Reddy KR, Gralla J, Ganapathy D, Mitrani R, Reuter B, Palecki J, Acharya C, Shaw J, Burton JR, Biggins SW. Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Associates Independently With Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Nov;16(11):1786- 1791. PMID: 29705264 [Original Work]

Vutien P, Dodge J, Bambha KM, Nordstrom EM, Gralla J, Campbell K, Levek C, Nydam T, Fix O, Ioannou G, Biggins SW. A Simple Measure of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Burden Predicts Tumor Recurrence After Liver Transplantation: The Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Initial, Maximum, Last Classification. Liver Transpl 2019;25(4):559-570. PMID: 30706653 [Original Work]

*Shingina A, DeWitt PE, Dodge JL, Biggins SW, Gralla J, Sprague D, Bambha KM. Future Trends in Demand for Liver Transplant: Birth Cohort Effects Among Patients With NASH and HCC. Transplantation. 2019 Jan;103(1):140-148. PMID: 30451739 [Original Work]

Kohli R, Shingina A, New A, Chaturvedi S, Benson A, Biggins SW, Bambha KM. Thromboelastography Parameters are Associated with Cirrhosis Severity. Digestive Diseases and Sciences 2019;64(9):2661- 2670. PMID: 30915655 [Original Work]

Bambha KM, Shingina A, Dodge JL, O'Connor K, Dunn S, Prinz J, Pabst M, Nilles K, Sibulesky L, Biggins SW. Solid Organ Donation After Death in the United States: Data-driven Messaging to Encourage Potential Donors. Am J Transplant 2020Jan2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 31917505 [Original Work]