Brian Jackson Wentworth, MD

Brian Wentworth, MD, is passionate about treating patients who have acute and chronic liver diseases. A fellowship-trained gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist, he treats a wide array of conditions, including benign and malignant liver and biliary lesions, alcohol-related liver disease, fatty liver disease, metabolic liver disease, hepatitis, cirrhosis, portal hypertension and its complications, and portal vein thrombosis. He also provides care for patients throughout the liver transplant process including evaluation, waitlist, and post-transplant.

“I see each clinic patient encounter as an opportunity to establish a long-term relationship,” Dr. Wentworth shares. “I understand the importance that physicians may play in a patient’s and their family's life. Having the ability to educate and shepherd the patient through difficult times is very rewarding, particularly if they are able to get a new ‘lease on life’ through liver transplantation.”

Dr. Wentworth is the primary investigator on a study investigating the mechanisms underlying adrenal gland dysfunction in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. “My goal is to define the pathways responsible for abnormal adrenal function in cirrhosis, which may allow for the development of treatments designed to improve patient outcomes before, or in place of, transplantation,” he says. This work is supported by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and his primary mentors include Zachary Henry, MD (Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology) and Helmy Siragy, MD (Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism).

Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Dr. Wentworth moved to Morristown, New Jersey, early in life. He attended Vanderbilt University in Tennessee for his undergraduate degree but went back to New Jersey for medical school. He came to UVA for his residency training in internal medicine. “I immediately fell in love with the beauty of Charlottesville, the amazing faculty and research occurring at UVA, and the infamous UVA ‘esprit de corps.’” He stayed at UVA for gastroenterology fellowship training and also completed a transplant hepatology fellowship.

Dr. Wentworth received his medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with Distinction in Community Service for coleading an outreach program involving mentoring and organizing fun activities for HIV-positive teenagers. “My paternal great-grandfather was a psychiatrist in New England in the early 20th century. However, the passion for medicine skipped a few generations, but was re-awoken in me when I was 18 and traveled to South Africa with my family on a vacation. We toured the poorest sections just outside of Cape Town, remnants of the era of apartheid. This stimulated my desire to want to improve the human condition and alleviate suffering. During my medical school studies, I found the GI tract and liver to be the most fascinating, given their regenerative potential and interesting pathophysiology.”

Outside of work, Dr. Wentworth enjoys many hobbies including, being an avid golfer, die-hard Yankees fan, skier, and being a former member of a NJ State Championship Epee fencing team in high school. “I also love spending time with my beautiful wife, Danielle, and daughter, Arielle. We have made it to all of the wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail and enjoy now being able to share the experience with our daughter.”

Gender

Male

Languages

English

Age Groups Seen

Adults (21-65)
Older Adults (65+)

Primary Education

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Residency

University of Virginia School of Medicine

Certification

American Board of Internal Medicine (Transplant Hepatology), American Board of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology), American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)

• AASLD Foundation Clinical, Translational and Outcomes Research Award, 2021