Jose Debes, MD, PhD, MS

Dr. Debes graduated from medical school at Universidad Nacional de Cordoba in Argentina. Following his graduation he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship and Masters in Science-Molecular Biology at the Mayo Clinic. He later pursued residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology both at the University of Minnesota. During his fellowship Dr. Debes was awarded an NIH NRSA-F32 grant to study regulation of gene expression by the hepatitis C virus.

Dr. Debes leads international research networks in three continents conducting research on viral hepatitis and liver cancer with on-site activities in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Netherlands, Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina. Through these networks he has defined the epidemiology of liver cancer in South America and Africa and has exposed biomarkers for early detection of liver cancer. His research activities expand from public health implementation and education on viral hepatitis to molecular biology aspects to define the mechanisms of viral-related liver cancer. Dr. Debes serves in editorial boards of multiple research journals and has served as reviewer in a variety of NIH study sections.

• NIH National Research Science Award (2011)
• American College of Gastroenterology, Clinical Research Award (2016)
• AMFDP Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar (2016-2021)
• Presidential Award, American College of Gastroenterology (2019)

• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (Global Outreach Committee)
• American College of Gastroenterology
• American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• European Association for the Study of the Liver
• International Liver Cancer Association

• Mechanisms of viral carcinogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma
• Single cell sequencing and immune-detection for prediction of liver cancer
• Viral hepatitis in HIV
• Education, prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and liver cancer in resource-limited settings

Research Funding Grants

• American College of Gastroenterology
• AFMDP, Robert Wood Johnson Scholar
• National Institutes of Health
• Horizon 2020, EU
• University of Minnesota

• American College of Gastroenterology, Clinical Research Award
• AFMDP, Robert Wood Johnson Scholar
• Mitialto Foundation, Research Grant
• National Institutes of Health

• Debes JD, Romagnoli PA, Prieto J, Arrese M, Mattos AZ, Boonstra A, On Behalf Of The Escalon Consortium. Cancers (Basel). Serum Biomarkers for the Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. 2021 Apr 2
• Anugwom C, Campbell C, Debes JD. Assessment of subclinical effects of Hepatitis E virus infection in the United States. J Viral Hepat. 2021 Jul
• Quadri NS, Sultan A, Ali SI, Yousif M, Moussa A, Fawzy Abdo E, Hassany S, Kayandabila J, Benjamin A, Jacobson M, Ssebambulidde K, Ochola L, Ijeoma I, Debes JD. COVID-19 in Africa: Survey Analysis of Impact on Health-Care Workers Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Apr
• Rabiee A, Sadowski B, Adeniji N, Perumalswami P, Nguyen V, Moghe A, Latt N, Kumar S, Aloman C, Catana AM, Bloom PP, Chavin K, Carr RM, Dunn W, Chen V, Aby ES, Debes JD, Dhanasekaran R; COLD Consortium. Liver Injury in Liver Transplant Recipients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Hepatology. 2020 Sep
• Ashhab AA, Campos M, Rodin H, Hall JA, Powell J, Debes JD. Response to hepatitis B virus vaccination in individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. PLoS One, 2020 Aug 26;15(8)