New Haven, CT (April 21, 2026) – Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) and Yale School of Medicine (YSM) experts brought liver health education directly to the community on Saturday, April 18, to celebrate the first annual Connecticut Liver Health Day, an event focused on awareness, prevention and lifelong wellness.
The event was held at the Digestive Health Center in North Haven and featured interactive educational experiences, live cooking and exercise demonstrations and opportunities to engage with specialists in digestive health, nutrition and liver disease research. Attendees learned about non-invasive liver screening tools, including liver elastography, and received practical guidance they can apply to their daily lives.
Connecticut Liver Health Day, recognized by the state on April 20, was created to spotlight the growing impact of liver disease and the importance of early prevention. Liver disease often progresses silently, showing few symptoms until serious damage has occurred. By emphasizing education, lifestyle changes and access to expert care, the initiative aims to empower individuals to protect their liver health before disease develops.
“This day is about meeting people where they are and making liver health understandable and actionable,” said Wajahat Mehal, MD, PhD, director of the Yale Fatty Liver Disease Program and professor of Medicine in Digestive Diseases at YSM. “Conditions like fatty liver disease are increasingly common, but they are also preventable and, in many cases, reversible. Connecticut Liver Health Day is an opportunity to shift the focus from treating late-stage disease to helping people take control of their health earlier through education, nutrition and physical activity.”
Throughout the event, YNHHS and YSM experts highlighted how factors such as diet, exercise and metabolic health play a critical role in liver disease prevention. Interactive demonstrations emphasized simple, sustainable strategies that can reduce risk for conditions such as fatty liver disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The launch of Connecticut Liver Health Day reflects a broader commitment by YNHHS to community engagement, disease prevention and health equity. By making expert guidance accessible outside of traditional clinical settings, the initiative encourages proactive care and fosters long-term partnerships between healthcare providers and the communities they serve.
Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org
