Alexander Monto, MD
Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine

from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, completed his residency in internal medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, and his fellowship in gastroenterology at U.C.S.F.

He has been involved with the national VA Hepatitis C program since its inception in 2001, helping to organize many national conferences about hepatitis C and liver disease management. He has contributed to VA management recommendations related to hepatitis C, cirrhosis, and liver cancer during that time. He has been a co-author on more than 50 peer-reviewed publications related to liver disease, most of which focus on either hepatitis C disease pathogenesis or liver cancer. He studies how liver disease and cancer are influenced by clinical factors like alcohol use, obesity, HIV, and hepatitis C therapy.

• Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes Among People Living With HIV Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking Program.
  Journal of the American Heart Association 2023 Parikh RV, Hebbe A, Barón AE, Grunwald GK, Plomondon ME, Gordin J, Yeh RW, Jneid H, Swaminathan RV, Waldo SW, Monto A, Secemsky E, Hsue PY
• SACRED: Effect of simvastatin on hepatic decompensation and death in subjects with high-risk compensated cirrhosis: Statins and Cirrhosis: Reducing Events of Decompensation.
  Contemporary clinical trials 2021 Kaplan DE, Mehta R, Garcia-Tsao G, Albrecht J, Aytaman A, Baffy G, Bajaj J, Hernaez R, Hunt K, Ioannou G, Johnson K, Kanwal F, Lee TH, Monto A, Pandya P, Schaubel D, Taddei TH
• Hepatitis C Virus Cure in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection Dampens Inflammation and Improves Cognition Through Multiple Mechanisms.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2020 Sun B, Abadjian L, Monto A, Freasier H, Pulliam L
• Ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir±ribavirin for chronic HCV infection in US veterans with psychiatric disorders.
  Journal of medical virology 2020 Fuchs M, Monto A, Bräu N, Charafeddine M, Schmidt W, Kozal M, Naggie S, Cheung R, Schnell G, Yu Y, Richards K, Mullally V, Cohen DE, Toro D
• Preoperative Treatment of Hepatitis C Is Associated With Lower Prosthetic Joint Infection Rates in US Veterans.
  The Journal of arthroplasty 2019 Bendich I, Takemoto S, Patterson JT, Monto A, Barber TC, Kuo AC
• Screening for Hepatocellular Carcinoma to Improve Cancer-Related Mortality: Looking Behind When We Should Be Looking Ahead.
  Gastroenterology 2018 Mehta N, Monto A, Yao FY
• Evaluation of an abbreviated screening MRI protocol for patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.
  Abdominal radiology (New York) 2018 Lee JY, Huo EJ, Weinstein S, Santos C, Monto A, Corvera CU, Yee J, Hope TA
• Memory T Cell Proliferation before Hepatitis C Virus Therapy Predicts Antiviral Immune Responses and Treatment Success.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2017 Méndez-Lagares G, Lu D, Chen C, Terrault N, Segal MR, Khalili M, Monto A, Shen H, Manos MM, Lanier LL, Ryan JC, McCune JM, Hartigan-O'Connor DJ
• Change in Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System Characterization of Focal Liver Lesions Using Gadoxetate Disodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging Compared With Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography.
  Journal of computer assisted tomography 2017 Hope TA, Aslam R, Weinstein S, Yeh BM, Corvera CU, Monto A, Yee J
• Identifying Drug-Induced Liver Illness (DILI) with Computerized Information Extraction: No More Dilly-Dallying.
  Digestive diseases and sciences 2017 Shen H, Monto A
• Multiple arterial phase MRI of arterial hypervascular hepatic lesions: improved arterial phase capture and lesion enhancement.
  Abdominal radiology (New York) 2017 Ikram NS, Yee J, Weinstein S, Yeh BM, Corvera CU, Monto A, Hope TA
• Genetic Variation in the IL-6 and HLA-DQB1 Genes Is Associated with Spontaneous Clearance of Hepatitis C Virus Infection.
  Journal of immunology research 2016 Waldron PR, Belitskaya-Lévy I, Chary A, Won J, Winters M, Monto A, Ryan J, Lazzeroni LC, Holodniy M
• Variation in Treatment Priorities for Chronic Hepatitis C: A Latent Class Analysis.
  The patient 2016 Fraenkel L, Lim J, Garcia-Tsao G, Reyna V, Monto A, Bridges JF
• Efficacy of Sofosbuvir Plus Ribavirin in Veterans With Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 Infection, Compensated Cirrhosis, and Multiple Comorbidities.
  Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association 2016 Ho SB, Monto A, Peyton A, Kaplan DE, Byrne S, Moon S, Copans A, Rossaro L, Roy A, Le H, Dvory-Sobol H, Zhu Y, Brainard DM, Guyer W, Shaikh O, Fuchs M, Morgan TR, VALOR study team
• Improved Survival Among all Interferon-α-Treated Patients in HCV-002, a Veterans Affairs Hepatitis C Cohort of 2211 Patients, Despite Increased Cirrhosis Among Nonresponders.
  Digestive diseases and sciences 2016 Cozen ML, Ryan JC, Shen H, Cheung R, Kaplan DE, Pocha C, Brau N, Aytaman A, Schmidt WN, Pedrosa M, Anand BS, Chang KM, Morgan T, Monto A
• Examining Hepatitis C Virus Treatment Preference Heterogeneity Using Segmentation Analysis: Treat Now or Defer?
  Journal of clinical gastroenterology 2016 Fraenkel L, Lim J, Garcia-Tsao G, Reyna V, Monto A
• Commentary: treatment of hepatitis C-related cirrhosis in the era of direct-acting anti-virals - authors' reply.
  Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics 2014 Saxena V, Monto A, Terrault N
• Esophageal varices on computed tomography and subsequent variceal hemorrhage.
  Abdominal imaging 2014 Somsouk M, To'o K, Ali M, Vittinghoff E, Yeh BM, Yee J, Monto A, Inadomi JM, Aslam R
• Telaprevir or boceprevir triple therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C and varying severity of cirrhosis.
  Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics 2014 Saxena V, Manos MM, Yee HS, Catalli L, Wayne E, Murphy RC, Shvachko VA, Pauly MP, Chua J, Monto A, Terrault NA
• Expanded use of aggressive therapies improves survival in early and intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma.
  HPB : the official journal of the International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association 2014 Ho EY, Cozen ML, Shen H, Lerrigo R, Trimble E, Ryan JC, Corvera CU, Monto A, HOVAS Group (Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment Outcome at VA San Francisco)
• Contrast-enhanced CT quantification of the hepatic fractional extracellular space: correlation with diffuse liver disease severity.
  AJR. American journal of roentgenology 2013 Zissen MH, Wang ZJ, Yee J, Aslam R, Monto A, Yeh BM
• Nonresponse to interferon-α based treatment for chronic hepatitis C infection is associated with increased hazard of cirrhosis.
  PloS one 2013 Cozen ML, Ryan JC, Shen H, Lerrigo R, Yee RM, Sheen E, Wu R, Monto A
• Monocyte activation in HIV/HCV coinfection correlates with cognitive impairment.
  PloS one 2013 Rempel H, Sun B, Calosing C, Abadjian L, Monto A, Pulliam L
• Impaired lymphocyte reactivity measured by immune function testing in untransplanted patients with cirrhosis.
  Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI 2013 Yee RM, Lehil MS, Rongey C, Shen H, Cozen ML, Monto A, Ryan JC
• Differential cognitive impairment in HCV coinfected men with controlled HIV compared to HCV monoinfection.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2013 Sun B, Abadjian L, Rempel H, Monto A, Pulliam L
• Is IL28B genotype associated with more than one aspect of viral clearance?
  Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 2012 Monto A, Ryan J
• Update on the management and treatment of hepatitis C virus infection: recommendations from the Department of Veterans Affairs Hepatitis C Resource Center Program and the National Hepatitis C Program Office.
  The American journal of gastroenterology 2012 Yee HS, Chang MF, Pocha C, Lim J, Ross D, Morgan TR, Monto A, Department of Veterans Affairs Hepatitis C Resource Center Program, National Hepatitis C Program Office
• Role of retroviral restriction factors in the interferon-α-mediated suppression of HIV-1 in vivo.
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2012 Pillai SK, Abdel-Mohsen M, Guatelli J, Skasko M, Monto A, Fujimoto K, Yukl S, Greene WC, Kovari H, Rauch A, Fellay J, Battegay M, Hirschel B, Witteck A, Bernasconi E, Ledergerber B, Günthard HF, Wong …
• Multi-center evaluation of the Abbott RealTime HCV assay for monitoring patients undergoing antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C.
  Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology 2011 Vermehren J, Yu ML, Monto A, Yao JD, Anderson C, Bertuzis R, Schneider G, Sarrazin C
• Retreatment of hepatitis C with consensus interferon and ribavirin after nonresponse or relapse to pegylated interferon and ribavirin: a national VA clinical practice study.
  Digestive diseases and sciences 2011 Yee HS, Currie SL, Tortorice K, Cozen M, Shen H, Chapman S, Cunningham F, Monto A
• Progression of biopsy-measured liver fibrosis in untreated patients with hepatitis C infection: non-Markov multistate model analysis.
  PloS one 2011 Bacchetti P, Boylan R, Astemborski J, Shen H, Mehta SH, Thomas DL, Terrault NA, Monto A
• The human fetal immune response to hepatitis C virus exposure in utero.
  The Journal of infectious diseases 2011 Babik JM, Cohan D, Monto A, Hartigan-O'Connor DJ, McCune JM
• Evaluation of a new, rapid test for detecting HCV infection, suitable for use with blood or oral fluid.
  Journal of virological methods 2010 Lee SR, Kardos KW, Schiff E, Berne CA, Mounzer K, Banks AT, Tatum HA, Friel TJ, Demicco MP, Lee WM, Eder SE, Monto A, Yearwood GD, Guillon GB, Kurtz LA, Fischl M, Unangst JL, Kriebel L, Feiss G, …
• Periprocedural complications by Child-Pugh class in patients undergoing transcatheter arterial embolization or chemoembolization to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma at a VA medical center.
  American journal of surgery 2010 Russell JS, Sawhney R, Monto A, Nanavati S, Davoren JB, Aslam R, Corvera CU
• Non-Markov multistate modeling using time-varying covariates, with application to progression of liver fibrosis due to hepatitis C following liver transplant.
  The international journal of biostatistics 2010 Bacchetti P, Boylan RD, Terrault NA, Monto A, Berenguer M
• Lessons from HIV therapy applied to viral hepatitis therapy: summary of a workshop.
  The American journal of gastroenterology 2010 Monto A, Schooley RT, Lai JC, Sulkowski MS, Chung RT, Pawlotsky JM, McHutchison JG, Jacobson IM
• Cost-effectiveness of hepatitis A vaccination for individuals with chronic hepatitis C.
  Vaccine 2009 Chapko MK, Yee HS, Monto A, Dominitz JA
• Association of hepatitis C virus seropositivity with inflammatory markers and heart failure in persons with coronary heart disease: data from the Heart and Soul study.
  Journal of cardiac failure 2009 Tsui JI, Whooley MA, Monto A, Seal K, Tien PC, Shlipak M
• Hepatocellular carcinoma after sustained virologic response in hepatitis C patients without cirrhosis on a pretreatment liver biopsy.
  European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology 2009 Sewell JL, Stick KM, Monto A
• Efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin in methadone maintenance patients: randomized comparison of direct observed therapy and self-administration.
  The American journal of gastroenterology 2008 Bonkovsky HL, Tice AD, Yapp RG, Bodenheimer HC, Monto A, Rossi SJ, Sulkowski MS
• Implementation of a multidisciplinary treatment team for hepatocellular cancer at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center improves survival.
  HPB : the official journal of the International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association 2008 Chang TT, Sawhney R, Monto A, Davoren JB, Kirkland JG, Stewart L, Corvera CU
• Liver disease in injection drug users with hepatitis C, with and without HIV coinfection.
  Journal of addictive diseases 2008 Monto A, Currie S, Wright TL
• A prospective study to examine persistent HCV reinfection in injection drug users who have previously cleared the virus.
  Drug and alcohol dependence 2007 Currie SL, Ryan JC, Tracy D, Wright TL, George S, McQuaid R, Kim M, Shen H, Monto A
• The association of human immunodeficiency virus infection with spontaneously resolved hepatitis C virus infection and level of viremia among injection drug users.
  Digestive diseases and sciences 2007 Seal KH, Monto A, Dove L, Shen H, Vittinghoff E, Tracy D, Miller E, Lau E, Wright TL
• Contributions to hepatic fibrosis in HIV-HCV coinfected and HCV monoinfected patients.
  The American journal of gastroenterology 2006 Monto A, Kakar S, Dove LM, Bostrom A, Miller EL, Wright TL
• Natural history of patients with recurrent chronic hepatitis C virus and occult hepatitis B co-infection after liver transplantation.
  American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2006 Hui CK, Lau E, Monto A, Kim M, Luk JM, Poon RT, Leung N, Lo CM, Fan ST, Lau GK, Wright TL
• Identification of two gene variants associated with risk of advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
  Gastroenterology 2006 Huang H, Shiffman ML, Cheung RC, Layden TJ, Friedman S, Abar OT, Yee L, Chokkalingam AP, Schrodi SJ, Chan J, Catanese JJ, Leong DU, Ross D, Hu X, Monto A, McAllister LB, Broder S, White T, Sninsky JJ,…
• Viral evolution of hepatitis C in injection drug users.
  Journal of viral hepatitis 2005 Dove L, Phung Y, Bzowej N, Kim M, Monto A, Wright TL
• Fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis C patients with occult hepatitis B co-infection.
  Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology 2005 Hui CK, Lau E, Wu H, Monto A, Kim M, Luk JM, Lau GK, Wright TL
• Hepatic steatosis in HIV/hepatitis C coinfection: prevalence and significance compared with hepatitis C monoinfection.
  Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 2005 Monto A, Dove LM, Bostrom A, Kakar S, Tien PC, Wright TL
• Risks of a range of alcohol intake on hepatitis C-related fibrosis.
  Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 2004 Monto A, Patel K, Bostrom A, Pianko S, Pockros P, McHutchison JG, Wright TL
• Outcomes of interferon alpha and ribavirin treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients with normal serum aminotransaminases.
  Gut 2003 Hui CK, Monto A, Belaye T, Lau E, Wright TL
• Steatosis in chronic hepatitis C: relative contributions of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and alcohol.
  Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 2002 Monto A, Alonzo J, Watson JJ, Grunfeld C, Wright TL
• Hepatitis C and steatosis.
  Seminars in gastrointestinal disease 2002 Monto A
• The epidemiology and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma.
  Seminars in oncology 2001 Monto A, Wright TL
• Mutations in the NS5A region do not predict interferon-responsiveness in american patients infected with genotype 1b hepatitis C virus.
  Journal of medical virology 1999 Chung RT, Monto A, Dienstag JL, Kaplan LM