Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, M.D. always knew he wanted to be a doctor. Even when he applied for medical school, he left blank the question that asked: “What will you do if you are not accepted?”

Di Bisceglie, professor of internal medicine and chief of hepatology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, has been named the 2001-2002 recipient of the Miles and Shirley Fiterman Foundation Hugh R. Butt Award.

This prestigious award recognizes the active research and achievements of a member of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Founded in 1897, the AGA is a medical society whose membership is limited to physicians, researchers, and educators whose primary practice, research and/or teaching involves the functions and disorders of the digestive system.

Di Bisceglie received bachelor’s degrees in medicine and surgery and a master’s in medicine at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. After receiving training in internal medicine in South Africa, he moved to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he started as a trainee and had achieved the status of chief of the liver diseases section before he came to SLU.

Di Bisceglie moved to St. Louis in 1994 with his wife and two young children.

“I looked for a position at Saint Louis University because I had already established a research collaboration and friendship with Dr. Bruce Bacon, another hepatologist,” said Di Bisceglie. “At the time, my children were very young and I felt that St. Louis offered them a good environment to grow up in.”

Di Bisceglie’s research has focused on viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a form of liver cancer. He has devoted nearly 20 years to studying new treatments for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

“I think it is very important that one enjoy one’s job or career,” said Di Bisceglie. “I feel very fortunate to be able to enjoy my work very much. It is very satisfying to be considered an expert in liver disease and to be able to help patients who perhaps have not been able to get the kind of help they needed. For me, the best part of doing research is the feeling that I can contribute to new knowledge.”

Di Bisceglie is a member of several professional societies, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and has organized and moderated international and national conferences on the subjects of viral hepatitis and liver cancer.

An accomplished doctor, professor, author and editor, Di Bisceglie has received other honors, including the South African Gastroenterology Society Traveling Fellowship and the Osler Award given by the Internal Medicine Residents for best teacher. He has been cited regularly as one of the best doctors in America and serves as the medical director of the American Liver Foundation.

The digestive diseases doctors at Saint Louis University School of Medicine were ranked 31 in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s listing of America’s best hospitals and specialties.