Harry Janssen

Background

About Harry Janssen

Harry L.A. Janssen, MD, PhD is a senior academician with major contributions to research, clinical practice, education and leadership in the field of liver disease. He is a global expert in treatment of viral hepatitis. His research contributions include sustained federal funding (greater than 20 years), 650 peer reviewed publications, an H-index of more of 125, and over citations (Google Scholar). Prof. Janssen graduated from medical school in Nijmegen, Netherlands. During his study he spent one year as research fellow in Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic. He obtained his PhD at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam on the role of immune modulating therapy in chronic hepatitis B. Following his training in Internal Medicine in Leiden and Gastroenterology at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, he returned to the Mayo Clinic for a Postdoc Fellowship at the Center of Basic Research in Digestive Diseases. In 2001 he became a faculty member and in 2006 he was appointed as full Professor of Hepatology at the Erasmus University and Chief of the Section Liver Diseases and Transplantation at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. After a successful career in Rotterdam, he moved in 2013 to Toronto to become the Head of Hepatology at Toronto General Hospital (University Health Network) and recipient of the Francis Family Chair in Liver Research. In Toronto he merged all three liver programs into the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease to become the biggest liver program in North America, based at Toronto General Hospital. His clinical and research focus on viral hepatitis have led to novel treatment regimens both in the field of chronic hepatitis B and C. He is the recipient of many international awards and currently chairs multiple global organizations on viral hepatitis and liver disease. Educational activities include mentoring over 60 PhD students and more than 30 clinical- and research fellows. He is currently worldwide the most cited scientist in the field of chronic hepatitis B (Expertscape). In 2022 prof. Janssen relocated back to the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam to become Chair and Professor at the Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. He remains an affiliate scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.