Maria Speranta Iacob

Assoc. Prof. Speranța Iacob, MD, PhD is a senior gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist at Fundeni Clinical Institute and Associate Professor at the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania. She earned her MD in 2001 and completed her Gastroenterology and Hepatology Residency in 2007, becoming a senior specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2013. Her PhD in Surgery (2010), under the mentorship of Acad. Prof. Irinel Popescu, explored strategies to prevent hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation, a key challenge at the time, and marked the beginning of her long-term commitment to liver transplant hepatology. A committed leader in transplant hepatology, Dr. Iacob has been an active member of the European Board for Transplant Medicine (EBTM) since 2012, serving as National Representative, then Senior Secretary (2019–2023), and currently as Vice President (2023–2027). She is also President of the Romanian Association for Liver Diseases (RoALD) and Vice President of the Romtransplant Association, promoting national and international collaboration in liver transplantation and hepatology. Her international training includes a DAAD scholarship in liver transplantation at the University Hospital Essen (2005), followed by a basic science research stage in 2009 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Susanne Beckebaum. She obtained the European Diploma in Transplant Medicine by examination in 2011 and has completed over 70 advanced hepatology and transplant-related courses. With over 19 competitively funded national and European research projects, she has contributed as project director, curriculum coordinator and senior researcher, particularly in projects targeting liver transplantation, viral hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic liver disease screening. Dr. Iacob has authored over 90 ISI-indexed publications and has a Hirsch index of 24. Her research and clinical interests include liver transplantation, cholestatic and metabolic liver diseases (MASLD, ALD), hepatocellular carcinoma, personalized approaches in transplant medicine, and quality of life after transplantation. She is widely recognized for her contributions to clinical research, academic mentorship and for promoting the integration of hepatology and transplantation within multidisciplinary care models and collaborative networks.