Ayşe Aytaman, MD, AGAF, FACG, FAASLD
Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - VA New York Harbor HCS Brooklyn
Co-Director - Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) 2S Liver and Cancer Team
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine - State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
Ayşe Aytaman, MD earned her medical degree from the University of Vienna, where she studied with a full scholarship from the Austrian Ministry of Education. After her residency and fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, she joined the faculty at VA New York Harbor HCS in Brooklyn. She created the first multidisciplinary viral hepatitis team in 1999 with inclusion of clinical pharmacy and liver psychology in the VA system. In 2012, with a grant from VA Public Health, she established the first multi-facility and multi-disciplinary, multi-facility VISN (Veterans Integrated Service network) wide hepatocellular carcinoma team and SCAN ECHO liver cancer tumor board in the nation, utilizing heavily telehealth/virtual telemedicine technology. The team has been organizing yearly VA National Liver Cancer Summits since 2012. Dr. Aytaman co-chairs the VISN 2 Hepatitis C/Liver team currently involved in systematic eradication of hepatitis C in VISN 2.
Dr. Aytaman is also an integral part of the GI and hepatology fellowship program and has been involved in the training of over 200 GI fellows now across the nation.
Dr. Ayşe Aytaman is involved in organization of educational meetings for the Brooklyn GI community since 1995 and is currently the elected regional governor of the American College of Gastroenterology.
She was chosen as the “Physician of the Year Honoree” by the American Liver Foundation New York Greater Chapter in 2018.
Dr. Aytaman has been involved in clinical research in hepatitis C, advanced liver disease and liver cancer. Current ongoing IRB approved research studies:
Veterans Outcome and Cost Associated with Liver Disease (VOCAL) Study, now encompassing 200K veterans.
Palliative Care within the Treatment of End-Stage Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial (PAL-LIVER). Sponsored by PICORI (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute)
Effect of simvastatin on hepatic decompensation and death in subjects with high-risk compensated cirrhosis (SACRED). Sponsored by DOD (Department of Defense)
VISN 3 Liver Cancer Team Performance Improvement and Outcomes project.
Long-term Outcomes of Patients with Liver Abscess; Are These Patients at an Increased Risk for Developing Gastrointestinal Cancers?