NOW: The Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases was formed in 1998 by the merger of the Gastroenterology Division and the Liver Unit which were separate but mututally cooperative divisions until that time. Dr. John Dietschy * was the first chief of the combined division. Dr. Don Rockey * is the current chief.

History of the Liver Unit: The history of the individual components of the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases begins in 1957 with the recruitment of Dr. Burton Combes * to join the Department of Internal Medicine by the then chairman, Dr. Donald Seldin *. Dr. Combes's major research interest was hepatic blood flow and he became the hepatologist for the department. To read more about the history of the Liver Unit, click on the link.

History of the Gastroenterology Division:  In 1962, Dr. John Fordtran joined the department as the first gastroenterologist and became chief of Gastroenterology in 1963. From these beginnings, the combined division has grown to one that now includes 21 full-time faculty with diverse interests in education, research and patient care. To read more about the history of the Gastroenterology Division, click on the link.

Many of the gastroenterologist and hepatologists in practice in Texas were trained at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The division continues to attract outstanding young internists and train them for careers in education, research and patient care related to digestive and liver diseases.