About the Network

The Biliary Atresia Research Consortium (BARC) is a group of doctors, nurses, research coordinators and medical facilities in the U.S. working together to study infants with cholestasis (blockage of bile flow from the liver). Poor bile flow and buildup of substances in the liver can cause serious illness and lead to liver injury.

Liver disease in newborns is rare. In addition, there are not enough babies with cholestasis seen each year at a single pediatric liver center to adequately study the disease. Therefore the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding a network of ten pediatric liver centers across the United States to study causes and improve the diagnosis and treatment of infants and children with cholestatic liver disease.

Infants and children with cholestatic liver disease who receive their medical care at one of the participating BARC centers may be eligible to enroll in studies conducted by the BARC.

The centers that make up the BARC are:

Clinical Centers:

Baltimore, Maryland
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Kathleen Schwarz MD, Principal Investigator

Chicago, Illinois
Children's Memorial Hospital
Peter Whitington MD, Principal Investigator

Cincinnati, Ohio
Children's Hospital Medical Center
Jorge Bezerra MD, Principal Investigator

Denver, Colorado
The Children's Hospital
Ronald Sokol MD, Principal Investigator

Houston, Texas
Texas Children's Hospital
Saul J. Karpen MD, PhD, Principal Investigator

New York, New York
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Frederick Suchy MD, Principal Investigator

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Barbara Haber MD, Principal Investigator

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Benjamin Shneider MD, Principal Investigator

San Francisco, California
University of California, San Francisco
Philip Rosenthal MD, Principal Investigator

St. Louis, Missouri
Washington University School of Medicine
Ross Shepherd MD, FRACP, FRCP, Principal Investigator

Network Sponsor:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Patricia Robuck PhD, MPH, Project Scientist

Data Coordinating Center:

The University of Michigan
John Magee MD, Principal Investigator