William F. Balistreri, MD, medical director, Pediatric Liver Care Center and associate chair for Subspecialty Training, Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, received the 2001 Outstanding Pediatrician award from the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The award is given annually to a pediatrician who is a member of the Ohio Chapter of the AAP for distinguished achievements in pediatric care and in the education of patients and physicians.

"I believe that this award reflects the respect of our colleagues for the entire Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center community rather than any one individual," says Balistreri. "Nevertheless, I am honored to be singled out among all of the outstanding pediatricians in the state of Ohio."

Balistreri is one of the world's foremost authorities on pediatric gastroenterology and liver disease. He is medical director of Cincinnati Children's Pediatric Liver Care Center and Pediatric Liver Transplantation Program.

Through more than 440 publications, including original articles, editorials, reviews and book chapters, Balistreri has helped to clarify the understanding of many aspects of pediatric hepatology -- the branch of medicine concerned with the liver and its diseases. These include bile acid metabolism, neonatal cholestasis (stoppage or suppression of the flow of bile), hepatitis and liver transplantation.

Balistreri has been editor of The Journal of Pediatrics since 1995. He is the former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and co-editor, associate editor, guest editor, reviewer and member of numerous editorial boards of several journals and periodicals. These include seminars in Liver Disease, Hepatology, Gastroenterology, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He is co-editor of the prestigious text Liver Disease in Children.

In 2000, Balistreri became the first pediatrician to serve as president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He is or has been president or a member of numerous prestigious scholarly societies, including the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

Balistreri has also served as a member of the board of directors of the American Board of Pediatrics, American Liver Foundation, Institute for Pediatric Medical Education, and the Society for Pediatric Research.

Balistreri has received awards from various societies. These include the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America in 1995, the Andrew Sass-Kortsak Memorial Award from the Canadian Liver Foundation and the Canadian Association for the Study of Liver in 1998, the Murray Davidson Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Gastroenterology and Nutrition in 1999, and the prestigious Shwachman Award for 1999 from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

Balistreri earned a medical degree at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine in 1970. He was a pediatric resident at Cincinnati Children's from 1971 to 1972 and a post-doctoral fellow from 1972 to 1974. He did a research fellowship in the division of Gastroenterology at the Mayo Foundation, Mayo Clinic, before being appointed assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1976.

Balistreri joined Cincinnati Children's in 1978, when he also was named Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. In 1984, Balistreri was named Dorothy M. Kersten Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's. In 1991, he was appointed Professor of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Balistreri has been listed multiple times in Best Doctors in America.