Craig J. McClain, M.D., AGAF, FACG, FAASLD, FACN

Craig J. McClain, M.D.

Craig J. McClain, M.D., AGAF, FACG, FAASLD, FACN

  • Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology & Toxicology
  • Chief of Research Affairs, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
  • Associate Vice President for Health Affairs/Research
  • Associate Vice President for Translational Research
  • Director, Clinical Trials Unit / Liver Research Program
  • Distinguished University Scholar
UofL Physicians Outpatient Center
401 East Chestnut Street, Ste. 310
Louisville, KY 40202

502-852-6991 - Academic Office
502-588-4600 - Patient Appointments


Clinical Expertise
Alcohol Associated Liver Disease; Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis; Nutrition


Board Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine -
    Internal Medicine / Gastroenterology
  • Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists
  • American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists

Education and Training

  • Medical School: University of Tennessee
  • Residency: University of Pittsburgh Hospitals
  • Fellowship: University of Minnesota Hospitals

Get To Know Dr. McClain


Featured Publications

  • Vatsalya V, Feng W, Kong M, Hu H, Szabo G, McCullough A, Dasarathy S, Nagy LE, Radaeva S, Barton B, Mitchell M, McClain CJ. The Beneficial Effects of Lactobacillus GG Therapy on Liver and Drinking Assessments in Patients with Moderate Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023 May 15. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002283. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37040544.
  • Hassanein T, McClain CJ, Vatsalya V, Stein LL, Flamm SL, Martin P, Cave MC, Mitchell M Jr, Barton B, Nagy L, Szabo G, McCullough A, Dasarathy S, Shah J, Blevins C, Scott D, Krebs W, Brown JE, Lin W. Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy Signals of Larsucosterol (DUR-928) in Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023 May 8. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002275. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37011138.
  • Szabo G, Mitchell MC, Dasarathy S, McClain C. Reply. Hepatology. 2023 May 1;77(5):E115. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000337. Epub 2023 Feb 24. PMID: 36815366.
  • Hardesty JE, Warner JB, Song YL, Floyd A, McClain CJ, Warner DR, Kirpich IA. Fpr2-/- Mice Developed Exacerbated Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease. Biology (Basel). 2023 Apr 23;12(5):639. doi: 10.3390/biology12050639. PMID: 37237453; PMCID: PMC10215685.
  • Tu W, Gawrieh S, Dasarathy S, Mitchell MC, Simonetto DA, Patidar KR, McClain CJ, Bataller R, Szabo G, Tang Q, Barton BA, Radaeva S, Sanyal AJ, Shah V; Alcoholic Hepatitis Network (AlcHepNet) Investigators. Design of a multicenter randomized clinical trial for treatment of Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2023 Jan 18;32:101074. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2023.101074. PMID: 36698742; PMCID: PMC9869411.
  • Jiang M, Li F, Liu Y, Gu Z, Zhang L, Lee J, He L, Vatsalya V, Zhang HG, Deng Z, Zhang X, Chen SY, Guo GL, Barve S, McClain CJ, Feng W. Probiotic-derived nanoparticles inhibit ALD through intestinal miR194 suppression and subsequent FXR activation. Hepatology. 2023 Apr 1;77(4):1164-1180. doi: 10.1002/hep.32608. Epub 2022 Jul 7. PMID: 35689610; PMCID: PMC9741667.
  • Wahlang B, Gao H, Rai SN, Keith RJ, McClain CJ, Srivastava S, Cave MC, Bhatnagar A. Associations between residential volatile organic compound exposures and liver injury markers: The role of biological sex and race. Environ Res. 2023 Mar 15;221:115228. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115228. Epub 2023 Jan 4. PMID: 36610539; PMCID: PMC9957966.
  • de Carvalho Ribeiro M, Iracheta-Vellve A, Babuta M, Calenda CD, Copeland C, Zhuang Y, Lowe PP, Hawryluk D, Catalano D, Cho Y, Barton B, Dasarathy S, McClain C, McCullough A, Mitchell M, Nagy LE, Radaeva S, Lien E, Golenbock DT, Szabo G. Alcohol-induced extracellular asc specks perpetuate liver inflammation and damage in alcoholic hepatitis even after alcohol cessation. Hepatology. 2023 Mar 3. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000298. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36862512.
  • Xu R, He L, Vatsalya V, Ma X, Kim S, Mueller EG, Feng W, McClain CJ, Zhang X. Metabolomics analysis of urine from patients with alcohol-associated liver disease reveals dysregulated caffeine metabolism. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2023 Feb 1;324(2):G142-G154. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00228.2022. Epub 2022 Dec 13. PMID: 36513601; PMCID: PMC9870580.
  • Vatsalya V, Royer AJ, Jha SK, Parthasarathy R, Tiwari H, Feng W, Ramchandani VA, Kirpich IA, McClain CJ. Drinking and laboratory biomarkers, and nutritional status characterize the clinical presentation of early-stage alcohol-associated liver disease. Adv Clin Chem. 2023;114:83-108. doi: 10.1016/bs.acc.2023.02.001. Epub 2023 May 5. PMID: 37268335.