Marie Zalesiak

I am currently pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics focusing on liver diseases, with a strong interest in public health, translational medicine, and health economic evaluation.

My background is in economics, with a specialization in health econometrics. During my master’s studies, I collaborated with the University of Gothenburg and worked with Swedish registry data for my thesis, which sparked my interest in epidemiology and real-world evidence research.

Alongside academia, I also work within the pharmaceutical industry to gain industry experience and broaden my professional network.

My long-term goal is to establish a career in academic hepatology research, with a focus on translational and population-based research to improve liver health outcomes.

My research interests focus on how evidence-based strategies can be implemented into general practice to improve prevention, early detection, and management of liver-related diseases in routine healthcare.

I am part of a research group with a strong focus on steatotic liver disease (MASLD) from both epidemiological and clinical perspectives. The group’s main research areas include identifying risk factors and patient subgroups at particularly high risk of severe liver disease outcomes, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Through access to long-term follow-up cohorts with histology data as well as large population-based register studies, we are uniquely positioned to investigate the progression and outcomes of MASLD with high-quality real-world data.

In addition to MASLD, our research includes hepatocellular carcinoma, alcohol-related liver disease, cirrhosis, and broader public health aspects of liver disease. The group consists of clinicians, epidemiologists, and research nurses, and collaborates extensively both within Karolinska Institutet and through national and international research networks.

My specific interests lie in bridging clinical research and healthcare implementation, with the aim of improving liver health at the population level and supporting more efficient and sustainable healthcare strategies.