PSC Partners Founder Ricky Safer To Receive AASLD Distinguished Advocacy Award

We are thrilled to share that PSC Partners Founder and volunteer CEO Ricky Safer has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Distinguished Advocacy Award.

The award recognizes individuals whose sustained contributions have significantly advanced the liver disease community. Recipients are selected by AASLD’s Distinguished Awards Committee and approved by the organization’s Governing Board.

Ricky founded PSC Partners in 2005 following her diagnosis with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare chronic liver disease. Over the past 20 years, she has transformed the organization into a global leader in patient-centered research, education, and advocacy. Under her guidance, PSC Partners has established an international Patient Registry, led an FDA Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development meeting for PSC, secured significant funding through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and helped achieve the creation of a PSC-specific ICD code. The organization has also launched groundbreaking initiatives, including WIND-PSC, the Symptom Assessment Project, and the International Collaborative Research Network, all designed to accelerate research and improve outcomes for people living with PSC.

Since 2005, the organization has funded more than $5 million in research grants aimed at accelerating discoveries and improving outcomes for people living with PSC.

“Ricky’s leadership has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Audra Fleming, Executive Director of PSC Partners. “Through her vision and dedication, she has fostered a global community united by hope, informed by science, and guided by the patient voice. This recognition from AASLD is a well-deserved acknowledgment of her remarkable contributions and the lasting difference she has made for people living with PSC.”

Beyond her work with PSC Partners, Ricky has served on numerous national advisory and research committees focused on liver disease and rare diseases, helping ensure that patient voices remain central to research and healthcare decision-making. Before founding PSC Partners, she was a French educator and earned degrees from the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University.

The award will be presented during the Awards & Honors Gala at The Liver Meeting® in Denver, Colorado, on November 7, 2026. Many members of the PSC community will already be gathering in Denver for the PSC Partners Conference on November 5 before joining colleagues from around the world at The Liver Meeting.

While this award recognizes Ricky’s extraordinary leadership and advocacy, it also reflects the progress that has been made by the entire PSC community over the past 20 years. Together, patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians, industry partners, volunteers, donors, and advocates have helped move PSC research forward, bringing us closer to a future without PSC.

Please join us in congratulating Ricky on this well-deserved honor and thanking her for everything she has done, and continues to do, for the PSC community.

If Ricky and PSC Partners have impacted your life, we would love to hear from you. You can share a short message or reflection with us at shane@pscpartners.org. With your permission, we may include select messages in a future presentation celebrating this milestone at our upcoming conference.