Kristina R. Chacko, MD

Kristina Chacko, MD, FAASLD, is the Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Transplantation and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A board-certified transplant hepatologist with over 15 years of clinical experience, Dr. Chacko is a recognized leader in the management of complex liver disease and the advancement of organ transplantation. She is dedicated to providing compassionate, cutting-edge care to patients navigating the complexities of liver failure and transplantation. With a particular focus on living donor transplantation, Dr. Chacko works closely with patients and their families to provide personalized treatment plans that prioritize long-term health and recovery.

In her role as Medical Director, Dr. Chacko oversees the clinical operations and strategic growth of the liver transplant program, ensuring the highest standards of multidisciplinary care for patients with end-stage liver disease. She also serves as the Medical Director of the Living Donor Liver Program, where she champions innovative approaches to expanding the donor pool and reducing waitlist mortality.

Dr. Chacko earned her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine before completing her internal medicine residency at Emory University. She further specialized with a gastroenterology fellowship at New York University and a transplant hepatology fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research and clinical interests focus on alcohol-associated liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, and living liver transplantation. Beyond her clinical leadership, she is a dedicated educator, having served as the Program Director for the ACGME-accredited Transplant Hepatology Fellowship from 2015-2026. She is an active member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).