When Dr. Marina Roytman joined CCFMG in 2017, she brought her expertise in hepatology, a board certification in internal medicine, and a heart to serve patients in the Central Valley who desperately need her.
In 2019, born from a passion for proactive liver care, Dr. Roytman organized the inaugural UCSF Fresno Liver Expo, where for the first time, people within the community had the opportunity to not only learn about liver health and disease, but be screened with innovative FibroScan® Technology.
Dr. Roytman’s FibroScan® gives her the ability to perform vibration-controlled transient elastography, a non-invasive method for assessing hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. The procedure utilizes ultrasound technology to measure live rigidity. Access to this type of imaging can be challenging to come by, yet it has already proved to be life-changing for many of Dr. Roytman’s patients.
During the expo in 2019, Dr. Roytman met a gentleman who would go on to become a long-time patient of hers. The man she met was overweight and drinking more alcohol than was safe. At the event, he was screened for liver disease with the FibroScan® and the results were concerning. The patient had significant liver scarring consistent with cirrhosis, as well as a considerable amount of fat in his liver.
After the Liver Expo, the patient began to see Dr. Roytman for treatment and care at University Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates. In the years that have followed, they have changed his life dramatically—together. The patient has stopped drinking, lost a substantial amount of weight, changed his diet, and begun exercising. Over time, they saw significant positive changes in his health, including seeing him out of the cirrhotic range—something Dr. Roytman described as remarkable.
In the years since the first Liver Expo, Dr. Roytman has organized more expos annually that have all resulted in similar stories. Her expertise and access to FibroScan® in the office provide her patients with world-class specialized care from diagnosis to treatment to renewed health.
Dr. Roytman is part of the more than 200 faculty physicians that provide our communities with the highest level of care and expertise possible. Our specialized physicians are the lifeblood of our communities; without them, lives across the Central Valley would be drastically different.