Christina Hanson
FNP-C
Location : Denver, CO, USA
BIO
Christina Hanson is a nurse practitioner in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at South Denver GI, with nearly 20 years of clinical practice. She is a course director and board of trustee for GHAPP. An active researcher with extensive leadership and teaching experience, she is a champion of evidence-based practice, data-driven care delivery, interdisciplinary collaboration, and quality patient care. Christina is committed to amplifying professional development, growth, and contributions of advanced practice.
MASLD-MASH Content Featuring Christina
APP Insight: Misconceptions About Liver Health
June 2025
In this video, Christina Hanson, FNP-C, from South Denver Gastroenterology, dispels common myths around liver health and highlights a critical shift in how we identify and manage fatty liver disease. With the updated terminology from NAFLD/NASH to MASLD/MASH—Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatotic Liver Disease—Christina explains how the new name more accurately reflects the underlying cardiometabolic drivers of the condition, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. She emphasizes that liver enzyme abnormalities or incidental imaging findings should no longer be the only triggers for evaluation. Instead, clinicians—especially in primary care and endocrinology—should proactively screen high-risk patients using non-invasive tools like FIB-4 to assess for liver fibrosis. With over 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes and up to 90% of those with morbid obesity at risk for coexisting fatty liver, early identification and triage are vital to improving outcomes. This is a must-watch for healthcare providers seeking practical, guideline-driven strategies for detecting MASLD and MASH in everyday clinical practice.
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Management of Life Style Modification
January 2025
This video focuses on the comprehensive management of patients with metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), emphasizing lifestyle modifications, dietary adjustments, and exercise strategies. Key topics include the importance of addressing risk factors like diet, exercise habits, and alcohol intake, as well as referrals to medically supervised weight loss clinics or bariatric surgery for advanced cases. The speaker highlights the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, intermittent fasting, and avoiding ultra-processed foods while discussing the role of resistance training to combat sarcopenia and maintain muscle mass. Practical advice and tailored recommendations ensure a holistic approach to managing MASH and improving patient outcomes.
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Third Step of Life Style Management
January 2025
This video provides a comprehensive overview of emerging pharmacologic treatments for metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and their tailored applications based on patient profiles. Topics include FDA-approved therapies, drugs in advanced clinical trials (such as semaglutide and lanifibranor), and the potential for combination treatments targeting both steatohepatitis and fibrosis. The speaker emphasizes the importance of patient-specific approaches considering metabolic profiles, obesity, and diabetes status, alongside lifestyle interventions. Additionally, the video discusses the evolving interdisciplinary care model and highlights the exciting progress in non-invasive testing and treatment advancements for F2-F3 fibrosis.
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Approved Medication for MASH/NASH
January 2025
This video provides detailed guidance on selecting and monitoring patients for emerging therapies targeting advanced fibrosis (F2-F3) in NASH. Key topics include contraindications for patients with cirrhosis, considerations for concomitant medications, and dose adjustments for statins. The video outlines ideal candidates based on specific thresholds for VCTE, MRE, ELF scores, and other non-invasive tests while emphasizing the importance of ruling out portal hypertension and other liver diseases. It also reviews a stepwise monitoring approach, focusing on tolerability at three months and efficacy assessments at six and twelve months, with an emphasis on histologic and non-invasive test improvements.
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Types of Diet for the Treatment of MASLD
January 2025
This video explores comprehensive strategies for managing metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), focusing on fibrosis risk stratification, lifestyle modifications, and pharmacologic interventions. Learn about dietary recommendations like the Mediterranean diet, exercise guidelines emphasizing resistance training, and the role of intermittent fasting and processed food avoidance. The video also highlights weight loss targets, diabetes management, and emerging therapies such as GLP-1 receptor agonists and bariatric surgery, all aimed at improving liver health and patient outcomes.
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NITs to Identify High Risk MASH Patients
January 2025
Explore advancements in non-invasive diagnostics and risk stratification for liver fibrosis and MASH. This video highlights tools like FIB-4, transient elastography, and innovative scoring systems (e.g., FAST and Agile) to identify and predict outcomes for high-risk patients. Learn about serum biomarkers, updated guidelines, and the role of lifestyle interventions alongside targeted therapies for managing metabolic risks and advancing care in hepatology.
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Addressing Health Disparities: Equity Considerations in MASH/MASLD Care
July 2025
In this episode, Patrick Horne, NP at the University of Florida (UF Health), explores the impact of health disparities and socioeconomic inequality on the diagnosis and management of MASH (metabolic-associated steatohepatitis) and MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease). With a focus on rural and underserved populations, Patrick discusses how limited access to quality healthcare, healthy food, exercise options, and non-invasive testing (NITs) like FibroScan or MRI elastography can delay diagnosis and worsen outcomes. He shares practical, empathetic strategies for individualizing care, such as using accessible tools like FIB-4 or APRI, promoting low-cost physical activity like walking or swimming, and providing culturally sensitive nutrition advice tailored to financial and geographic realities. Patrick emphasizes the provider’s role as a patient advocate and coach, helping patients navigate barriers and create sustainable lifestyle modifications. This episode offers key insights for clinicians working to close gaps in care and promote equity in liver disease management.
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Lifestyle Management With Christina Hanson
July 2025
Join Christina Hanson, NP from South Denver GI, for a practical and in-depth discussion on lifestyle management of MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease) and MASH (Metabolic Steatohepatitis). In this GHAPP MASLD/MASH Community Network session, Christina walks through the case of Albert, a 65-year-old patient with obesity, diabetes, and abnormal liver findings—representing a common clinical scenario in primary and specialty care. This session highlights how to apply non-invasive fibrosis assessment tools like FIB-4 and FibroScan, interpret metabolic risk factors, and differentiate patients based on fibrosis staging. Christina discusses how cultural dietary habits, access to care, and social determinants of health impact disease management, and emphasizes the importance of personalized counseling, accountability strategies, and gradual, sustainable changes to diet and exercise. The session also reviews the role of Resmetirom, the first FDA-approved treatment for MASH with F2-F3 fibrosis, and outlines guideline-recommended lifestyle interventions including the Mediterranean diet and combined aerobic/resistance exercise. Learn how to identify, stage, and manage patients with MASLD and MASH in a way that supports long-term adherence and improves liver-related outcomes. Educational support provided by Madrigal Pharmaceuticals.
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Pharmacotherapy Review
July 2025
Join Christina Hanson, FNP-C, from South Denver Gastroenterology, as she provides an in-depth overview of the current pharmacologic treatment landscape for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). This expert-led session explores the three cornerstones of MASH management—lifestyle and weight loss interventions, cardiovascular risk reduction, and liver-directed therapy—while highlighting the evolving role of GLP-1 receptor agonists and the recent FDA approval of resmetirom, the first medication indicated for adults with MASH and moderate to advanced fibrosis. Christina also discusses clinical trial data from MAESTRO-NASH, reviews historical agents like vitamin E and pioglitazone, and offers practical guidance on patient selection, safety considerations, and monitoring strategies. Whether you’re a GI provider, hepatology specialist, or primary care clinician managing fatty liver disease, this video provides valuable insights into how emerging therapies are shaping the future of MASH treatment.
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Podcast: Liver Model Overview
July 2025
Join Alison Moe, PA-C with United Digestive, as she walks through a hands-on demonstration using a life-sized liver model to help patients better understand fibrosis and liver disease progression. In this engaging and practical overview, Allison explains how different stages of liver fibrosis—from normal liver to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma—can be felt and visualized using a segmented anatomical model. She shares how this tool enhances patient education during discussions about non-invasive liver testing, such as FibroScan, CAP scores, FIB-4, ELF testing, and more. Designed to support visual learners and improve comprehension of disease state, this video is a valuable resource for clinicians and patients navigating the complexities of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) and its progression to MASH. Learn how tactile and visual teaching aids can bridge the gap between diagnostics and patient understanding in hepatology care.
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Differentiating Between F3 and F4
July 2025
In this comprehensive discussion, HoChong Gilles, a nurse practitioner with 25 years of hepatology experience at the Richmond VA Medical Center, explores the critical importance of accurately distinguishing between F3 (advanced fibrosis) and F4 (cirrhosis) in patients with MASH (metabolic-associated steatohepatitis). While both stages carry increased risks of liver-specific and overall mortality, Gilles explains that F3 may still be reversible with lifestyle changes or pharmacotherapy, whereas F4 signals irreversible liver damage with heightened risk of complications like portal hypertension, hepatic encephalopathy, and liver cancer. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of how non-invasive tests—like FIB-4, ELF, FibroScan, and MRE—perform in identifying fibrosis stage, including their limitations and overlaps. Gilles also outlines when to consider liver biopsy, especially in cases with discordant test results, atypical features, or clinical uncertainty. This video emphasizes how staging accuracy informs eligibility for therapies, surveillance strategies like HCC screening, and overall prognosis. Learn how to approach this nuanced distinction in clinical practice and why F3 vs. F4 isn't just semantics—it's a turning point in patient care.
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Podcast: Pharmacotherapy for MASH/MASLD: An Overview
June 2025
In this comprehensive episode, Christina Hanson, FNP-C at South Denver GI, provides an in-depth overview of pharmacotherapy for MASLD and MASH, with a focus on the FDA-approved therapy resmetirom (brand name Rezdiffra). Drawing on over 18 years of experience in hepatology and GI care, Christina explains the histologic endpoints used in clinical trials—MASH resolution and fibrosis improvement without worsening disease—and how they guided the approval of resmetirom. She breaks down the drug’s mechanism of action as a selective thyroid hormone receptor beta (THR-β) agonist, which promotes lipid metabolism and reduces liver inflammation without systemic toxicity. Christina reviews key Phase 3 data from the MAESTRO-NASH trial, showing resmetirom’s significant impact on both MASH resolution and fibrosis regression across diverse patient populations. She also outlines criteria for appropriate patient selection (those with stage F2-F3 fibrosis), clinical monitoring strategies, and management of side effects like transient GI discomfort. Christina emphasizes the importance of baseline screening for liver disease, autoimmune conditions, thyroid function, and lipid levels before initiating therapy. She highlights best practices from the 2024 AASLD guidelines for ongoing monitoring and treatment response assessment, including ALT and liver stiffness thresholds that help determine whether to continue or discontinue therapy. This episode is a must-watch for hepatology clinicians looking to implement evidence-based, patient-centered strategies in the management of MASH.
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Highlighted Events
MASLD Pharmacotherapy - Virtual
July 23 @ 09:00 am - 09:30 am MST
Join Christina Hanson, FNP-C, on July 23rd from 9:00 - 9:30 AM MST, for a live GHAPP zoom session focused on Lifestyle Management. ..
MASLD vs MetALD - Virtual
August 06 @ 09:00 am - 09:30 am MST
Join Christina Hanson, FNP-C, on August 6, for a live GHAPP zoom session focused on MASLD vs MetALD. ..
GHAPP Eighth Annual Conference
September 04 @ 12:00 pm - September 06 @ 12:00 pm MDT
About the 2025 GHAPP Conference The GHAPP conference is the only conference specifically designed by advanced practice providers (APPs) for the pur..
Pacific Northwest GI & Liver Update
October 03 @ 12:00 pm - October 04 @ 12:00 pm PST
The 2025 Pacific Northwest GI and Liver Conference will deliver focused educational updates highlighting clinically relevant advances in the managemen..