David Bowen

Associate Professor David Bowen holds the position of Associate Professor in the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health. He is also Associate Faculty at the Centenary Institute, co-leading the Liver Immunology Program with Associate Professor Patrick Bertolino. In his clinical practice, Bowen serves as a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at The AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre and the Australian National Liver Transplantation Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Throughout his career at the University of Sydney, he has taken a leading role in research education, particularly within the Doctor of Medicine Research Program, where he has coordinated units of study such as research project courses and supervised medical student research initiatives.

Bowen's research specializes in liver immunology, with a focus on dissecting liver-directed immune responses in clinical contexts including viral hepatitis and post-liver transplantation settings. His efforts emphasize translating insights from the group's animal model studies into practical clinical applications. As co-head of the Bertolino and Bowen Lab at the Centenary Institute, his team is internationally recognized for transformative contributions to the field, including pioneering work on hepatic dendritic cells, the role of monocyte-derived macrophages in restricting bacterial dissemination, effects of hepatocyte entry on T cells, T cell-hepatocyte interactions, and the sites of primary T cell activation that determine tolerance versus immunity during liver infections and transplantation. These findings have fundamentally altered paradigms in liver immunology and are now referenced in standard immunology textbooks. Notable publications include 'Cytokine-dependent bystander hepatitis due to intrahepatic murine CD8 T-cell activation' published in Gastroenterology in 2002, and 'The liver contains distinct interconnected networks of CX3CR1+ mononuclear phagocytes and CD8α+ dendritic cells' in 2022. In October 2025, Bowen and Bertolino were awarded a $50,000 GESA Project Grant to investigate 'Decoding Microbiome–Liver Communication via Portal Tracts.' Through his integrated clinical, research, and educational roles, Bowen advances understanding and management of liver diseases, fostering collaborations across the University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Professional Email: david.bowen@sydney.edu.au