Dr. Fernando Membreño, MD, MSc

Expert Publications

• Antiviral therapy for treatment-naïve hepatitis B virus patients.
• Sofosbuvir and ledipasvir fixed-dose combination with and without ribavirin in treatment-naive and previously treated patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection (LONESTAR): an open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial.
• Response-guided therapy in patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus: current status and future prospects.
• Sofosbuvir with peginterferon-ribavirin for 12 weeks in previously treated

Media Releases

Get to know Hepatologist Dr. Fernando Membreño, who serves patients in McAllen, Texas.

A seasoned hepatologist, Dr. Membreño is part of the DHR Health Transplant Institute – Liver Specialty Center. He most recently practiced at the Texas Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, where he had lived since 2006. He is devoted to caring for patients with liver disease, liver transplantation, and advancing liver disease/Hepatitis C treatment/Nash/Liver Cancer through research.

The multidisciplinary team of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, social workers and other health care providers at the DHR Health Transplant Institute provide specialized and compassionate care for kidney, liver and pancreatic disorders, including kidney transplantation. As the only CMS and UNOS certified kidney transplant center in the Rio Grande Valley, their team provides patients with the comprehensive care they need to receive a new chance at life.

In regards to his educational background, Dr. Membreño graduated cum laude probatus from medical school at the Autonomous School of Medicine in San Jose, Costa Rica in 1995. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Staten Island University Hospital. 

Due to his interest in liver diseases, he completed a fellowship in gastroenterology/hepatology and a Master of Science degree in clinical research at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. He then pursued further experience in liver transplantation at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, Colorado.

Subsequent to his education, the doctor attained board certification in transplant hepatology, gastroenterology, and internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The ABIM is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world.

Currently, Dr. Membreño is leading the liver team at DHR Health Transplant Institute towards the goal of doing the first Liver Transplant in the Texas Valley. Academically, he is an adjunct faculty at the University Hospital of San Antonio transplant program and the University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley.

Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as the management of their disorders. A hepatologist is a specialist who manages disorders in these areas.

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