As an associate professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys, Dhar focuses on how lifestyle factors such as high-calorie diets, excessive alcohol consumption and minimal exercise—along with genetic predispositions—can lead to problematic changes in the liver, heart and kidneys. By studying the conversation among the liver, the immune system, heart and kidneys, Dhar hopes to discover signals that could be used to detect metabolic disorders, especially metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and liver cancer much earlier, when they’re easier to treat.