Gi Insights

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Douglas Drossman, MD Developed to treat psychiatric disorders, emerging evidence suggests that neuromodulators play a vital role in treating functional GI disorders. Here today is Dr. Peter Buch who will be discussing the role of neuromodulators in functional GI disorders with Dr. Douglas Drossman.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Lawrence Schiller, MD, FAP, FACG Patients with chronic diarrhea are often misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or IBS-D. How can we better assess these patients to prevent misdiagnosis? Joining Dr. Peter Buch to discuss diagnostic tools and testing strategies is Dr. Lawrence Schiller, Program Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Physician Quality Reporting Systems, or PQRS, are here to stay in clinical medicine. Within the field of gastroenterology, understanding the metrics of PQRS can make a substantial difference in the success of a practice. Joining host Dr. Barry Mennen to detail the ins and outs of PQRS in gastroenterology is Dr. Ziad Gellad, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Quality in the Division of Gastroenterology, and Director of Clinical Improvement in the Department of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

Host: Barnett Mennen, MD Host Dr. Barry Mennen welcomes Dr. Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and medical co-director at the MGH Crohn’s and Colitis center. Dr. Ananthakrishnan is involved in several large cohort studies that are attempting to examine established and novel environmental factors, including diet, that influence the risk of development of inflammatory bowel diseases. His recent study focusing on the potential role of dietary zinc in preventing bowel inflammation becomes the focus of this discussion.

Dr. Carol Burke, Director of the Center for Colon Polyp and Cancer Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic, unveils ongoing but underrecognized gender disparities in the practice of gastroenterology, such as differences in academic vs private practice opportunities, average salaries and hours worked, rates of promotion and partnerships, and male-modeled endoscopic equipment designs. Dr. Burke then explores gender disparities in GI care for patients with colorectal cancer, including differences in efficacy of colorectal cancer screening, male vs female morbidity and mortality rates, and even the underlying biologies of cancers themselves.

Irritable bowel syndrome is becoming increasingly recognized as a complex interplay of pathologies, from changes in gut microflora to nutrient absorption abnormalities to psychosocial stressors. The ways in which these factors contribute and interact create different profiles of disease, requiring personalized therapeutic plans for IBS patiets. Joining Dr. Barry Mennen to discuss a multimodal model for approaching the root causes of IBS is Dr. Neelesh A. Tipnis, the Paul H. Parker Professor and Chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Director of the GI Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Live from the floor of Digestive Disease Week in Washington DC, GI Insights presents two interviews focusing on screening, surveillance, and therapeutic updates for colorectal and liver cancers, hosted by Dr. Barry Mennen. Guests on this program include: Dr. Linda Rabeneck, Vice President of Prevention and Cancer Control at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto. Dr. Rabeneck speaks on global initiatives to increase awareness about colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. Dr. Kris Kowdley, Director of the Liver Care Network and Research Director of the Organ Care Program at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Dr. Kowdley summarizes key takeaways on recognition of liver cancer and other related diseases of the liver in American populations today.

Live from the floor of Digestive Disease Week in Washington DC, GI Insights presents two interviews focusing on innovative approaches to inflammatory bowel disease, hosted by Dr. Barry Mennen. Guests on this program include: Dr. Jonathan Braun, Professor and Chair of Pathology and Lab Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His research centers on the biology of mucosal interaction of host immunity with the local microbial community, and its impact on chronic mucosal inflammatory disease and cancer. Michael Hurst, author of Poop Power: How a Man Used a Fecal Transplant at Home to Permanently Cure Himself of Ulcerative Colitis. Mr. Hurst is a known advocate and volunteer for the Fecal Transplant Foundation, whose story of self-designing an unorthodox treatment regimen for ulcerative colitis has since offered new insights on best clinical management practices for IBD.

Host Dr. Barry Mennen welcomes Dr. Ryan Stidham, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center of the University of Michigan Health System, to discuss the current therapeutic landscape for IBD based on recent comparative clinical trials.

Host: Jay Goldstein, MD Guest: Douglas Drossman, MD Host Dr. Jay Goldstein discusses the latest in IBS & Functional GI Disorders (FGIDs) with guest expert Dr. Douglas Drossman of the Drossman Center for the Education and Practice of Integrated Care. Dr. Drossman is Professor Emeritus in the departments of Gastroenterology and Psychiatry at the Center for Functional GI and Motility, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Host Dr. Jay Goldstein welcomes Dr. Sunanda V. Kane, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, to dicuss the latest in Crohn's disease diagnosis and management. Dr. Kane is author of IBD Self-Management: The AGA Guide to Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, now in its second edition.

Host: Jay Goldstein, MD Guest: Stanley Cohen, MD What types of small bowel abnormalities are most common among pediatric patients? How can physicians investigate suspected small bowel disease or gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in our younger patients? Dr. Stanley Cohen, gastroenterologist at the Combined Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Children's Center for Digestive Health Care at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and adjunct clinical professor of pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia, discusses the roles of CT scans, MRIs and small bowel capsule endoscopy in evaluating pediatric patients with suspected small bowel disease. Dr. Jay Goldstein hosts.

Guest: Jonathan Leighton, MD Host: Jay Goldstein, MD Guest: Moshe Rubin, MD Obscure gastrointesinal bleeding can pose investigational challenges. What are the potential causes of obscure GI bleeding? After initial negative upper endoscopy and colonoscopy tests are performed, what new technologies can help physicians more effectively detect small bowel abnormalities? Dr. Jonathan Leighton, professor of medicine and chair of the division of gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and Dr. Moshe Rubin, director of gastroenterology and program director of the GI fellowship training program at New York Hospital Queens Medical Center and the Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York, discuss the roles of small bowel capsule endoscopy, balloon-assisted enteroscopy, spiral enteroscopy, and CT enterography in evaluating patients with obscure GI bleeding. Dr. Jay Goldstein hosts.

Guest: Brian Lacy, MD, PhD Host: Lee Freedman, MD Resistance to proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, is not uncommon among patients with gastroesophogeal reflux disease, or GERD. How should physicians initially approach managing patients with suspected GERD, and at what point should physicians classify a patient as a PPI non-responder? Our guest, Dr. Brian Lacy, associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School, and director of the GI Motility Laboratory at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, suggests tests that physicians might use in evaluating patients with refractory GERD, including upper endoscopy and various types of pH monitoring. What therapeutic strategies can physicians use to manage these patients? Hosted by Dr. Freedman.

Guest: Joel Brill, MD Host: Jay Goldstein, MD How do we categorize and define value-based purchasing, and how can it help us avoid unnecessary costs and foster better quality of care? What are some examples, and how do guidelines work in conjunction with value-based purchasing? Dr. Joel Brill, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and chief medical officer of Predictive Health, LLC, talks about how we can best characterize and measure the still-nebulous ideals of quality and value. Hosted by Dr. Jay Goldstein.

Host: Jay Goldstein, MD Guest: Maria T. Abreu, MD Dr. Maria Abreu, professor of medicine and chief of the division of gastroenterology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Jay Goldstein to discuss inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, and women's reproductive health. Does inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, affect female fertility? What influence does IBD have on the course of pregnancy, and how does pregnancy, in turn, affect the natural history of IBD? Which medicines used to treat IBD are safe to use during pregnancy, and for new mothers who are nursing? Tune in to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

Guest: Rebecca West, JD Host: Mark DeLegge, MD The cost of malpractice insurance and the cost of resolving malpractice claims continues to climb. What are the trends in premiums for gastroenterologists around the country? And what are some of the most common risks and most commonly alleged errors? What’s the likelihood of a gastroenterologist being sued during his career? Rebecca West, CEO of Piedmont Liability Trust, a non-profit serving the University of Virginia School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Mark DeLegge to discuss strategies for avoiding malpractice claims. Ms. West also provides an update on national efforts at tort reform and how malpractice insurance premiums might be affected.

Guest: Jack Grider, PhD Host: Mark DeLegge, MD What is the underlying mechanism of propulsion in the digestive system, and how is motility stimulated? How are some newer pharmacotherapies looking to target serotonin to treat conditions such as IBS and constipation? Dr. Jack Grider, professor in the department of medicine, division of gastroenterology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, talks about future pharmacotherapy directions that either suppress or encourage motility in the digestive system. Hosted by Dr. Mark DeLegge.

Guest: Miriam Vos, MD, MSPH Host: Mark DeLegge, MD Although it's important to consider the many factors that contribute to childhood obesity when designing a weight loss plan, sugar may be one of the most important components to target. Specifically, how does fructose influence childhood obesity? Dr. Miriam Vos, assistant professor in the department of gastroenterology at Emory University and author of the book The No-Diet Obesity Solution for Kids, published by the AGA Institute Press, offers tips for discussing a healthy lifestyle with parents of overweight children. Dr. Mark DeLegge hosts.

Guest: Mansour Mohamadzadeh, PhD Host: Jay Goldstein, MD Researchers have developed an oral vaccine utilizing probiotics and, in preclinical studies, have found it successful in providing immunity against anthrax. Why are probiotics a good delivery component, and why might this method encourage a greater degree of response than the traditional vaccine injection? Dr. Mansour Mohamadzadeh, associate professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells host Dr. Jay Goldstein about this new vaccine delivery method. Will oral vaccines soon be ready for clinical trials?