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UnderwoodCenter forDigestiveDisorders
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Quarterly Digest
“Summertime but the livin’ ain’t easy”, in Houston at least – successive 100-degree muggy days, the return of mosquitos and traffic worse than ever! BUT we have much to celebrate as we look back on the past 12 months at the Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders.
In our 10th anniversary year we welcomed Dr. Fergus Shanahan from Ireland to present our Presidential Lecture (if you missed it, you can stream it here) and honored the Underwood family for the generosity that made all this possible and their continued support. It was also an opportunity to thank the Underwood Center Task Force for being at our side, ever willing to inform, guide and support.
Our 10th anniversary celebrations continue with our lecture series. On June 22nd, Dr. Peter Kahrilas from Northwestern Medicine, one of the world’s most renowned esophagologists, gave an excellent update on esophageal motility disorders. The inaugural Hughes-Sterling Neurogastroenterology Lecture on November 16th will be presented by Dr. Michael Camilleri from the Mayo Clinic, a true giant of motility.
Dr. Boom, Dr. Quigley, and the Underwood and Fondren Families
Rob Fondren, Dr. Marc Boom and Mrs. Elizabeth Blanton Wareing
Dr. Eamonn Quigley, Carol Fondren, Rob Fondren
Philip Abraham, Dr. Christopher Fan, Dr. Fergun Shanahan, Dr. Bincy Abraham
10th Anniversary Dinner
10th Anniversary Celebration
Dr. Eamonn Quigley and Dr. Marc Boom
Meanwhile, tremendous strides have been made in making Underwood a truly Houston Methodist-wide Center and much has already been achieved to promote excellence in the care of the patient across all Houston Methodist Institutions.
Most recently, five working groups tackled major issues identified through our mutual discussions and reported back at our latest retreat. Issues addressed included patient experience, community outreach and patient education, marketing, quality and data and membership value. A remarkable consensus emerged on what was important and achievable. The hard work of those who participated in these working groups resulted in the identification of actionable items that will now play a key role in our immediate plans. The engagement from physicians and administrators across the system has been wonderful to behold and augurs well for the future of the Underwood Center.
On to the next decade!
Eamonn M.M. Quigley, MD
David M. Underwood Chair of Medicine in Digestive Disorders
Co-Director, Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders
Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Houston Methodist Hospital
Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
Wade M. Rosenberg, MD
Co-Director, Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders
Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine
Dr. R. Mark Ghobrial became President of International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS) from 2023-2024.
Dr. Bincy Abraham received the HMAI Award for Excellence in Education for developing and leading a comprehensive gastroenterology fellowship program.
As Vice Chair of AASLD’s NAFLD Special Interest Group, Dr. Mazen Noureddin explains the new nomenclature MASLD (Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease) to replace non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Last month, our faculty had an impressive showing with 24 presentations at Digestive Disease Week, which is the world’s leading educational forum for academics, clinicians, and researchers in GI, hepatology, endoscopy, and gastrointestinal surgery. Drs. Eamonn Quigley and Mazen Noureddin shared some insights about their clinical symposium presentations:
Click here to watch the video
Click here to watch the video
Videos above feature faculty mentors Dr. Gulchin Ergun, Dr. Hemant Goyal (UT Health), Dr. Kalpesh Patel (BCM), and Dr. Thomas McCarty.
Photos from Digestive Disease Week 2023
Shanahan addresses "is my microbiome normal?"
Dr. Fergus Shanahan, professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine at University of College Cork, recently gave the Presidential Lecture in honor of a decade of success at the Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders at Houston Methodist and saluting the achievements and leadership of his longtime friend and collaborator Dr. Eamonn Quigley, Underwood Chair of Medicine in Digestive Disorders.
Dr. Shanahan welcomed questions in follow-up to his lecture and his most recent work. Questions and answers from Dr. Shanahan follow.
READ MORE
Microbiome and immune-cell network study will add insights into inflammatory bowel disease treatment
A new study will shed light on outcomes of bowel therapy and has implications for changes in the gut microbiota.
READ MORE
Lung transplant study shows robot use improves hiatal hernia surgery outcomes
In a study of 386 patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic hiatal hernia/GERD surgery, no difference was found in short-term outcomes between lung transplant and non-lung transplant patients.
READ MORE
Sleeve gastrectomy outcome found to be independent of physician preference items
In a major study presented nationally by the Houston Methodist Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders at Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), sleeve gastrectomy was found to have equally safe patient outcomes independent of physician technique and devices used.
READ MORE
Please click here for our full listing of clinical trials for IBD, GERD, liver and more. We invite current Underwood Center members to submit clinical studies to spotlight here in upcoming newsletters.
Surgical Management of Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma
Chan, EY, Ravi, V, Ali, A, Nguyen, DT, Graviss, EA, MacGillivray, TE & Reardon, MJ 2023, 'Surgical Management of Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma', Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 53-64. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.semtcvs.2021.10.013
Clinical Evaluation of Upadacitinib in the Treatment of Adults with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis (UC): Patient Selection and Reported Outcomes
Irani, M, Fan, C, Glassner, K & Abraham, BP 2023, 'Clinical Evaluation of Upadacitinib in the Treatment of Adults with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis (UC): Patient Selection and Reported Outcomes', Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology, vol. 16, pp. 21-28. https://doi.org/10.2147/CEG.S367086
Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Trial of Vibrating Capsule for Chronic Constipation
Rao, SSC, Quigley, EMM, Chey, WD, Sharma, A & Lembo, AJ 2023, 'Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Trial of Vibrating Capsule for Chronic Constipation', Gastroenterology, vol. 164, no. 7, pp. 1202-1210.e6. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2023.02.013
Combined liver transplantation and sleeve gastrectomy: Report of a brief-interval staged approach
Tariq, N, Saharia, A, Nwokedi, U, Hobeika, MJ, Mobley, CM, Hsu, D, Potter, LM, Moore, LW, Elaileh, A, Sherman, V & Ghobrial, RM 2023, 'Combined liver transplantation and sleeve gastrectomy: Report of a brief-interval staged approach', Liver Transplantation, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 422-430. https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.26560
Underwood Symposium 2023
Access the recording of our 8th Annual Underwood Symposium here. The latest evidence-based information on diagnostics, therapeutics and surgical techniques in digestive disorders is presented by our faculty. Special guests John Martinie, MD, gave a keynote talk regarding Atrium Health’s pathway to robotic Whipple’s, and Dr. Ikuo Hirano, MD, from Northwestern Medicine gave a 2023 update on eosinophilic esophagitis.
In the spirit of education, a hands-on workshop for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year GI fellows and surgery residents follows the didactic lectures. Dr. Sunil Dacha invited faculty from neighboring institutions to join us and provide learners the experience with advanced therapeutics endoscopic techniques and technology in the areas of mucosal ablation and resection, tissue closure, intraluminal stenting, gastroesophageal reflux treatments, and ERCP.
Congratulations to our graduating residents and fellows!
GI Fellows
Christopher Kim, MD Faculty, Houston Methodist
Michelle Jones-Pauley, DO Transplant Hepatology Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Zunirah Ahmed, MD Faculty, Kansas University Medical Center
Surgery Residents
Flavio Baio, MD
Abdominal Transplant Fellowship, Houston Methodist
David Detz, MD
Breast Surgery Fellowship, Moffitt Cancer Center
Ezra Koh, MD
Vascular Surgery Fellowship,
UT Houston
Shawn Purnell, MD Cardiothoracic Fellowship, Loyola
Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellow
Diana Panciera-Lane, DO Private Practice in Orlando, Florida
HMH
In May, the Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation team traveled to Rotterdam, Netherlands, for International Liver Transplantation Society’s Annual Congress.
HMB
In April, Dr. Rashid Khan directed a course titled “Fifth Annual Hepatology Update for Primary Care: A Practical Approach” aimed at bridging the gap between primary care and the latest advances and developments in the field of hepatology.
ANMS Annual Meeting
August 11-13 | Austin, TX
The American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society is an organization that was established in 1980 dedicated to the study of neurogastroenterology and gastrointestinal motility and functional GI disorders.
REGISTER HERE
Emerging Topics in Liver Disease Conference: Innovative Trends in Liver Health 2023
Saturday, August 12 | 7:30am – 5:05pm
HMRI Auditorium & Virtual
Course Director: Dr. Victor Ankoma-Sey
Presented by the Houston Methodist Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation
This CE activity has been designed to educate attendees about new developments in hepatology, and new approaches to management of liver diseases that can be readily integrated into their daily practice.
REGISTER HERE
TSGE 48th Annual Texas Meeting
September 15 - 17 | San Antonio, TX
Texas Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy (TSGE) is a statewide membership organization specifically dedicated to the issues and challenges facing gastroenterology in Texas today.
REGISTER HERE
AFS 2023 Annual Meeting
Sept 28 – Oct 1 | Dallas, TX
Join the only society where GI’s and Surgeons collaborate to personalize treatment and improve patient outcomes in foregut disease.
REGISTER HERE
ACG Annual Scientific Meeting & Postgraduate Course
October 20-25 | Vancouver, Canada
The 2023 ACG Annual Scientific Meeting & Postgraduate Course will convene in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from October 20 to 25, 2023. The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is a recognized leader in educating GI professionals and the general public about digestive disorders.
REGISTER HERE
ACS Clinical Congress 2023
October 22-26 | Boston, MA
Clinical Congress is the premier surgical education event of the year. Mark your calendars for October 22-26, 2023, in Boston to join us for the latest in clinical and non-clinical education, networking, and more.
REGISTER HERE
SAVE THE DATE
Dr. Michael Camilleri
from the Mayo Clinic
November 16 | HMRI Auditorium & Virtual
Ongoing Events
Digestive Disease Grand Rounds:
Multidisciplinary Case Conference
Every Friday at 7am
Led by: Dr. Alberto O. Barroso
Contact: Donna Ruddell (djruddell@houstonmethodist.org)
for the Teams link.
Monthly IBD Case Conference
Upcoming Meetings: August 4, Sept 1, October 6,
November 3, December 1
Led by: Dr. Bincy Abraham
Contact: Donna Ruddell (djruddell@houstonmethodist.org)
for the Teams link.
Medical Center Motility Meeting
1st Wednesday of the month at 5-6pm
Multi-institutional conference between MD Anderson, Houston Methodist, UT Health, Baylor College of Medicine
Contact: Carol Cox (ccox@mdanderson.org) for more information.
SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK
To be featured in the next newsletter, please submit news, events or a story to: underwoodcenter@houstonmethodist.org
If you have questions about membership, please contact: schui@houstonmethodist.org
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