Gi Insights

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Samir Shah, MD From new guideline recommendations to a concert featuring the American College of Gastroenterology’s official band, a lot is being done to help raise awareness of the importance of screening for colorectal cancer. So how can you help increase screening rates in your own community? Get inspired with these creative initiatives shared by Dr. Neil Nandi and Dr. Samir Shah, President of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Michelle Hughes, MD Over the past two decades, there has been an increasing need for GI hospitalists to help provide rapid access to care. Since then, GI hospitalists have become an important part to many healthcare systems and their approach to patient care. Joining Dr. Peter Buch to discuss the benefits and challenges that come along with the GI hospitalist role is Dr. Michelle Hughes, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Chief of Quality and Safety at Yale School of Medicine.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Amir E. Masoud, MD Gastroparesis affects approximately five million people in the United States alone, and there are more than 50 recognized causes. In recent years, however, it's been shown that simply accelerating gastric emptying may not improve symptoms, and the overlap of functional dyspepsia and gastroparesis has further clouded our understanding of this condition. So to help clear up some of that confusion, Dr. Peter Buch speaks with Dr. Amir Masoud about treatment strategies for gastroparesis.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Karen Krok, MD, FAASLD While hepatologists can help gastroenterologists manage the pulmonary manifestations that may occur in our patients with chronic liver disease, it’s still important for gastroenterologists to know what they should be on the lookout for so that patients can receive timely and appropriate treatment. Additionally, gastroenterologists need to consider the potential impacts of those pulmonary manifestations on transplant outcomes. Joining Dr. Neil Nandi to discuss those and other key considerations gastroenterologists need to know is Dr. Karen Krok from Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Nitin K. Ahuja, MD The symptoms of early satiety, chronic nausea, and even vomiting can be physically and emotionally challenging for the gastroparesis patient. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the journey from diagnosis to treatment is often daunting and frustrating. So to help us combat these challenges, Dr. Neil Nandi speaks with Dr. Nitin Ahuja, who walks us through the ins and outs of diagnosing and managing gastroparesis.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Nicholas Shaheen, MD, MPH How do we determine which of our patients with Barrett's esophagus with dysplasia are good candidates for ablation therapy, and what’s the role of the gastroenterologist in serving patients who've already received post-ablative therapy? Joining Dr. Neil Nandi to answer those and other key questions is Dr. Nicholas Shaheen, who was the primary investigator of one of the largest multicenter studies of radiofrequency ablation.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Donna Cipolla, MD Microscopic colitis can have a variety of symptoms ranging from very mild to debilitating. Fortunately, there are several treatment options and strategies available that can help you alleviate your patient’s symptoms. Joining Dr. Peter Buch to share those options and strategies is Dr. Donna Cipolla.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Monica Schwartzman, MD, MS It's currently estimated that 50 percent of IBD patients experience some form of joint stiffness, otherwise known as arthralgia. With so many patients being affected, how can you determine if it’s inflammatory or noninflammatory arthralgia and treat it appropriately? To find out, Dr. Neil Nandi speaks with Dr. Monica Schwartzman, assistant attending physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Together, they’ll discuss the screening tools gastroenterologists can use to differentiate the types of arthralgia in their patients as well as key management approaches.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Jonathan Leighton, MD If you suspect your patient might have small bowel bleeding despite a massive workup, what evaluation tools are at your disposal to help you find out for sure? Tune in to hear Dr. Peter Buch explore the available tools—and their inherent challenges to be aware of—with Dr. Jonathan Leighton, one of the nation’s leading experts on small bowel bleeding.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Naga Chalasani, MD Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) continues to be one of the leading causes of acute liver failure, and its prevalence is only increasing. That’s why Dr. Peter Buch speaks with leading expert Dr. Naga Chalasani, who talks about everything we need to know about DILI—from its phenotypes to common symptoms to look for in patients.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD, FACP Guest: Sergio Schwartzman, MD Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has long been associated with the development of arthritis, which can be detected in up to 30 percent of IBD patients. So how can gastroenterologists and rheumatologists work together to detect and manage IBD-associated arthritis? To find out, Dr. Neil Nandi speaks with rheumatologist Dr. Sergio Schwartzman about IBD-associated arthritis.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Susan Kais, MD Many IBD clinicians and patients talk about diet, but not many conversations happen about fitness. Based on the latest research, exercise may be one therapeutic tool in our kit that remains unexploited. That’s why IBD specialist Dr. Susan Kais joins Dr. Neil Nandi to walk us through key findings and how we can prescribe fitness for our IBD patients.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH Screening for colorectal cancer is unique because there are several screening options available. So how can we balance the latest ACG Clinical Guidelines with patient preferences, cultural context, and insurance coverage to find the best screening option for our patients? Joining Dr. Peter Buch to discuss the updated recommendations is Dr. Aasma Shaukat, lead author of the 2021 ACG Clinical Guidelines for colorectal cancer screening.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Gary Falk, MD Once we’ve diagnosed a patient with Barrett’s esophagus, strict surveillance is necessary to help prevent the development esophageal cancer. But what do surveillance strategies look like according to the latest guidelines? Joining Dr. Neil Nandi to share how we can best maximize surveillance guidelines for Barrett's esophagus and apply some of the evolving technologies that are helping us do just that is Dr. Gary Falk, Director of the Esophagology and Swallowing Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Gary Falk, MD Since patients with chronic GERD may develop Barrett’s esophagus, screening and prevention are both critical. But who should we screen, and how do we screen? Joining Dr. Neil Nandi to answer those and other questions to help us better screen chronic GERD patients for Barrett’s esophagus is Dr. Gary Falk, Director of the Esophagology and Swallowing Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Jason Schairer, MD How can we make the differentiation between pouchitis and cuffitis to provide the best possible care? And once we accurately identify and treat pouchitis, how can we manage surgical complications that may arise? Tune in to hear Dr. Jason Schairer from the Henry Ford Health System in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology discuss these FAQs with Dr. Neil Nandi.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Jason Schairer, MD For a significant portion of our patients, pouchitis can be a frustrating and trying condition plagued with urgent diarrhea, incontinence, and even complications of fistula and stricture. Fortunately, a group of clinicians have gathered together to develop consensus guidelines on the endoscopic evaluation and clinical management of pouchitis and its potential complications. And who better to give us an in-depth review of the new guidelines than Dr. Jason Schairer, one of the authors of the guidelines.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE An ongoing question for clinicians and patients alike is how diet can impact IBD treatment and management. Here to discuss this topic with Dr. Neil Nandi is Dr. James Lewis of the University of Pennsylvania IBD Center. Dr. Lewis recently conducted a clinical randomized trial that compared the impact of two diets on patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease symptoms, and now, Drs. Nandi and Lewis are diving into this study, the reasoning behind it, and its outcomes.

Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD Guest: Jordan E. Axelrad, MD, MPH Many IBD patients and clinicians shy away from the topic of sexual health—and understandably so. Talking about sex in the clinic sadly remains a taboo, and there’s not many research studies exploring IBD and sexual health to use for guidance. But sexuality and intimacy are vital matters to discuss with our patients, which is why Dr. Jordan Axelrad joins Dr. Neil Nandi to share how we can facilitate an open and honest conversation with patients about their sexual health.

Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP Guest: Amanda Ayers, MD, FACS Many patients undergo surgery to help manage their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but many questions still surround the surgical management of IBD. When should a patient receive surgery? How do we know which procedure is best? And what do we need to keep in mind before, during, and after a patient's surgery? Joining Dr. Peter Buch to help address those and other questions is colorectal surgeon Dr. Amanda Ayers.