News & Events

Gastroenterology Showcases Expertise at DDW

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

The Gastroenterology & Hepatology division recently had great success presenting their work and delivering presentations at the annual Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) conference. This gathering saw thousands of professionals convene in Washington D.C. in late May to share their insights, research, and best practices.

Truptesh Kothari, MD, MS, said “DDW 2024 is considered one of the largest meetings attended in the world of Gastroenterology. It provides a great platform for new technology, tools, and endoscopic skills.

“I had the opportunity to represent URMC at the conference. I had the opportunity to give three lectures on various topics, including complex polypectomy, therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound, and ERCP in altered anatomy. Shivangi Kothari, MD, Vivek Kaul, MD, and I participated in a multi-center study which was selected for oral presentation at the meeting. I was selected as vice-chair for the special interest group in Endoscopic Ultrasound for 2024-26 by the current president of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), and we had a welcome meeting for the same.

“We continue to thrive for academic success by participating and representing our division of GI and the University at such large-scale national meetings like DDW.”

Presenters and their Works (in alphabetical order)

Tanya Bruckel, MD

• Moderating Poster Tour: Advancing Clinical Practice: GI Fellow Directed Quality Improvement Projects
• Poster: Small Education Grants have an Outsized Impact for AGA Members
• Presentation: AGA Academy of Educators Plenary. What is coaching?

Arthur DeCross, MD

• Board Review Presentation: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Ahmed Dirweesh, MBBS

• Panelist: Metabolic Surgery – 9th Annual Association of Bariatric Endoscopy Course
• Moderator: Hands-on bariatrics workshop – Association of Bariatric Endoscopy

Sarah Enslin, PA

• Presentation: Optimizing the Role of the APP - Onboarding to Continuing Professional Development

Alexandra France, MD

• Presentation: AGA Post Grad Course Lunch Case Based Breakout Session – Precision Nutrition for the IBD Patient
• Poster: Identifying Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Adenoma Detection Rate (with Bruckel)

Vivek Kaul, MD

• Moderator: ASGE Clinical Symposium: Stump the Stars (Pancreaticobiliary) - Can Todd Baron Pass His Boards?
• Poster: Evaluation of a Novel Multi-needle Endoscopic Ultrasound Sampling Device in a Porcine Model: A Comparative Study with Standard Fine Needle Biopsy
• Lecture: AGA Technologies and Procedural Innovation Session: How Can Endoscopic Outcomes and Quality be Improved?

Shivangi Kothari, MD

• Postgraduate Course: Immediate Post – Endoscopic Management of Colonic Perforation: What to do When the Patient Hits Recovery *Case-Based/Video
• Poster: Outcomes of Colon Stents as a Bridging Intervention to Emergency Surgery for Malignant Colorectal Obstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• Lecture: EUS for Acute Cholecystitis: The New Standard of Care

Truptesh Kothari, MD, MS

• Presentation: Safety and Efficacy of Prevention of GI Bleeding After EMR – ESD: A Multicenter North American Experience (with S. Kothari and Kaul)
• Lecture: Management of Complex Polyps - Pearls in Complex Polypectomy – To Do or Not To Do
• Lecture: ASGE Learning Center, Knowledge Plus Theater - ERCP in Altered Anatomy
• Lecture: ASGE Learning Center, Knowledge Plus Theater - Tips and Tricks in Therapeutic EUS

Danielle Marino, MD

• Poster: Multidisciplinary Educational Intervention Regarding Inpatient Bowel Preparation Reduces Delayed and Cancelled Procedures (with France and Bruckel)
• Moderator: Moderating board review course

Brandon Sprung, MD

• Board Review Presentation: Chapter 9 - Diarrhea and Constipation

Kaul Appointed as Secretary General of the WGO

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Vivek Kaul, MD, professor of Medicine, was elected by the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) Governing Council as its new secretary general, where he will also serve on the Executive & Finance committees.

The WGO is a global federation of 119 countries and their leading GI societies, and has active collaborations in place with the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). The WGO represents over 60,000 members worldwide. Established in 1958, the WGO is the leading international organization for Gastroenterology & Hepatology related education, training, and clinical practice guidance. Through its 24 international training centers, journal and guideline documents, the World congresses and the highly acclaimed TTT (Train the Trainer) workshops, the WGO serves its missions in close collaboration with national societies globally.

Prior to his current appointment, Kaul served as the immediate past chair of the WGO Endoscopy committee and also co-founded the Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program (ELMP) that pairs renowned mentors worldwide with interested mentees (especially from low resource environments) for their professional development. Kaul also serves on the WGO climate change working group and is a member of the WGO “Green Endoscopy” task force.

“I am very excited, honored, and humbled to represent URMC, NY, and the USA in this role. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to help increase our global engagement, visibility, and footprint. I look forward to partnering with University leadership to further our international missions,” Kaul said.

His four-year term began on January 1, 2024, and during this time Kaul will serve as a WGO liaison to international GI societies and work closely with the WGO president Geoffrey Metz (Australia) and president-elect Carolina Olano (Uruguay) to help develop future strategy across all missions of this organization.