News & Events

Department of Medicine Has Strong Presence at Two Gastroenterology Meetings

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

A large group made up of faculty, APPs, and residents gave multiple presentations and earned several awards at two national meetings this fall. In late October, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) held its Annual Scientific Meeting in Charlotte, NC. In early November, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) held the annual Liver Meeting in Washington, DC, the largest international liver conference with almost 12 thousand attendees.

Here are some of the URMC highlights at the two meetings.

ACG Annual Scientific Meeting

Vivek Kaul, M.D., professor of Medicine, was a featured presenter. You can view his ACG 2022 speaker profile here. He led two sessions of the Hands-on Workshop – ERCP, and was a speaker of “Symposium: Artificial Intelligence in Gastroenterology and Endoscopy” and the sole speaker of “Current Applications of AI in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.” 

Poster Presenters

*Please note: Presenting authors are listed. Each poster has additional authors and/or a faculty mentor who contributed to the project. 

• Smith Agyingi, M.D., Internal Medicine resident
  • Role of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Diagnosis of Upper GI Bleed Secondary to Aorto-Esophageal Fistula
• Andrew Brown, M.D., Gastroenterology fellow
  • A Tale of Three Stomas: A Challenging Case of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Michelle D’Souza, M.D., Gastroenterology fellow
  • Clinically Significant Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding Post Esophagogastroduodenoscopy Cold Biopsy: A Rare Case Report
• Sarah Enslin, PA-C, Co-lead APP for the division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
  • Endoscopic Management of Esophageal Cancer in a Patient with Decompensated Cirrhosis: The Importance of Multidisciplinary Collaboration and Peri-Procedure Planning in Complex Clinical Scenarios
  • Metastatic, Poorly-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Esophagus: Case Report and Literature Review of a “Rare Rarity”!
• Timothy Lee, Jr., M.D., senior instructor from the division of Hospital Medicine
  • Rare Presentations of Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma to GI Tract: A Case Series Highlighting Key Principles of Endoscopy in the Cancer Patient
    ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter Award Winner
• Monica Patel, M.D., M.B.A., Internal Medicine resident
  • Beta-Blockers Protective of Decompensated Congestive Heart Failure (dCHF) in Patients with Cirrhosis After Transjugular Intrahepatic Shunt (TIPSS)
  • Lead presenter: Minh Nguyen, M.D., former IM resident, now a fellow at University of Connecticut Health Center
    Presidential Poster Award Winner
• Abigail Schubach, M.D., M.S., Internal Medicine resident
  • A Novel Approach to Obtaining Tissue in a Difficult to Access Indeterminate Biliary Stricture: Percutaneous Cholangioscopy and Biopsy
    ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter Award, and Presidential Poster Award Winner
  • Diaphragm Disease: A Crohn's Mimicker?
    Presidential Poster Award Winner

AASLD: The Liver Meeting

• Bandar Al-Judaibi, M.B.B.S., associate professor of Medicine, was a featured presenter. You can view his AASLD speaker profile here, and view his session information on “AASLD / ILTS Multidisciplinary care in Liver Transplantation. PART 1: Transplant Oncology.”
• Monica Patel, M.D., M.B.A., and former Internal Medicine resident Minh Nguyen, M.D., presented their poster abstract for “Predictors of Heart Failure Decompensation in Cirrhotic Patients After Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPSS).”

APPs from the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology Develop Online Education Series

Friday, November 4, 2022

A large group of advanced practice providers (APPs) from URMC were invited by the APP Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) to participate in a national education project which was completed in October 2022.

Our APPs, along with other APP and ACG committee members, developed an online GI Education Series consisting of 11 modules, covering both organ systems and disease states in gastroenterology and hepatology. The course is geared toward APPs who are new to practice, or new to GI. 

Presentations were developed by:

Sarah Enslin, PA-C: 

• Anatomy and Physiology: Pancreas, Gallbladder, and Liver Anatomy in Relation to Biliary Ducts 
• Essentials of an Inpatient GI Consult Note

Victoria Howard, PA-C: Dysphagia and Odynophagia

Michael Colicchio, PA-C: Gastric Cancer

Jessica D'Acquisto, NP: Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Elise Bauman, MSN, BSN, BA, AGPCNP-BC, RN: Non-HCC Liver Masses

Katherine Rinehart BS/MS, PA-C: Autoimmune Hepatitis 

Carol Lustig, MS, RN, ANP-BC, ACGN: Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancer Syndromes

Renee Robinson, DNP, FNP-C: Anesthesia and Sedation 

Mary Robinson, NP: Management of Diverticulitis: When to Refer to Surgery

*Margaret Mannellino, MS, RN, FNP-C: Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR)

*Ariana Aliasso, PA-C: Lower GI Bleeding 

*Formerly of URMC

Gastroenterology Division Raises Colon Cancer Awareness, Participates in Strollin' for the Colon

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Danielle Marino, M.D., spoke to Spectrum News at the 11th Annual Strollin' for the Colon 5K, a fundraiser that promotes colon cancer awareness and prevention. "Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States and that’s really a shame because it's largely preventable," said Marino, who is the medical director of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy at UR Medicine Sawgrass. Marino and event organizers encourage people to get regular screenings as part of preventive care.

Shivangi Kothari Appointed to Board of Governors of the ACG

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Starting in October 2022, Shivangi Kothari, M.D., from the division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, will take her place as governor of Northern New York for the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). She will serve a three-year term along with 76 other governors, 67 of whom are US based, and ten internationals.

The ACG is an international organization of medical professionals focused on enhancing patient care, education, advocacy, and research for digestive disorders. The organization has more than 16,000 members worldwide.

As governor, Kothari will represent all members of our region and play a role in recruiting new members. She will provide two-way communication between the ACG and its members, which will inform her actions while attending the board of governor’s meetings several times a year. With a focus on education, she will have a hand in encouraging local postgraduate programs in gastroenterology. Kothari will have the ability to advise the ACG on the effectiveness of current programs, as well as suggest new programs, and work with the ACG and Washington DC for various bills that can benefit the patients in our region.

“I’m excited about this role as this gives me the opportunity to continue building the bridge created by our prior governors between our GI community and the ACG. I can help facilitate and advance the mission of ACG in serving its members’ needs and reflect our vision to the ACG to help optimize patient care in the region. Addressing the educational needs and advocating for ACG members and enhancing patient care are my priority for the term I serve as the ACG Governor for Northern New York.”