Faculty and trainees in Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology show up in full force at Digestive Disease Week
The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology within the Department of Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine was recognized and well represented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW), a scientific conference for gastroenterology and digestive disorders, held in San Diego, California, from May 21-24, 2022.
DDW, according to the event website, is an annual worldwide gathering of professionals in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
In addition to a wide variety of poster presentations featuring their gastroenterological research, multiple division faculty and trainees shared oral research presentations and also oversaw research or educational sessions at the conference.
Blaine Prichard, left, and Nathan Morris, right – who both led oral presentations at Digestive Disease Week – stand beside Dr. Meghali Nighot, center, assistant professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine, during the conference.
Members of the laboratories of Dr. Thomas Ma, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, Dr. Prashant Nighot and Dr. Iryna Pinchuk, both associate professors of medicine, were invited to present multiple research talks during DDW.
Additionally, Dr. John Levenick, associate professor of medicine, Dr. Jennifer Maranki, professor of medicine, Dr. Matthew Moyer, professor of medicine, and Dr. Jonathan Stine, associate professor of medicine and public health sciences, were invited to participate on the panels of several scientific or educational sessions.
Trainees within the division were also recognized for their research work at DDW, including gastroenterology fellows Dr. Nauroz Syed and Dr. Ibrahim Yaghnam.
“Congratulations to our wonderful gastroenterology and hepatology faculty and fellows for an impressive display of our research at DDW 2022. Our colorectal surgical partners also made us proud,” said Dr. Kofi Clarke, division chief and professor of medicine. “It is especially impressive to see the spectrum of work, from basic science research to translational research, as well as the excellent mentorship that resulted in great work by our medical students. I am humbled and, at the same time, very proud of the privilege to lead such an amazing team. Well done.”
See below for a complete list of the DDW activities and recognitions involving members and trainees in the division. Penn State University and/or Penn State Health-affiliated individuals appear in bold text.
- RD4-MK2 signaling: target for Crohn’s disease-associated fibrosis
Session Type: Research Forum
Session Title: Bowel Damage and Regeneration in IBD
Presentation Title: BRD4-MK2 SIGNALING: TARGET FOR CROHN’S DISEASE-ASSOCIATED FIBROSIS
Marina Chulkina, Steven McAninch, Sinisa Dovat, Walter Koltun, Gregory Yochum, Bing Tian, Jia Zhou, Ellen J. Beswick, Allan R. Brasier, Iryna Pinchuk - Session Title: IBD: Natural History, Environmental Exposures, and Outcomes
Polysubstance Use in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is Associated with Increased Risk of Emergency Department Visits: A Longitudinal Study (3700477).
Kaleb Bogale, Izabela Zubrzycka, August Stuart, Mélissa Césaire, Vonn Walter, Nana Bernasko, Andrew Tinsley, Emmanuelle Williams, Kofi Clarke, Matthew Coates - Session Title: IBD: Quality of Life and Psychosocial Care
Abdominal Pain is Associated with Increased Risk of Healthcare Utilization in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (3700729).
Session Title: IBD: Quality of Life and Psychosocial Care
Kaleb Bogale, Izabela Zubrzycka, August Stuart, Mélissa Césaire, Vonn Walter, Nana Bernasko, Andrew Tinsley, Emmanuelle Williams, Kofi Clarke, Matthew Coates - Session Title: Oropharyngeal and Esophageal Motility Disorders
Session Sponsor: AGA
Poster Presentation Title: ASSESSMENT OF CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH ESOPHAGOGASTRIC JUNCTION OUTFLOW OBSTRUCTION (EGJOO) COMPARED TO THOSE WITH NORMAL ESOPHAGEAL MANOMETRY AT 6 MONTHS AFTER DIAGNOSIS.
Zachary Pattison - Session Type: Poster Session
Session Title: Varices and Bleeding
Presentation Title: PROVIDER PERCEPTIONS OF FRESH FROZEN PLASMA TRANSFUSION IN VARICEAL BLEEDING LAG BEHIND CURRENT EVIDENCE AND VARY ACROSS CLINICAL SPECIALTIES
Jonathan Stine - Session Title: Thinking Outside the Box: Gall Bladder Drainage – EUS or ERCP?
Session Type: Topic forum
CONSENSUS-BASED DEVELOPMENT OF A CAUSAL ATTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR POST-ERCP ADVERSE EVENTS
Jennifer Maranki
- Session Type: Topic forum (oral presentation)
Session Title: Fellow Developed Best Case Reports for Advanced Luminal Gastroenterology
Presentation Title: LYNCH SYNDROME AFFECTING THE ESOPHAGUS?: A CASE OF A POLYPOID LESION ARISING FROM AN ESOPHAGEAL GASTRIC INLET PATCH
Christopher Soriano, John Levenick, Carolyn Bundschuh - Medscape Live Town Hall on Ulcerative Colitis:
Title: PATIENT-CENTERED MANAGEMENT OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS: THE URGENT PATIENT NEED EXPERT FACULTY:
Maria T. Abreu, MD
Nana E. Bernasko, CRNP, WHNP-BC, DNP
Russell D. Cohen, MD, FACG, AGAF
Ryan Ungaro, MD, MS - Main Session: Recent Advances in Regulation of Gut barrier integrity, Inflammation and Repair
LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS PREVENTS TNF-α INDUCED INCREASE IN MOUSE INTESTINAL TIGHT JUNCTION PERMEABILITY BY TLR-2-DEPENDENT INHIBITION OF NF-κB SIGNALING PATHWAY
Mohammad Haque - Session Type: Research forum (oral presentation)
Presentation Title: PPI ADMINISTRATION INDUCED COLONIC TIGHT JUNCTION BARRIER DYSFUNCTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASE IN PH, MLCK AND ENETROCOCCUS FECALIS.
Session Title: Recent Advances in Regulation of Gut barrier integrity, Inflammation and Repair
Authors: Nathan Morris, Ashwinkumar Ganapathy, Kushal Saha, Kofi Clarke, Prashant Nighot, Thomas Ma and Meghali Nighot
Presenter: Nathan Morris - Session Type: Plenary session (oral presentation)
Presentation Title: PROTON PUMP INHIBITOR USE IN PATIENTS WITH CIRRHOSIS DUE TO NON-ALCOHOLIC STETOHEPATITIS, HEPATITIS C AND AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECOMPENSATION EVENTS, SEPSIS, AND MORTALITY AS IN ALCOHOL-ASSOCIATED LIVER DISEASE
Session Title: Liver & Biliary (LB) Section Distinguished Abstract Plenary
Authors: Blaine Prichard, Shannon Dalessio, Thomas Ma, Alison Faust and Meghali Nighot
Presenter: Blaine Prichard - Session Type: Clinical symposium (oral presentation)
Presentation Title: Endoscopic Ablation and Injection Therapies
Session Title: Management of Pancreatic Solid and Cystic Lesions
Presenter: Matthew Moyer - Session Title: ASGE Annual Postgraduate Course Endoscopy 2022: Breakthrough To Excellence – Session 2
Session Type: Postgraduate Course
Panel Discussion with Video Cases
Panelist: Jennifer Maranki - Session Title: Molecular Mechanisms of Growth and Development of the GI Tract, Liver and Pancreas
Session Sponsor: AGA
Poster Presentation Title: MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE (MMP-9) INDUCED INCREASE IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL TIGHT JUNCTION BARRIER IS MEDIATED BY EGFR ACTIVATION
Rana Al-Sadi - Increase in MK2 activity in Crohn’s disease: Role in the inflammatory activation of fibroblasts
Session Type: Research forum
Session Title: Intestinal Inflammation, Fibrosis and Regeneration
Presentation Title: INCREASE IN MK2 ACTIVITY IN CROHN’S DISEASE: ROLE IN THE INFLAMMATORY ACTIVATION OF FIBROBLASTS
Marina Chulkina, Steven McAninch, Melanie Ehudin, Sinisa Dovat, Walter Koltun, Gregory Yochum, John Valentine, Ellen Beswick, Iryna Pinchuk
- Session Title: ERCP 201: Therapeutics
Session Type: Clinical symposium
Jennifer Maranki - Main Session: Epigenetic and Post Transcriptional Regulation of Intestinal Transport Processes
POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF INTESTINAL TIGHT JUNCTION BARRIER: ROLE OF MICRO-RNA
Thomas Ma
- Session Type: Research forum
Session Title: Novel Mechanisms of Regulation of Epithelial Homeostasis and Barrier Function
Presentation Title: AP2M1 AND LC3 LIPIDATION GUIDES CLAUDIN-2 INTO AUTOLYSOSOME
Ashwinkumar Ganapathy, Kushal Saha, Alexandra Wang, Gregory Yochum, Walter Koltun, Meghali Nighot, Thomas Ma and Prashant Nighot - Session Type: Research forum
Session Title: Novel Mechanisms of Regulation of Epithelial Homeostasis and Barrier Function
Presentation Title: AUTOPHAGY ENHANCES INTESTINAL TIGHT JUNCTION BARRIER BY INCREASING THE LEVELS AND MEMBRANE LOCALIZATION OF OCCLUDIN, AND PROTECTS AGAINST INFLAMMATION INDUCED BARRIER LOSS, IN-VIVO.
Kushal Saha, Ashwinkumar Ganapathy, Alexandra Wang, Nathan Morris, Gregory Yochum, Walter Koltun, Meghali Nighot, Thomas Ma and Prashant Nighot
- Session Type: Research forum
Session Title: Novel Mechanisms of Regulation of Epithelial Homeostasis and Barrier Function
Presentation Title: LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS ENHANCEMENT OF INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL TIGHT JUNCTION BARRIER IS MEDIATED BY A TLR2-DEPENDENT INCREASE IN NOD1 EXPRESSION AND LOCALIZATION
Lauren Kaminsky
- Presentation: COMPARISON OF CAP-ASSISTED ENDOSCOPIC MUCOSAL RESECTION AND ENDOSCOPIC SUBMUCOSAL DISSECTION FOR REMOVAL OF NON-LIFTING OR ADHERENT COLORECTAL POLYPS: A SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE
Session: Colon and Rectum III
Session Type: Poster session
Scott Douglas, Niranjani Venkateswaran, Matthew Moyer
- Session Title: 2022 AGA Board Review Course
Session Type: Board review course
Presentation Title: METABOLIC, HEREDITARY, INFLAMMATORY, AND VASCULAR DISEASES OF THE LIVER
Jonathan Stine - Co-moderator session:
DDW 2022 Session: Efficiencies and Safety in Clinical Practice
John Levenick - Session Title: CONTROVERSIES AND CHALLENGES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PORTAL HYPERTENSION
Session Moderators: Moderator Karen Krok, Moderator (2) Mark Russo
Presentation Title: PORTAL VEIN THROMBOSIS – WHEN TO OBSERVE, ANTICOAGULATE AND TREAT WITH TRANSPLENIC TIPS
Jonathan Stine - Session Type: Plenary session
Session Title: ASGE Video Plenary – Session 1
Presentation Title: ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF BILIARY INTRADUCTAL PAPILLARY MUCINOUS NEOPLASM: TIPS AND TRICKS LEARNED DURING MULTIPLE TREATMENTS OF A DIFFICULT CASE.
Nauroz Syed, Ibrahim Yaghnam, Jennifer Maranki, Hadie Razjouyan, June Peng, Matthew Moyer
- Session Type: Poster session
Session Title: NAFLD and NASH Experimental: Clinical
Presentation Title: SERUM FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR 21 IS MARKEDLY DECREASED FOLLOWING EXERCISE TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH BIOPSY PROVEN NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS
Jonathan Stine
- Session Title: Epithelial Junctions and Barrier Function
Session Sponsor: AGA
Poster Presentation Title: BIFIDOBACTERIUM BIFIDUM CAUSES AN ENHANCEMENT OF INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL TIGHT JUNCTION BARRIER BY A NOVEL MECHANISM INVOLVING PEROXISOME PROLIFERATION-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR GAMMA (PPAR-γ)
Presenter: Raz Abdulqadir
Izabela Zubrzycka poses with her research group’s poster, “Abdominal Pain is Associated with Increased Risk of Healthcare Utilization in Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” that was presented at Digestive Disease Week.
Kaleb Bogale presented “Polysubstance Use in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is Associated with Increased Risk of Emergency Department Visits: A Longitudinal Study” during Digestive Disease Week in San Diego, California.
Dr. Matthew Moyer, far right, professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine, gathers with fellow attendees of the Digestive Disease Week conference in San Diego, California, which ran from May 21-24, 2022.
Dr. Prashant Nighot, third from left, and Dr. Meghali Nighot, sixth from left, Penn State College of Medicine faculty members and researchers, gather with Dr. Pradeep Dudeja’s lab group from the University of Illinois Chicago, during Digestive Disease Week, held in San Diego, California, from May 21-24, 2022.
Dr. Ashwinkumar Subramenium Ganapathy, left, Dr. Prashant Nighot and Kushal Saha stand before a projector screen featuring their presentation at Digestive Disease Week. Ganapathy and Saha are members of Nighot’s research lab team at Penn State College of Medicine.
Nathan Morris and Dr. Meghali Nighot stand beside the American Gastroenterological Association’s displays at Digestive Disease Week in San Diego, California.
Izabela Zubrzycka, left, Dr. Matthew Coates and Kaleb Bogale stand in front of their poster, “Abdominal Pain is Associated with Increased Risk of Healthcare Utilization in Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” that was presented during Digestive Disease Week.
Dr. Lauren Kaminsky, allergy and immunology fellow, presents during a research forum at Digestive Disease Week.
Jessica Engers, far left, research technologist, and Dr. Rana Al-Sadi, third from left, assistant professor of medicine, discuss their research poster with several attendees of Digestive Disease Week.
Mohammad Haque, research associate, shares his presentation on recent advances in regulation of gut barrier integrity, inflammation and repair during Digestive Disease Week.
Dr. Raz Abdulqadir, right, gastroenterology fellow, discusses her research poster on epithelial junctions and barrier function during Digestive Disease Week in San Diego, California.
Dr. Mark Bundschuh, gastroenterology fellow, presents during Digestive Disease Week.
Learn more about gastroenterology and hepatology research at Penn State College of Medicine here
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