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GI Doc Empowers Female Patients ‘To Be Themselves’
Pooja Singhal, MD, AGAF, will never forget the time a female patient came in for gastroesophageal reflux disease and dysphagia treatment, revealing that she had already gone through multiple gastroenterologists to help diagnose and treat her ailments.
“We spent a whole visit talking about it,” said Dr. Singhal, a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and obesity medicine specialist at Oklahoma Gastro Health and Wellness in Oklahoma City. During the exam, she discovered that her middle-aged patient was wearing an adult diaper for diarrhea and leakage.
Previous GI doctors told the patient they couldn’t help her and that she had to live with these symptoms. “I was just so shocked. I told her: This is not normal. Let’s talk more about it. Let’s figure out how we can manage it,” said Dr. Singhal, who has spent her career advocating for more education about GI conditions.
There are real barriers to patients opening up and sharing their symptoms, especially if they’re female. while ensuring that the correct knowledge gets across to the public, said Dr. Singhal.
An alumna of the American Gastroenterological Association’s (AGA) Future Leaders Program, Dr. Singhal has served as the private practice course director for AGA’s Midwest Women in GI Workshop. She is a also a four-time recipient of the SCOPY award for her work in raising community awareness of colorectal cancer prevention in Oklahoma. In an interview, she discussed the critical role women GI doctors play in assisting the unique needs of female patients, and why it takes a village of doctors to treat the complexities of GI disorders.
Why did you choose GI, and more specifically, what brought about your interest in women’s GI issues?
GI is simply the best field. While I was doing my rotation in GI as a resident, I was enthralled and humbled that the field of gastroenterology offered an opportunity to prevent cancer. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths, and when I realized that we could do these micro-interventions during a procedure to remove polyps that could potentially turn into cancer — or give us an opportunity to remove carcinoma in situ — that’s what really inspired me and piqued my interest in GI. As I continued to learn and explore GI more, I appreciated the opportunity the field gave us in terms of using both sides of our brains equally, the right side and the left side.
I love the diagnostic part of medicine. You have this privilege to be able to diagnose so many different diseases and perform procedures using technical skills, exploring everything from the esophagus, liver, pancreas, small bowel, and colon.
But what I really appreciate about gastroenterology is how it’s piqued my interest in women’s digestive health. How it became very close to my heart is really from my patients. I’ve learned a lot from my patients throughout the years. When I was much younger, I don’t know if I really appreciated the vulnerability it takes as a woman to go to a physician and talk about hemorrhoids and diarrhea.
One of the comments I often receive is: ‘Oh, thank God you’re a female GI. I can be myself. I can share something personal and you would understand.’
Your practice places a specific emphasis on health and wellness. Can you provide some examples of how you incorporate wellness into treatment?
I feel like wellness is very commonplace now. To me, the definition of wellness is about practicing healthy habits to attain your maximum potential, both physically and mentally — to feel the best you can. My practice specifically tries to achieve that goal by placing a strong emphasis on education and communication. We provide journals where patients can keep track of their symptoms. We encourage a lot of discussion during visits, where we talk about GI diseases and how to prevent them, or to prevent them from happening again. If you’re going to do a hemorrhoid treatment that offers hemorrhoid banding, we talk about it in detail with the patient; we don’t just do the procedure.
We have a dietitian on staff for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, IBS. Some of our older patients have pelvic organ prolapse and fecal incontinence. We have a pelvic floor therapist and a urogynecologist, and we work very closely with ob-gyn teams. My practice also takes pride in communicating with primary care physicians. We’ve had patients who have had memory loss or dementia or are grieving the loss of a loved one. And we prioritize communicating and treating patients as a whole and not focusing on just their GI symptoms.
As an advocate for community education on GI disorders, where is education lacking in this field?
I think education is lacking because there is an information delivery gap. I feel the public consumes information in the form of short social media reels. The attention span is so short and any scientific information, especially around diseases, can be scary and overwhelming. Whereas I think a lot of the medical community still interacts and exchanges information in terms of journals and publications. So, we are not really trained necessarily to talk about diseases in very simple terms.
We need more advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. AGA has been good about doing advocacy work. I had an opportunity to go to Capitol Hill a couple of times and really advocate for policy around obesity medicine coverage and procedure coverage. I was fortunate to learn so much about healthcare policy, but it also made me appreciate that there are a lot of gaps in terms of understanding common medical diseases.
You’re trained in the Orbera Intragastric balloon system for weight reduction. How does this procedure differentiate from other bariatric procedures?
Intragastric balloon is Food and Drug Administration approved for weight loss. It’s a temporary medical device, so it’s reversible. No. 2, it’s a nonsurgical intervention, so it’s usually done in an outpatient setting. We basically place a deflated gastric balloon endoscopically, similar to an upper endoscopy method. We take a pin endoscope, a deflated balloon, which is made of medical-grade material, and we inflate it with adequate fluid. The concept is when the balloon is inflated, it provides satiety. It reduces the amount of space in the stomach for food. It slows down how quickly the food is going to leave. So you feel full much of the time. And it also helps decrease a hormone called ghrelin, which is responsible for hunger. It can make a big difference when people are gaining weight and in that category of overweight before they progress to obese.
As I tell everybody, obesity is a chronic lifelong disease that is very complex and requires lifelong efforts. So, it’s truly a journey. What’s made this procedure a success is follow-up and the continued efforts of dietitians and counseling and incorporating physical exercise, because maintenance of that weight loss is also very important. Our goal is always sustained weight loss and not just short-term weight loss.
As the practice course director for the AGA’s Midwest Women in GI Workshop, can you tell me how this course came about? What does the workshop cover?
This workshop is a brainchild of AGA. This will be the third year of having these workshops. It’s been divided into regional workshops, so more people can attend. But it arose from the recognition that there is a need to have a support system, a forum where discussions on navigating career and life transitions with grace can happen, and more resources for success can be provided.
There is so much power in learning from shared experiences. And I think that was huge, to realize that we are not alone. We can celebrate our achievements together and acknowledge our challenges together, and then come together to brainstorm and innovate to solve problems and advocate for health equity.
You’ve been involved with community, non-profit organizations like the Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City. How has this work enriched your life outside of medicine?
I feel like we sometimes get tunnel vision, talking to people in the same line of work. It was extremely important for me to broaden my horizons by learning from people outside of the medical community and from organizations like Homeless Alliance, which allowed me a platform to understand what my community needs. It’s an incredible organization that helps provide shelter not only for human beings, but also pets. The freezing temperatures over the last few months provided unique challenges like overflow in homeless shelters. I’ve learned so many things, such as how to ask for grants and how to allocate those funds. It has been absolutely enriching to me to learn about my community needs and see what an amazing difference people in the community are making.
Pooja Singhal, MD, AGAF, will never forget the time a female patient came in for gastroesophageal reflux disease and dysphagia treatment, revealing that she had already gone through multiple gastroenterologists to help diagnose and treat her ailments.
“We spent a whole visit talking about it,” said Dr. Singhal, a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and obesity medicine specialist at Oklahoma Gastro Health and Wellness in Oklahoma City. During the exam, she discovered that her middle-aged patient was wearing an adult diaper for diarrhea and leakage.
Previous GI doctors told the patient they couldn’t help her and that she had to live with these symptoms. “I was just so shocked. I told her: This is not normal. Let’s talk more about it. Let’s figure out how we can manage it,” said Dr. Singhal, who has spent her career advocating for more education about GI conditions.
There are real barriers to patients opening up and sharing their symptoms, especially if they’re female. while ensuring that the correct knowledge gets across to the public, said Dr. Singhal.
An alumna of the American Gastroenterological Association’s (AGA) Future Leaders Program, Dr. Singhal has served as the private practice course director for AGA’s Midwest Women in GI Workshop. She is a also a four-time recipient of the SCOPY award for her work in raising community awareness of colorectal cancer prevention in Oklahoma. In an interview, she discussed the critical role women GI doctors play in assisting the unique needs of female patients, and why it takes a village of doctors to treat the complexities of GI disorders.
Why did you choose GI, and more specifically, what brought about your interest in women’s GI issues?
GI is simply the best field. While I was doing my rotation in GI as a resident, I was enthralled and humbled that the field of gastroenterology offered an opportunity to prevent cancer. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths, and when I realized that we could do these micro-interventions during a procedure to remove polyps that could potentially turn into cancer — or give us an opportunity to remove carcinoma in situ — that’s what really inspired me and piqued my interest in GI. As I continued to learn and explore GI more, I appreciated the opportunity the field gave us in terms of using both sides of our brains equally, the right side and the left side.
I love the diagnostic part of medicine. You have this privilege to be able to diagnose so many different diseases and perform procedures using technical skills, exploring everything from the esophagus, liver, pancreas, small bowel, and colon.
But what I really appreciate about gastroenterology is how it’s piqued my interest in women’s digestive health. How it became very close to my heart is really from my patients. I’ve learned a lot from my patients throughout the years. When I was much younger, I don’t know if I really appreciated the vulnerability it takes as a woman to go to a physician and talk about hemorrhoids and diarrhea.
One of the comments I often receive is: ‘Oh, thank God you’re a female GI. I can be myself. I can share something personal and you would understand.’
Your practice places a specific emphasis on health and wellness. Can you provide some examples of how you incorporate wellness into treatment?
I feel like wellness is very commonplace now. To me, the definition of wellness is about practicing healthy habits to attain your maximum potential, both physically and mentally — to feel the best you can. My practice specifically tries to achieve that goal by placing a strong emphasis on education and communication. We provide journals where patients can keep track of their symptoms. We encourage a lot of discussion during visits, where we talk about GI diseases and how to prevent them, or to prevent them from happening again. If you’re going to do a hemorrhoid treatment that offers hemorrhoid banding, we talk about it in detail with the patient; we don’t just do the procedure.
We have a dietitian on staff for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, IBS. Some of our older patients have pelvic organ prolapse and fecal incontinence. We have a pelvic floor therapist and a urogynecologist, and we work very closely with ob-gyn teams. My practice also takes pride in communicating with primary care physicians. We’ve had patients who have had memory loss or dementia or are grieving the loss of a loved one. And we prioritize communicating and treating patients as a whole and not focusing on just their GI symptoms.
As an advocate for community education on GI disorders, where is education lacking in this field?
I think education is lacking because there is an information delivery gap. I feel the public consumes information in the form of short social media reels. The attention span is so short and any scientific information, especially around diseases, can be scary and overwhelming. Whereas I think a lot of the medical community still interacts and exchanges information in terms of journals and publications. So, we are not really trained necessarily to talk about diseases in very simple terms.
We need more advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. AGA has been good about doing advocacy work. I had an opportunity to go to Capitol Hill a couple of times and really advocate for policy around obesity medicine coverage and procedure coverage. I was fortunate to learn so much about healthcare policy, but it also made me appreciate that there are a lot of gaps in terms of understanding common medical diseases.
You’re trained in the Orbera Intragastric balloon system for weight reduction. How does this procedure differentiate from other bariatric procedures?
Intragastric balloon is Food and Drug Administration approved for weight loss. It’s a temporary medical device, so it’s reversible. No. 2, it’s a nonsurgical intervention, so it’s usually done in an outpatient setting. We basically place a deflated gastric balloon endoscopically, similar to an upper endoscopy method. We take a pin endoscope, a deflated balloon, which is made of medical-grade material, and we inflate it with adequate fluid. The concept is when the balloon is inflated, it provides satiety. It reduces the amount of space in the stomach for food. It slows down how quickly the food is going to leave. So you feel full much of the time. And it also helps decrease a hormone called ghrelin, which is responsible for hunger. It can make a big difference when people are gaining weight and in that category of overweight before they progress to obese.
As I tell everybody, obesity is a chronic lifelong disease that is very complex and requires lifelong efforts. So, it’s truly a journey. What’s made this procedure a success is follow-up and the continued efforts of dietitians and counseling and incorporating physical exercise, because maintenance of that weight loss is also very important. Our goal is always sustained weight loss and not just short-term weight loss.
As the practice course director for the AGA’s Midwest Women in GI Workshop, can you tell me how this course came about? What does the workshop cover?
This workshop is a brainchild of AGA. This will be the third year of having these workshops. It’s been divided into regional workshops, so more people can attend. But it arose from the recognition that there is a need to have a support system, a forum where discussions on navigating career and life transitions with grace can happen, and more resources for success can be provided.
There is so much power in learning from shared experiences. And I think that was huge, to realize that we are not alone. We can celebrate our achievements together and acknowledge our challenges together, and then come together to brainstorm and innovate to solve problems and advocate for health equity.
You’ve been involved with community, non-profit organizations like the Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City. How has this work enriched your life outside of medicine?
I feel like we sometimes get tunnel vision, talking to people in the same line of work. It was extremely important for me to broaden my horizons by learning from people outside of the medical community and from organizations like Homeless Alliance, which allowed me a platform to understand what my community needs. It’s an incredible organization that helps provide shelter not only for human beings, but also pets. The freezing temperatures over the last few months provided unique challenges like overflow in homeless shelters. I’ve learned so many things, such as how to ask for grants and how to allocate those funds. It has been absolutely enriching to me to learn about my community needs and see what an amazing difference people in the community are making.
Pooja Singhal, MD, AGAF, will never forget the time a female patient came in for gastroesophageal reflux disease and dysphagia treatment, revealing that she had already gone through multiple gastroenterologists to help diagnose and treat her ailments.
“We spent a whole visit talking about it,” said Dr. Singhal, a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and obesity medicine specialist at Oklahoma Gastro Health and Wellness in Oklahoma City. During the exam, she discovered that her middle-aged patient was wearing an adult diaper for diarrhea and leakage.
Previous GI doctors told the patient they couldn’t help her and that she had to live with these symptoms. “I was just so shocked. I told her: This is not normal. Let’s talk more about it. Let’s figure out how we can manage it,” said Dr. Singhal, who has spent her career advocating for more education about GI conditions.
There are real barriers to patients opening up and sharing their symptoms, especially if they’re female. while ensuring that the correct knowledge gets across to the public, said Dr. Singhal.
An alumna of the American Gastroenterological Association’s (AGA) Future Leaders Program, Dr. Singhal has served as the private practice course director for AGA’s Midwest Women in GI Workshop. She is a also a four-time recipient of the SCOPY award for her work in raising community awareness of colorectal cancer prevention in Oklahoma. In an interview, she discussed the critical role women GI doctors play in assisting the unique needs of female patients, and why it takes a village of doctors to treat the complexities of GI disorders.
Why did you choose GI, and more specifically, what brought about your interest in women’s GI issues?
GI is simply the best field. While I was doing my rotation in GI as a resident, I was enthralled and humbled that the field of gastroenterology offered an opportunity to prevent cancer. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths, and when I realized that we could do these micro-interventions during a procedure to remove polyps that could potentially turn into cancer — or give us an opportunity to remove carcinoma in situ — that’s what really inspired me and piqued my interest in GI. As I continued to learn and explore GI more, I appreciated the opportunity the field gave us in terms of using both sides of our brains equally, the right side and the left side.
I love the diagnostic part of medicine. You have this privilege to be able to diagnose so many different diseases and perform procedures using technical skills, exploring everything from the esophagus, liver, pancreas, small bowel, and colon.
But what I really appreciate about gastroenterology is how it’s piqued my interest in women’s digestive health. How it became very close to my heart is really from my patients. I’ve learned a lot from my patients throughout the years. When I was much younger, I don’t know if I really appreciated the vulnerability it takes as a woman to go to a physician and talk about hemorrhoids and diarrhea.
One of the comments I often receive is: ‘Oh, thank God you’re a female GI. I can be myself. I can share something personal and you would understand.’
Your practice places a specific emphasis on health and wellness. Can you provide some examples of how you incorporate wellness into treatment?
I feel like wellness is very commonplace now. To me, the definition of wellness is about practicing healthy habits to attain your maximum potential, both physically and mentally — to feel the best you can. My practice specifically tries to achieve that goal by placing a strong emphasis on education and communication. We provide journals where patients can keep track of their symptoms. We encourage a lot of discussion during visits, where we talk about GI diseases and how to prevent them, or to prevent them from happening again. If you’re going to do a hemorrhoid treatment that offers hemorrhoid banding, we talk about it in detail with the patient; we don’t just do the procedure.
We have a dietitian on staff for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, IBS. Some of our older patients have pelvic organ prolapse and fecal incontinence. We have a pelvic floor therapist and a urogynecologist, and we work very closely with ob-gyn teams. My practice also takes pride in communicating with primary care physicians. We’ve had patients who have had memory loss or dementia or are grieving the loss of a loved one. And we prioritize communicating and treating patients as a whole and not focusing on just their GI symptoms.
As an advocate for community education on GI disorders, where is education lacking in this field?
I think education is lacking because there is an information delivery gap. I feel the public consumes information in the form of short social media reels. The attention span is so short and any scientific information, especially around diseases, can be scary and overwhelming. Whereas I think a lot of the medical community still interacts and exchanges information in terms of journals and publications. So, we are not really trained necessarily to talk about diseases in very simple terms.
We need more advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. AGA has been good about doing advocacy work. I had an opportunity to go to Capitol Hill a couple of times and really advocate for policy around obesity medicine coverage and procedure coverage. I was fortunate to learn so much about healthcare policy, but it also made me appreciate that there are a lot of gaps in terms of understanding common medical diseases.
You’re trained in the Orbera Intragastric balloon system for weight reduction. How does this procedure differentiate from other bariatric procedures?
Intragastric balloon is Food and Drug Administration approved for weight loss. It’s a temporary medical device, so it’s reversible. No. 2, it’s a nonsurgical intervention, so it’s usually done in an outpatient setting. We basically place a deflated gastric balloon endoscopically, similar to an upper endoscopy method. We take a pin endoscope, a deflated balloon, which is made of medical-grade material, and we inflate it with adequate fluid. The concept is when the balloon is inflated, it provides satiety. It reduces the amount of space in the stomach for food. It slows down how quickly the food is going to leave. So you feel full much of the time. And it also helps decrease a hormone called ghrelin, which is responsible for hunger. It can make a big difference when people are gaining weight and in that category of overweight before they progress to obese.
As I tell everybody, obesity is a chronic lifelong disease that is very complex and requires lifelong efforts. So, it’s truly a journey. What’s made this procedure a success is follow-up and the continued efforts of dietitians and counseling and incorporating physical exercise, because maintenance of that weight loss is also very important. Our goal is always sustained weight loss and not just short-term weight loss.
As the practice course director for the AGA’s Midwest Women in GI Workshop, can you tell me how this course came about? What does the workshop cover?
This workshop is a brainchild of AGA. This will be the third year of having these workshops. It’s been divided into regional workshops, so more people can attend. But it arose from the recognition that there is a need to have a support system, a forum where discussions on navigating career and life transitions with grace can happen, and more resources for success can be provided.
There is so much power in learning from shared experiences. And I think that was huge, to realize that we are not alone. We can celebrate our achievements together and acknowledge our challenges together, and then come together to brainstorm and innovate to solve problems and advocate for health equity.
You’ve been involved with community, non-profit organizations like the Homeless Alliance in Oklahoma City. How has this work enriched your life outside of medicine?
I feel like we sometimes get tunnel vision, talking to people in the same line of work. It was extremely important for me to broaden my horizons by learning from people outside of the medical community and from organizations like Homeless Alliance, which allowed me a platform to understand what my community needs. It’s an incredible organization that helps provide shelter not only for human beings, but also pets. The freezing temperatures over the last few months provided unique challenges like overflow in homeless shelters. I’ve learned so many things, such as how to ask for grants and how to allocate those funds. It has been absolutely enriching to me to learn about my community needs and see what an amazing difference people in the community are making.
Endoscopist Brings Cutting-Edge Tech to Asia-Pacific Region
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded in early 2020, Tossapol Kerdsirichairat, MD, faced another challenge: his mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“She chose to remain in Thailand, so I decided to relocate to care for her,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, an interventional endoscopist who completed fellowships at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The move to Bangkok turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life, he said, as he could support his mother while introducing advanced endoscopic techniques and devices to the region.
“Bangkok is a hub for medical innovation in Asia, offering opportunities to work with a diverse patient population and access to cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, who works at Bumrungrad International Hospital as a clinical associate professor.
The program is the first of its kind in Thailand and one of the few in the Asia-Pacific region.
“I guide patients and families through understanding their risks and implementing preventive strategies, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact of early tumor detection,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, an international member of AGA who was a participant in the AGA Young Delegates Program.
He has set several records in Thailand for the smallest tumor detected, including a 0.3-millimeter (mm) esophageal tumor, a 0.8-mm tumor for stomach cancer, a 5-mm pancreatic tumor, and a 1-mm tumor for colon cancer.
“These were detected through high-standard screening programs, as patients often do not develop symptoms from these subtle lesions,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, who discussed in an interview the unique challenges of practicing overseas.
Why did you choose GI?
Gastroenterology is a specialty that uniquely integrates procedural skill, clinical decision making, and a deep understanding of complex biological systems. I was drawn especially to the ability to make a direct and meaningful impact in patients’ lives through advanced endoscopic procedures, while also addressing both acute and chronic diseases, and focusing on cancer prevention. It is incredibly rewarding to perform an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for cholangitis and see a patient return to normal the very next day, or to perform an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for pancreatic cancer screening in high-risk individuals and detect a sub-centimeter pancreatic tumor.
Realizing that early detection can improve survival by threefold after surgery is a powerful reminder of the difference we can make in patients’ lives. This specialty requires a delicate balance of precision and empathy, which perfectly aligns with my strengths and values as a physician.
You have a wide variety of clinical interests, from endoscopic procedures to cancer research to GERD. What’s your key subspecialty and why?
My primary specialty is advanced endoscopy, which includes techniques such as EUS, ERCP, and endoscopic resection of precancerous and early cancerous lesions. I also focus on cutting-edge, evidence-based techniques recently included in clinical guidelines, such as Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF). These minimally invasive options allow me to diagnose and treat conditions that once required surgery. The precision and innovation involved in advanced endoscopy enable me to effectively manage complex cases—from diagnosing early cancers to managing bile duct obstructions and resecting precancerous lesions.
Can you describe your work in cancer genetics and screening?
I am deeply committed to the early detection of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly through screening for precancerous conditions and hereditary syndromes. During my general GI training at the University of Michigan, I had the privilege of working with Grace Elta, MD, AGAF, and Michelle Anderson, MD, MSc, renowned experts in pancreatic cancer management. I was later trained by Anne Marie Lennon, PhD, AGAF, who pioneered the liquid biopsy technique for cancer screening through the CancerSEEK project, and Marcia (Mimi) Canto, MD, MHS, who initiated the Cancer of the Pancreas Screening project for high-risk individuals of pancreatic cancer.
I also had the distinction of being the first at Bumrungrad International Hospital to perform endoscopic drainage for pancreatic fluid collections in the setting of multi-organ failure. This endoscopic approach has been extensively validated in the medical literature as significantly improving survival rates compared to surgical drainage. My training in this specialized procedure was conducted under the guidance of the premier group for necrotizing pancreatitis, led by Martin Freeman, MD, at the University of Minnesota.
Later, I contributed to overseeing the Inherited Gastrointestinal Malignancy Clinic of MyCode, a large-scale population-based cohort program focused on cancer screening in Pennsylvania. By December 2024, MyCode had collected blood samples from over 258,000 individuals, analyzed DNA sequences from over 184,000, and provided clinical data that benefits over 142,000 patients. It’s not uncommon for healthy 25-year-old patients to come to our clinic for colon cancer screening after learning from the program that they carry a cancer syndrome, and early screening can potentially save their lives.
What are the key differences between training and practicing medicine in the United States and in an Asian country?
The U.S. healthcare system is deeply rooted in evidence-based protocols and multidisciplinary care, driven by an insurance-based model. In contrast, many Asian countries face challenges such as the dependency on government approval for certain treatments and insurance limitations. Practicing in Asia requires navigating unique cultural, economic, and systemic differences, including varying resource availability and disease prevalence.
What specific challenges have you faced as a GI in Thailand?
As an advanced endoscopist, one of the biggest challenges I faced initially was the difficulty in obtaining the same devices I used in the U.S. for use in Thailand. With support from device companies and mentors in the U.S., I was able to perform groundbreaking procedures, such as the TIF in Southeast Asia and the first use of a full-thickness resection device in Thailand. I am also proud to be part of one of the first few centers worldwide performing the combination of injectable semaglutide and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, resulting in a remarkable weight reduction of 44%, comparable to surgical gastric bypass.
In addition, Bumrungrad International Hospital, where I practice, sees over 1.1 million visits annually from patients from more than 190 countries. This offers a unique opportunity to engage with a global patient base and learn from diverse cultures. Over time, although the hospital has professional interpreters for all languages, I have become able to communicate basic sentences with international patients in their preferred languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, which has enriched my practice.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not practicing GI?
I enjoy traveling, exploring new cuisines, and spending quality time with family and friends. These activities help me recharge and offer fresh perspectives on life.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Talking. It’s more personal and meaningful.
Favorite city in the U.S.?
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Cat or dog person?
Dog person
Favorite junk food?
Pizza
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
Two – just enough to stay sharp, but not jittery.
If you weren’t a GI, what would you be?
Architect
Best place you went on vacation?
Kyoto, Japan
Favorite sport?
Skiing
Favorite ice cream?
Matcha green tea
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
“Everybody” by Backstreet Boys
Favorite movie or TV show?
Forrest Gump and Friends
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist. I believe in focusing on solutions and possibilities.
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded in early 2020, Tossapol Kerdsirichairat, MD, faced another challenge: his mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“She chose to remain in Thailand, so I decided to relocate to care for her,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, an interventional endoscopist who completed fellowships at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The move to Bangkok turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life, he said, as he could support his mother while introducing advanced endoscopic techniques and devices to the region.
“Bangkok is a hub for medical innovation in Asia, offering opportunities to work with a diverse patient population and access to cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, who works at Bumrungrad International Hospital as a clinical associate professor.
The program is the first of its kind in Thailand and one of the few in the Asia-Pacific region.
“I guide patients and families through understanding their risks and implementing preventive strategies, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact of early tumor detection,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, an international member of AGA who was a participant in the AGA Young Delegates Program.
He has set several records in Thailand for the smallest tumor detected, including a 0.3-millimeter (mm) esophageal tumor, a 0.8-mm tumor for stomach cancer, a 5-mm pancreatic tumor, and a 1-mm tumor for colon cancer.
“These were detected through high-standard screening programs, as patients often do not develop symptoms from these subtle lesions,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, who discussed in an interview the unique challenges of practicing overseas.
Why did you choose GI?
Gastroenterology is a specialty that uniquely integrates procedural skill, clinical decision making, and a deep understanding of complex biological systems. I was drawn especially to the ability to make a direct and meaningful impact in patients’ lives through advanced endoscopic procedures, while also addressing both acute and chronic diseases, and focusing on cancer prevention. It is incredibly rewarding to perform an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for cholangitis and see a patient return to normal the very next day, or to perform an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for pancreatic cancer screening in high-risk individuals and detect a sub-centimeter pancreatic tumor.
Realizing that early detection can improve survival by threefold after surgery is a powerful reminder of the difference we can make in patients’ lives. This specialty requires a delicate balance of precision and empathy, which perfectly aligns with my strengths and values as a physician.
You have a wide variety of clinical interests, from endoscopic procedures to cancer research to GERD. What’s your key subspecialty and why?
My primary specialty is advanced endoscopy, which includes techniques such as EUS, ERCP, and endoscopic resection of precancerous and early cancerous lesions. I also focus on cutting-edge, evidence-based techniques recently included in clinical guidelines, such as Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF). These minimally invasive options allow me to diagnose and treat conditions that once required surgery. The precision and innovation involved in advanced endoscopy enable me to effectively manage complex cases—from diagnosing early cancers to managing bile duct obstructions and resecting precancerous lesions.
Can you describe your work in cancer genetics and screening?
I am deeply committed to the early detection of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly through screening for precancerous conditions and hereditary syndromes. During my general GI training at the University of Michigan, I had the privilege of working with Grace Elta, MD, AGAF, and Michelle Anderson, MD, MSc, renowned experts in pancreatic cancer management. I was later trained by Anne Marie Lennon, PhD, AGAF, who pioneered the liquid biopsy technique for cancer screening through the CancerSEEK project, and Marcia (Mimi) Canto, MD, MHS, who initiated the Cancer of the Pancreas Screening project for high-risk individuals of pancreatic cancer.
I also had the distinction of being the first at Bumrungrad International Hospital to perform endoscopic drainage for pancreatic fluid collections in the setting of multi-organ failure. This endoscopic approach has been extensively validated in the medical literature as significantly improving survival rates compared to surgical drainage. My training in this specialized procedure was conducted under the guidance of the premier group for necrotizing pancreatitis, led by Martin Freeman, MD, at the University of Minnesota.
Later, I contributed to overseeing the Inherited Gastrointestinal Malignancy Clinic of MyCode, a large-scale population-based cohort program focused on cancer screening in Pennsylvania. By December 2024, MyCode had collected blood samples from over 258,000 individuals, analyzed DNA sequences from over 184,000, and provided clinical data that benefits over 142,000 patients. It’s not uncommon for healthy 25-year-old patients to come to our clinic for colon cancer screening after learning from the program that they carry a cancer syndrome, and early screening can potentially save their lives.
What are the key differences between training and practicing medicine in the United States and in an Asian country?
The U.S. healthcare system is deeply rooted in evidence-based protocols and multidisciplinary care, driven by an insurance-based model. In contrast, many Asian countries face challenges such as the dependency on government approval for certain treatments and insurance limitations. Practicing in Asia requires navigating unique cultural, economic, and systemic differences, including varying resource availability and disease prevalence.
What specific challenges have you faced as a GI in Thailand?
As an advanced endoscopist, one of the biggest challenges I faced initially was the difficulty in obtaining the same devices I used in the U.S. for use in Thailand. With support from device companies and mentors in the U.S., I was able to perform groundbreaking procedures, such as the TIF in Southeast Asia and the first use of a full-thickness resection device in Thailand. I am also proud to be part of one of the first few centers worldwide performing the combination of injectable semaglutide and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, resulting in a remarkable weight reduction of 44%, comparable to surgical gastric bypass.
In addition, Bumrungrad International Hospital, where I practice, sees over 1.1 million visits annually from patients from more than 190 countries. This offers a unique opportunity to engage with a global patient base and learn from diverse cultures. Over time, although the hospital has professional interpreters for all languages, I have become able to communicate basic sentences with international patients in their preferred languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, which has enriched my practice.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not practicing GI?
I enjoy traveling, exploring new cuisines, and spending quality time with family and friends. These activities help me recharge and offer fresh perspectives on life.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Talking. It’s more personal and meaningful.
Favorite city in the U.S.?
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Cat or dog person?
Dog person
Favorite junk food?
Pizza
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
Two – just enough to stay sharp, but not jittery.
If you weren’t a GI, what would you be?
Architect
Best place you went on vacation?
Kyoto, Japan
Favorite sport?
Skiing
Favorite ice cream?
Matcha green tea
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
“Everybody” by Backstreet Boys
Favorite movie or TV show?
Forrest Gump and Friends
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist. I believe in focusing on solutions and possibilities.
As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded in early 2020, Tossapol Kerdsirichairat, MD, faced another challenge: his mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“She chose to remain in Thailand, so I decided to relocate to care for her,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, an interventional endoscopist who completed fellowships at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The move to Bangkok turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life, he said, as he could support his mother while introducing advanced endoscopic techniques and devices to the region.
“Bangkok is a hub for medical innovation in Asia, offering opportunities to work with a diverse patient population and access to cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, who works at Bumrungrad International Hospital as a clinical associate professor.
The program is the first of its kind in Thailand and one of the few in the Asia-Pacific region.
“I guide patients and families through understanding their risks and implementing preventive strategies, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact of early tumor detection,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, an international member of AGA who was a participant in the AGA Young Delegates Program.
He has set several records in Thailand for the smallest tumor detected, including a 0.3-millimeter (mm) esophageal tumor, a 0.8-mm tumor for stomach cancer, a 5-mm pancreatic tumor, and a 1-mm tumor for colon cancer.
“These were detected through high-standard screening programs, as patients often do not develop symptoms from these subtle lesions,” said Dr. Kerdsirichairat, who discussed in an interview the unique challenges of practicing overseas.
Why did you choose GI?
Gastroenterology is a specialty that uniquely integrates procedural skill, clinical decision making, and a deep understanding of complex biological systems. I was drawn especially to the ability to make a direct and meaningful impact in patients’ lives through advanced endoscopic procedures, while also addressing both acute and chronic diseases, and focusing on cancer prevention. It is incredibly rewarding to perform an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for cholangitis and see a patient return to normal the very next day, or to perform an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for pancreatic cancer screening in high-risk individuals and detect a sub-centimeter pancreatic tumor.
Realizing that early detection can improve survival by threefold after surgery is a powerful reminder of the difference we can make in patients’ lives. This specialty requires a delicate balance of precision and empathy, which perfectly aligns with my strengths and values as a physician.
You have a wide variety of clinical interests, from endoscopic procedures to cancer research to GERD. What’s your key subspecialty and why?
My primary specialty is advanced endoscopy, which includes techniques such as EUS, ERCP, and endoscopic resection of precancerous and early cancerous lesions. I also focus on cutting-edge, evidence-based techniques recently included in clinical guidelines, such as Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF). These minimally invasive options allow me to diagnose and treat conditions that once required surgery. The precision and innovation involved in advanced endoscopy enable me to effectively manage complex cases—from diagnosing early cancers to managing bile duct obstructions and resecting precancerous lesions.
Can you describe your work in cancer genetics and screening?
I am deeply committed to the early detection of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly through screening for precancerous conditions and hereditary syndromes. During my general GI training at the University of Michigan, I had the privilege of working with Grace Elta, MD, AGAF, and Michelle Anderson, MD, MSc, renowned experts in pancreatic cancer management. I was later trained by Anne Marie Lennon, PhD, AGAF, who pioneered the liquid biopsy technique for cancer screening through the CancerSEEK project, and Marcia (Mimi) Canto, MD, MHS, who initiated the Cancer of the Pancreas Screening project for high-risk individuals of pancreatic cancer.
I also had the distinction of being the first at Bumrungrad International Hospital to perform endoscopic drainage for pancreatic fluid collections in the setting of multi-organ failure. This endoscopic approach has been extensively validated in the medical literature as significantly improving survival rates compared to surgical drainage. My training in this specialized procedure was conducted under the guidance of the premier group for necrotizing pancreatitis, led by Martin Freeman, MD, at the University of Minnesota.
Later, I contributed to overseeing the Inherited Gastrointestinal Malignancy Clinic of MyCode, a large-scale population-based cohort program focused on cancer screening in Pennsylvania. By December 2024, MyCode had collected blood samples from over 258,000 individuals, analyzed DNA sequences from over 184,000, and provided clinical data that benefits over 142,000 patients. It’s not uncommon for healthy 25-year-old patients to come to our clinic for colon cancer screening after learning from the program that they carry a cancer syndrome, and early screening can potentially save their lives.
What are the key differences between training and practicing medicine in the United States and in an Asian country?
The U.S. healthcare system is deeply rooted in evidence-based protocols and multidisciplinary care, driven by an insurance-based model. In contrast, many Asian countries face challenges such as the dependency on government approval for certain treatments and insurance limitations. Practicing in Asia requires navigating unique cultural, economic, and systemic differences, including varying resource availability and disease prevalence.
What specific challenges have you faced as a GI in Thailand?
As an advanced endoscopist, one of the biggest challenges I faced initially was the difficulty in obtaining the same devices I used in the U.S. for use in Thailand. With support from device companies and mentors in the U.S., I was able to perform groundbreaking procedures, such as the TIF in Southeast Asia and the first use of a full-thickness resection device in Thailand. I am also proud to be part of one of the first few centers worldwide performing the combination of injectable semaglutide and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty, resulting in a remarkable weight reduction of 44%, comparable to surgical gastric bypass.
In addition, Bumrungrad International Hospital, where I practice, sees over 1.1 million visits annually from patients from more than 190 countries. This offers a unique opportunity to engage with a global patient base and learn from diverse cultures. Over time, although the hospital has professional interpreters for all languages, I have become able to communicate basic sentences with international patients in their preferred languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, which has enriched my practice.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not practicing GI?
I enjoy traveling, exploring new cuisines, and spending quality time with family and friends. These activities help me recharge and offer fresh perspectives on life.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Talking. It’s more personal and meaningful.
Favorite city in the U.S.?
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Cat or dog person?
Dog person
Favorite junk food?
Pizza
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
Two – just enough to stay sharp, but not jittery.
If you weren’t a GI, what would you be?
Architect
Best place you went on vacation?
Kyoto, Japan
Favorite sport?
Skiing
Favorite ice cream?
Matcha green tea
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
“Everybody” by Backstreet Boys
Favorite movie or TV show?
Forrest Gump and Friends
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist. I believe in focusing on solutions and possibilities.
Service Connection Expanded to Additional Cancers
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is "lowering the burden of proof" for thousands, making acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers presumptive for service connection.
The Jan. 8 decision included Gulf War veterans, those who served in Somalia or the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War on or after Aug. 2, 1990; and post-9/11 veterans, those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan and the airspace above these locations during the Gulf War on or after Sept. 11, 2001. It also includes veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001.
Veterans no longer must prove their service caused their condition to receive benefits. This landmark decision allows them access to free health care for that condition.
According to the VA, these steps are also part of a comprehensive effort to ensure that K2 veterans—and their survivors—receive the care and benefits they deserve. K2 veterans have higher claim and approval rates than any other cohort of veterans: 13,002 are enrolled in VA health care, and the average K2 veteran is service connected for 14.6 conditions.
The 2022 PACT Act was the largest expansion of veteran benefits in generations. The VA then made millions of veterans eligible for health care and benefits years earlier than called for by the law. It also launched the largest outreach campaign in the history of the VA to encourage veterans to apply.
Nearly 890,000 veterans have signed up for VA health care since the bill was signed into law, a nearly 40% increase over the previous equivalent period, and veterans have submitted > 4.8 million applications for VA benefits (a 42% increase over the previous equivalent period and an all-time record). The VA has delivered > $600 billion in earned benefits directly to veterans, their families, and survivors during that time.
The VA encourages all eligible veterans—including those with previously denied claims—to apply for benefits. To apply for benefits, veterans and survivors may visit VA.gov or call 1-800-MYVA411.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is "lowering the burden of proof" for thousands, making acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers presumptive for service connection.
The Jan. 8 decision included Gulf War veterans, those who served in Somalia or the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War on or after Aug. 2, 1990; and post-9/11 veterans, those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan and the airspace above these locations during the Gulf War on or after Sept. 11, 2001. It also includes veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001.
Veterans no longer must prove their service caused their condition to receive benefits. This landmark decision allows them access to free health care for that condition.
According to the VA, these steps are also part of a comprehensive effort to ensure that K2 veterans—and their survivors—receive the care and benefits they deserve. K2 veterans have higher claim and approval rates than any other cohort of veterans: 13,002 are enrolled in VA health care, and the average K2 veteran is service connected for 14.6 conditions.
The 2022 PACT Act was the largest expansion of veteran benefits in generations. The VA then made millions of veterans eligible for health care and benefits years earlier than called for by the law. It also launched the largest outreach campaign in the history of the VA to encourage veterans to apply.
Nearly 890,000 veterans have signed up for VA health care since the bill was signed into law, a nearly 40% increase over the previous equivalent period, and veterans have submitted > 4.8 million applications for VA benefits (a 42% increase over the previous equivalent period and an all-time record). The VA has delivered > $600 billion in earned benefits directly to veterans, their families, and survivors during that time.
The VA encourages all eligible veterans—including those with previously denied claims—to apply for benefits. To apply for benefits, veterans and survivors may visit VA.gov or call 1-800-MYVA411.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is "lowering the burden of proof" for thousands, making acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers presumptive for service connection.
The Jan. 8 decision included Gulf War veterans, those who served in Somalia or the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War on or after Aug. 2, 1990; and post-9/11 veterans, those who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan and the airspace above these locations during the Gulf War on or after Sept. 11, 2001. It also includes veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001.
Veterans no longer must prove their service caused their condition to receive benefits. This landmark decision allows them access to free health care for that condition.
According to the VA, these steps are also part of a comprehensive effort to ensure that K2 veterans—and their survivors—receive the care and benefits they deserve. K2 veterans have higher claim and approval rates than any other cohort of veterans: 13,002 are enrolled in VA health care, and the average K2 veteran is service connected for 14.6 conditions.
The 2022 PACT Act was the largest expansion of veteran benefits in generations. The VA then made millions of veterans eligible for health care and benefits years earlier than called for by the law. It also launched the largest outreach campaign in the history of the VA to encourage veterans to apply.
Nearly 890,000 veterans have signed up for VA health care since the bill was signed into law, a nearly 40% increase over the previous equivalent period, and veterans have submitted > 4.8 million applications for VA benefits (a 42% increase over the previous equivalent period and an all-time record). The VA has delivered > $600 billion in earned benefits directly to veterans, their families, and survivors during that time.
The VA encourages all eligible veterans—including those with previously denied claims—to apply for benefits. To apply for benefits, veterans and survivors may visit VA.gov or call 1-800-MYVA411.
Three Sisters Embrace ‘Collaborative Spirit’ of GI Science
They all share the same genes—and job title.
Each has her own lab, working in different specialties. But if one sister needs the others, it’s reassuring to know they’re not far away.
“We have very different points of view. I’m interested in microbes. Amy’s really interested in myosin mediated trafficking and Kristen’s interested in viruses and purinergic signaling. It’s awesome that we can all work in the same field but have very different questions. And there’s so many questions that we can tackle,” said Mindy Engevik, the oldest of the trio.
If Mindy’s students need help with staining, she sends them to Amy’s lab. If they need help with calcium signaling and live cell imaging, she’ll send them to Kristen’s lab. “We interchange our expertise a lot,” said Mindy.
It’s nice to have a sister down the hall at work who can advise you on RNA sequencing analysis or immunofluorescence imaging, noted Amy Engevik. “You can ask them: ‘Can you just walk my student through this for a minute?’ Or, could they help with organoid cultures you don’t have time for right now?”
Kristen, who joined her older sisters at MUSC in 2024, observed that “having a little bit of the variety with our backgrounds and training really helps bring out the collaborative spirit of science.”
In an interview, the Engevik sisters spoke more about their familial network, their shared love of gastroenterology (GI) science, and how they’ve parlayed their expertise into other critical areas of research.
Growing up, did you ever think that you would choose similar career paths? How did you all become interested in GI research?
Mindy Engevik: As kids we were all interested in nature and the world around us. We all liked being outside. Amy and I were obsessed with rocks and classifying plants and rocks. We all had a general interest in science. But I personally didn’t think that all three of us would go into the same thing and that we’d be working together as adults.
Amy Engevik: Once we got into high school and college, we all became very close and we all majored in biology. That set the stage for our interest in science and our love of science. Then, we all kind of fell in love with the GI tract and chose postdocs that were GI focused. Since Mindy and I graduated a year apart, ultimately our goal was to form a lab and work together.
Kristen Engevik: I was interested in science when my sisters were both at college studying for biology and talking about the things they were learning in microbiology and physiology. But I don’t think until I joined the PhD program that I was ever like: ‘Oh yeah, we’re all going to be in science and it’s all going to be one big giant collaborative multi-lab collaboration.’
What do each of you love about the field of gastroenterology?
Mindy Engevik: At our heart, we’re all people that love problem solving. A fun fact about us is on Thursdays once a month, we do a puzzle competition here in Charleston. We’re really into it. But I think we genuinely like the problem-solving nature of the GI tract, and there’s so many diverse questions that you can answer.
Amy Engevik: I love that the scientific community in the GI community is so wonderful. They are very kind, helpful people. Some other fields are more competitive and more cutthroat. I feel like I have such a great network of people to reach out to if I have problems or questions. And I think other fields don’t have such a wonderful welcoming community that is very inclusive and dynamic.
Kristen Engevik: The nice thing with studying the GI tract is all things essentially lead to the gut. You can collaborate with other scientists and go into the gut-brain axis, or there’s the cardiovascular-gut axis and all these different places that you can also go, or different diseases that don’t necessarily seem to originate at the gut but have a lot of effects on the gut. There’s a lot of variation that we can do within GI.
Each of you has focused on a different area of digestive disease. Can each of you briefly discuss your areas of study and any findings or discoveries you’d like to highlight?
Mindy Engevik: My research focuses on microbial-host interactions. We’re really interested in how microbes colonize the gastrointestinal tract, how they interact with mucus – which I think is an important aspect of the gut that sometimes is overlooked – and how their metabolites really impact host health. One thing that I’m particularly proud of is we’ve really been starting to understand the neurotransmitters that bacteria generate and how they influence specific cells within the gut. It’s an exciting time to be doing both microbiology and gut physiology.
Amy Engevik: I study the host side of things; the gastric or the GI epithelium, and how a specific molecular motor contributes to trafficking in the GI tract. Recently, I’ve been going back to some of my PhD work in the stomach. In a high fat diet model, we’re finding that there are early metaplastic changes in the stomach. I think the stomach is very often overlooked within the GI tract. And I think it really sets the stage for the lower GI tract for the microbiome that colonizes the colon and the small intestine. I think that changes in the stomach really should come to the forefront of GI. Those changes have profound impacts on things like colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
Kristen Engevik: I’m also more on the epithelial side with Amy. My new lab’s work is going to be focusing on understanding cell communications, specifically through extracellular purines, which is known as purinergic signaling, and understanding what the effects are during both homeostasis and disease, since it hasn’t been studied within the gut itself. From my work in postdoctoral training, we found that this communication is important for a lot of aspects, specifically during viral infection. But I have some preliminary data that shows it may also have an important role during disease, like colitis. My lab is interested in understanding what this epithelial communication is and are there ways to increase or decrease the signaling depending on the disease.
You’re all skilled in analyzing bioinformatics data. How do you apply this skill in your GI research?
Mindy Engevik: We all got our PhDs in systems biology and physiology, so we were forced to take computational analysis classes. I remember at the time thinking, ‘Oh, I’m probably not going to use a bunch of this.’ And then it really captured our attention. We realized how valuable it was and how much information you could glean.
We do a lot of work using publicly available data sets. I think there’s a wealth of information out there now with single cell sequencing data and bulk RNA sequencing data of different sites in the GI tract. It’s been a very valuable time to data mine and look especially at inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. We’ve been really focused on all our favorite genes of interest. I’ve been looking at a lot of the mucins and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and cancer. Amy’s been looking at Myosin-Vb and other myosin and binding partners like Rabs, and Kristen has been looking at purinergic signaling receptors.
All three of you recently worked together to identify a possible genetic driver of uterine corpus endometrial cancer, the fourth deadliest cancer in women. Where are you in the research process right now?
Mindy Engevik: Our mom was diagnosed with cancer, so we took quite a bit of time off to go to California to help her with her chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. While we were there, we decided to do some computational analyses of cancers that affect women as our way to deal with this devastating disease. We were really fascinated to find that Myosin-Vb, which is Amy’s favorite gene of interest, was highly up-regulated in tumors from uterine and corpus endometrial cancer.
This was independent of the age of the patient, the stage of the cancer, the grade of the tumors. We figured out that the promoter region of the gene was hypomethylated, so it was having a higher expression. And that led to changes in metabolism and it linked very closely with what we were seeing in the gut, what Myosin-Vb was doing. We have some uterine cancer tumor cells in the lab that we’ve been growing and we’re going to really prove that it’s Myosin-Vb that’s driving some of these metabolism phenotypes. And the nice thing is at least there is a Myosin-Vb inhibitor available.
We also have a paper under review, identifying what Myosin-Vb is doing in cancer in the colon. So we’re excited to continue both the uterine cancer part but then also the colorectal cancer part using our same processes.
Amy Engevik: We’re going to be generating a mouse model that I think will be helpful since it’s in vivo. Sometimes things in vivo behave very differently than they do in vitro, so I think it’ll be a nice coupling of in vitro data with in vivo, taking that computational base and expanding it into more mechanistic studies and more experimental approaches where we can actually develop uterine cancer in the mice and then see if we can knock out Myosin-Vb specifically in that tissue and prevent it from either happening in the first place or decrease its pathogenesis.
What challenges have you faced in your career? How do you offer each other support?
Mindy Engevik: I think for any female scientists trying to have an independent career, there are some hurdles. An article in Nature recently stated that women receive less credit than their male counterparts and another article in Science demonstrated that women who are last authors on publications are cited less. That’s something that all women must deal with everywhere. I think it’s been incredibly helpful for us since there’s three of us. I think it gives us extra visibility in the field.
Amy Engevik: There’s a lot of microaggressions and things that can hinder your career success. I think that we’ve definitely had that. And I think the academic landscape is changing a little bit now that more women are becoming principal investigators and then rising through the ranks of academia. So I think there’s a lot of hope for the future women, but I think it’s still quite challenging.
Kristen Engevik: Things do seem to be getting better as there are more women as faculty members in certain departments. Science is getting better as things progress. However, there are still a lot of difficulties in trying to get credit for what you do, and getting the promotions.
Mindy Engevik: We have a built-in sisterhood, if you will. So I’m always going to champion Amy or Kristen. If there’s an award that I can nominate them for, I’m always going to do it. If there’s something that I think they should apply for that maybe they hadn’t seen, I’m going to make sure I put it on the radar. I think that’s just incredibly helpful, having people that have your best interest in mind.
Every project we have is basically a big collaboration. We have a lot of papers from our postdocs where we are coauthors. Now, as principal investigators, we have a lot of papers together. And I think in the future you’ll be seeing a lot of coauthored publications from our group as well.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
KE: Talking
Favorite city in US besides the one you live in?
AE: Boston
Favorite breakfast?
ME: Biscuits and grits
Place you most want to travel?
KE: Antarctica
Favorite junk food?
AE: French fries
Favorite season?
ME: Fall
Favorite ice cream flavor?
KE: Black raspberry chip
Number of cups of coffee you drink per day?
AE: None, I like Diet Coke
Last movie you watched?
ME: Inside Out 2
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?
KE: National Park ranger
Best Halloween costume you ever wore?
AE: Princess Leia
Favorite type of music?
ME: ABBA
Favorite movie genre?
KE: Romantic comedies
Cat person or dog person?
AE: Neither, I like rabbits
Favorite sport?
ME: Surfing
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
KE: Mama Mia
Introvert or extrovert?
AE: Introvert
Favorite holiday?
ME: Halloween
They all share the same genes—and job title.
Each has her own lab, working in different specialties. But if one sister needs the others, it’s reassuring to know they’re not far away.
“We have very different points of view. I’m interested in microbes. Amy’s really interested in myosin mediated trafficking and Kristen’s interested in viruses and purinergic signaling. It’s awesome that we can all work in the same field but have very different questions. And there’s so many questions that we can tackle,” said Mindy Engevik, the oldest of the trio.
If Mindy’s students need help with staining, she sends them to Amy’s lab. If they need help with calcium signaling and live cell imaging, she’ll send them to Kristen’s lab. “We interchange our expertise a lot,” said Mindy.
It’s nice to have a sister down the hall at work who can advise you on RNA sequencing analysis or immunofluorescence imaging, noted Amy Engevik. “You can ask them: ‘Can you just walk my student through this for a minute?’ Or, could they help with organoid cultures you don’t have time for right now?”
Kristen, who joined her older sisters at MUSC in 2024, observed that “having a little bit of the variety with our backgrounds and training really helps bring out the collaborative spirit of science.”
In an interview, the Engevik sisters spoke more about their familial network, their shared love of gastroenterology (GI) science, and how they’ve parlayed their expertise into other critical areas of research.
Growing up, did you ever think that you would choose similar career paths? How did you all become interested in GI research?
Mindy Engevik: As kids we were all interested in nature and the world around us. We all liked being outside. Amy and I were obsessed with rocks and classifying plants and rocks. We all had a general interest in science. But I personally didn’t think that all three of us would go into the same thing and that we’d be working together as adults.
Amy Engevik: Once we got into high school and college, we all became very close and we all majored in biology. That set the stage for our interest in science and our love of science. Then, we all kind of fell in love with the GI tract and chose postdocs that were GI focused. Since Mindy and I graduated a year apart, ultimately our goal was to form a lab and work together.
Kristen Engevik: I was interested in science when my sisters were both at college studying for biology and talking about the things they were learning in microbiology and physiology. But I don’t think until I joined the PhD program that I was ever like: ‘Oh yeah, we’re all going to be in science and it’s all going to be one big giant collaborative multi-lab collaboration.’
What do each of you love about the field of gastroenterology?
Mindy Engevik: At our heart, we’re all people that love problem solving. A fun fact about us is on Thursdays once a month, we do a puzzle competition here in Charleston. We’re really into it. But I think we genuinely like the problem-solving nature of the GI tract, and there’s so many diverse questions that you can answer.
Amy Engevik: I love that the scientific community in the GI community is so wonderful. They are very kind, helpful people. Some other fields are more competitive and more cutthroat. I feel like I have such a great network of people to reach out to if I have problems or questions. And I think other fields don’t have such a wonderful welcoming community that is very inclusive and dynamic.
Kristen Engevik: The nice thing with studying the GI tract is all things essentially lead to the gut. You can collaborate with other scientists and go into the gut-brain axis, or there’s the cardiovascular-gut axis and all these different places that you can also go, or different diseases that don’t necessarily seem to originate at the gut but have a lot of effects on the gut. There’s a lot of variation that we can do within GI.
Each of you has focused on a different area of digestive disease. Can each of you briefly discuss your areas of study and any findings or discoveries you’d like to highlight?
Mindy Engevik: My research focuses on microbial-host interactions. We’re really interested in how microbes colonize the gastrointestinal tract, how they interact with mucus – which I think is an important aspect of the gut that sometimes is overlooked – and how their metabolites really impact host health. One thing that I’m particularly proud of is we’ve really been starting to understand the neurotransmitters that bacteria generate and how they influence specific cells within the gut. It’s an exciting time to be doing both microbiology and gut physiology.
Amy Engevik: I study the host side of things; the gastric or the GI epithelium, and how a specific molecular motor contributes to trafficking in the GI tract. Recently, I’ve been going back to some of my PhD work in the stomach. In a high fat diet model, we’re finding that there are early metaplastic changes in the stomach. I think the stomach is very often overlooked within the GI tract. And I think it really sets the stage for the lower GI tract for the microbiome that colonizes the colon and the small intestine. I think that changes in the stomach really should come to the forefront of GI. Those changes have profound impacts on things like colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
Kristen Engevik: I’m also more on the epithelial side with Amy. My new lab’s work is going to be focusing on understanding cell communications, specifically through extracellular purines, which is known as purinergic signaling, and understanding what the effects are during both homeostasis and disease, since it hasn’t been studied within the gut itself. From my work in postdoctoral training, we found that this communication is important for a lot of aspects, specifically during viral infection. But I have some preliminary data that shows it may also have an important role during disease, like colitis. My lab is interested in understanding what this epithelial communication is and are there ways to increase or decrease the signaling depending on the disease.
You’re all skilled in analyzing bioinformatics data. How do you apply this skill in your GI research?
Mindy Engevik: We all got our PhDs in systems biology and physiology, so we were forced to take computational analysis classes. I remember at the time thinking, ‘Oh, I’m probably not going to use a bunch of this.’ And then it really captured our attention. We realized how valuable it was and how much information you could glean.
We do a lot of work using publicly available data sets. I think there’s a wealth of information out there now with single cell sequencing data and bulk RNA sequencing data of different sites in the GI tract. It’s been a very valuable time to data mine and look especially at inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. We’ve been really focused on all our favorite genes of interest. I’ve been looking at a lot of the mucins and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and cancer. Amy’s been looking at Myosin-Vb and other myosin and binding partners like Rabs, and Kristen has been looking at purinergic signaling receptors.
All three of you recently worked together to identify a possible genetic driver of uterine corpus endometrial cancer, the fourth deadliest cancer in women. Where are you in the research process right now?
Mindy Engevik: Our mom was diagnosed with cancer, so we took quite a bit of time off to go to California to help her with her chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. While we were there, we decided to do some computational analyses of cancers that affect women as our way to deal with this devastating disease. We were really fascinated to find that Myosin-Vb, which is Amy’s favorite gene of interest, was highly up-regulated in tumors from uterine and corpus endometrial cancer.
This was independent of the age of the patient, the stage of the cancer, the grade of the tumors. We figured out that the promoter region of the gene was hypomethylated, so it was having a higher expression. And that led to changes in metabolism and it linked very closely with what we were seeing in the gut, what Myosin-Vb was doing. We have some uterine cancer tumor cells in the lab that we’ve been growing and we’re going to really prove that it’s Myosin-Vb that’s driving some of these metabolism phenotypes. And the nice thing is at least there is a Myosin-Vb inhibitor available.
We also have a paper under review, identifying what Myosin-Vb is doing in cancer in the colon. So we’re excited to continue both the uterine cancer part but then also the colorectal cancer part using our same processes.
Amy Engevik: We’re going to be generating a mouse model that I think will be helpful since it’s in vivo. Sometimes things in vivo behave very differently than they do in vitro, so I think it’ll be a nice coupling of in vitro data with in vivo, taking that computational base and expanding it into more mechanistic studies and more experimental approaches where we can actually develop uterine cancer in the mice and then see if we can knock out Myosin-Vb specifically in that tissue and prevent it from either happening in the first place or decrease its pathogenesis.
What challenges have you faced in your career? How do you offer each other support?
Mindy Engevik: I think for any female scientists trying to have an independent career, there are some hurdles. An article in Nature recently stated that women receive less credit than their male counterparts and another article in Science demonstrated that women who are last authors on publications are cited less. That’s something that all women must deal with everywhere. I think it’s been incredibly helpful for us since there’s three of us. I think it gives us extra visibility in the field.
Amy Engevik: There’s a lot of microaggressions and things that can hinder your career success. I think that we’ve definitely had that. And I think the academic landscape is changing a little bit now that more women are becoming principal investigators and then rising through the ranks of academia. So I think there’s a lot of hope for the future women, but I think it’s still quite challenging.
Kristen Engevik: Things do seem to be getting better as there are more women as faculty members in certain departments. Science is getting better as things progress. However, there are still a lot of difficulties in trying to get credit for what you do, and getting the promotions.
Mindy Engevik: We have a built-in sisterhood, if you will. So I’m always going to champion Amy or Kristen. If there’s an award that I can nominate them for, I’m always going to do it. If there’s something that I think they should apply for that maybe they hadn’t seen, I’m going to make sure I put it on the radar. I think that’s just incredibly helpful, having people that have your best interest in mind.
Every project we have is basically a big collaboration. We have a lot of papers from our postdocs where we are coauthors. Now, as principal investigators, we have a lot of papers together. And I think in the future you’ll be seeing a lot of coauthored publications from our group as well.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
KE: Talking
Favorite city in US besides the one you live in?
AE: Boston
Favorite breakfast?
ME: Biscuits and grits
Place you most want to travel?
KE: Antarctica
Favorite junk food?
AE: French fries
Favorite season?
ME: Fall
Favorite ice cream flavor?
KE: Black raspberry chip
Number of cups of coffee you drink per day?
AE: None, I like Diet Coke
Last movie you watched?
ME: Inside Out 2
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?
KE: National Park ranger
Best Halloween costume you ever wore?
AE: Princess Leia
Favorite type of music?
ME: ABBA
Favorite movie genre?
KE: Romantic comedies
Cat person or dog person?
AE: Neither, I like rabbits
Favorite sport?
ME: Surfing
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
KE: Mama Mia
Introvert or extrovert?
AE: Introvert
Favorite holiday?
ME: Halloween
They all share the same genes—and job title.
Each has her own lab, working in different specialties. But if one sister needs the others, it’s reassuring to know they’re not far away.
“We have very different points of view. I’m interested in microbes. Amy’s really interested in myosin mediated trafficking and Kristen’s interested in viruses and purinergic signaling. It’s awesome that we can all work in the same field but have very different questions. And there’s so many questions that we can tackle,” said Mindy Engevik, the oldest of the trio.
If Mindy’s students need help with staining, she sends them to Amy’s lab. If they need help with calcium signaling and live cell imaging, she’ll send them to Kristen’s lab. “We interchange our expertise a lot,” said Mindy.
It’s nice to have a sister down the hall at work who can advise you on RNA sequencing analysis or immunofluorescence imaging, noted Amy Engevik. “You can ask them: ‘Can you just walk my student through this for a minute?’ Or, could they help with organoid cultures you don’t have time for right now?”
Kristen, who joined her older sisters at MUSC in 2024, observed that “having a little bit of the variety with our backgrounds and training really helps bring out the collaborative spirit of science.”
In an interview, the Engevik sisters spoke more about their familial network, their shared love of gastroenterology (GI) science, and how they’ve parlayed their expertise into other critical areas of research.
Growing up, did you ever think that you would choose similar career paths? How did you all become interested in GI research?
Mindy Engevik: As kids we were all interested in nature and the world around us. We all liked being outside. Amy and I were obsessed with rocks and classifying plants and rocks. We all had a general interest in science. But I personally didn’t think that all three of us would go into the same thing and that we’d be working together as adults.
Amy Engevik: Once we got into high school and college, we all became very close and we all majored in biology. That set the stage for our interest in science and our love of science. Then, we all kind of fell in love with the GI tract and chose postdocs that were GI focused. Since Mindy and I graduated a year apart, ultimately our goal was to form a lab and work together.
Kristen Engevik: I was interested in science when my sisters were both at college studying for biology and talking about the things they were learning in microbiology and physiology. But I don’t think until I joined the PhD program that I was ever like: ‘Oh yeah, we’re all going to be in science and it’s all going to be one big giant collaborative multi-lab collaboration.’
What do each of you love about the field of gastroenterology?
Mindy Engevik: At our heart, we’re all people that love problem solving. A fun fact about us is on Thursdays once a month, we do a puzzle competition here in Charleston. We’re really into it. But I think we genuinely like the problem-solving nature of the GI tract, and there’s so many diverse questions that you can answer.
Amy Engevik: I love that the scientific community in the GI community is so wonderful. They are very kind, helpful people. Some other fields are more competitive and more cutthroat. I feel like I have such a great network of people to reach out to if I have problems or questions. And I think other fields don’t have such a wonderful welcoming community that is very inclusive and dynamic.
Kristen Engevik: The nice thing with studying the GI tract is all things essentially lead to the gut. You can collaborate with other scientists and go into the gut-brain axis, or there’s the cardiovascular-gut axis and all these different places that you can also go, or different diseases that don’t necessarily seem to originate at the gut but have a lot of effects on the gut. There’s a lot of variation that we can do within GI.
Each of you has focused on a different area of digestive disease. Can each of you briefly discuss your areas of study and any findings or discoveries you’d like to highlight?
Mindy Engevik: My research focuses on microbial-host interactions. We’re really interested in how microbes colonize the gastrointestinal tract, how they interact with mucus – which I think is an important aspect of the gut that sometimes is overlooked – and how their metabolites really impact host health. One thing that I’m particularly proud of is we’ve really been starting to understand the neurotransmitters that bacteria generate and how they influence specific cells within the gut. It’s an exciting time to be doing both microbiology and gut physiology.
Amy Engevik: I study the host side of things; the gastric or the GI epithelium, and how a specific molecular motor contributes to trafficking in the GI tract. Recently, I’ve been going back to some of my PhD work in the stomach. In a high fat diet model, we’re finding that there are early metaplastic changes in the stomach. I think the stomach is very often overlooked within the GI tract. And I think it really sets the stage for the lower GI tract for the microbiome that colonizes the colon and the small intestine. I think that changes in the stomach really should come to the forefront of GI. Those changes have profound impacts on things like colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
Kristen Engevik: I’m also more on the epithelial side with Amy. My new lab’s work is going to be focusing on understanding cell communications, specifically through extracellular purines, which is known as purinergic signaling, and understanding what the effects are during both homeostasis and disease, since it hasn’t been studied within the gut itself. From my work in postdoctoral training, we found that this communication is important for a lot of aspects, specifically during viral infection. But I have some preliminary data that shows it may also have an important role during disease, like colitis. My lab is interested in understanding what this epithelial communication is and are there ways to increase or decrease the signaling depending on the disease.
You’re all skilled in analyzing bioinformatics data. How do you apply this skill in your GI research?
Mindy Engevik: We all got our PhDs in systems biology and physiology, so we were forced to take computational analysis classes. I remember at the time thinking, ‘Oh, I’m probably not going to use a bunch of this.’ And then it really captured our attention. We realized how valuable it was and how much information you could glean.
We do a lot of work using publicly available data sets. I think there’s a wealth of information out there now with single cell sequencing data and bulk RNA sequencing data of different sites in the GI tract. It’s been a very valuable time to data mine and look especially at inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. We’ve been really focused on all our favorite genes of interest. I’ve been looking at a lot of the mucins and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and cancer. Amy’s been looking at Myosin-Vb and other myosin and binding partners like Rabs, and Kristen has been looking at purinergic signaling receptors.
All three of you recently worked together to identify a possible genetic driver of uterine corpus endometrial cancer, the fourth deadliest cancer in women. Where are you in the research process right now?
Mindy Engevik: Our mom was diagnosed with cancer, so we took quite a bit of time off to go to California to help her with her chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. While we were there, we decided to do some computational analyses of cancers that affect women as our way to deal with this devastating disease. We were really fascinated to find that Myosin-Vb, which is Amy’s favorite gene of interest, was highly up-regulated in tumors from uterine and corpus endometrial cancer.
This was independent of the age of the patient, the stage of the cancer, the grade of the tumors. We figured out that the promoter region of the gene was hypomethylated, so it was having a higher expression. And that led to changes in metabolism and it linked very closely with what we were seeing in the gut, what Myosin-Vb was doing. We have some uterine cancer tumor cells in the lab that we’ve been growing and we’re going to really prove that it’s Myosin-Vb that’s driving some of these metabolism phenotypes. And the nice thing is at least there is a Myosin-Vb inhibitor available.
We also have a paper under review, identifying what Myosin-Vb is doing in cancer in the colon. So we’re excited to continue both the uterine cancer part but then also the colorectal cancer part using our same processes.
Amy Engevik: We’re going to be generating a mouse model that I think will be helpful since it’s in vivo. Sometimes things in vivo behave very differently than they do in vitro, so I think it’ll be a nice coupling of in vitro data with in vivo, taking that computational base and expanding it into more mechanistic studies and more experimental approaches where we can actually develop uterine cancer in the mice and then see if we can knock out Myosin-Vb specifically in that tissue and prevent it from either happening in the first place or decrease its pathogenesis.
What challenges have you faced in your career? How do you offer each other support?
Mindy Engevik: I think for any female scientists trying to have an independent career, there are some hurdles. An article in Nature recently stated that women receive less credit than their male counterparts and another article in Science demonstrated that women who are last authors on publications are cited less. That’s something that all women must deal with everywhere. I think it’s been incredibly helpful for us since there’s three of us. I think it gives us extra visibility in the field.
Amy Engevik: There’s a lot of microaggressions and things that can hinder your career success. I think that we’ve definitely had that. And I think the academic landscape is changing a little bit now that more women are becoming principal investigators and then rising through the ranks of academia. So I think there’s a lot of hope for the future women, but I think it’s still quite challenging.
Kristen Engevik: Things do seem to be getting better as there are more women as faculty members in certain departments. Science is getting better as things progress. However, there are still a lot of difficulties in trying to get credit for what you do, and getting the promotions.
Mindy Engevik: We have a built-in sisterhood, if you will. So I’m always going to champion Amy or Kristen. If there’s an award that I can nominate them for, I’m always going to do it. If there’s something that I think they should apply for that maybe they hadn’t seen, I’m going to make sure I put it on the radar. I think that’s just incredibly helpful, having people that have your best interest in mind.
Every project we have is basically a big collaboration. We have a lot of papers from our postdocs where we are coauthors. Now, as principal investigators, we have a lot of papers together. And I think in the future you’ll be seeing a lot of coauthored publications from our group as well.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
KE: Talking
Favorite city in US besides the one you live in?
AE: Boston
Favorite breakfast?
ME: Biscuits and grits
Place you most want to travel?
KE: Antarctica
Favorite junk food?
AE: French fries
Favorite season?
ME: Fall
Favorite ice cream flavor?
KE: Black raspberry chip
Number of cups of coffee you drink per day?
AE: None, I like Diet Coke
Last movie you watched?
ME: Inside Out 2
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?
KE: National Park ranger
Best Halloween costume you ever wore?
AE: Princess Leia
Favorite type of music?
ME: ABBA
Favorite movie genre?
KE: Romantic comedies
Cat person or dog person?
AE: Neither, I like rabbits
Favorite sport?
ME: Surfing
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
KE: Mama Mia
Introvert or extrovert?
AE: Introvert
Favorite holiday?
ME: Halloween
Contraceptive Care Clinic Focuses on Military Readiness
SAN DIEGO — Not surprisingly, the contraception clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma, Wash., is popular among female soldiers seeking to avoid pregnancy. However, about half of the patients drop by for other reasons, the military pharmacist who runs the program told colleagues here at the Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar.
“They come to suppress menstruation, to get help with pain, to get help with PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] symptoms. They're coming for a wide range of indications that we use contraception to treat,” said Sarah Abel, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist.
Regardless of the reason, Abel emphasized that contraceptives can significantly impact the ability of female soldiers to do their jobs. “If you have heavy periods and can't make it in work, or you have endometriosis and requiring a lot of doctor's appointments, or you're deployed and you get pregnant, these are all situations where contraceptive care matters,” she said. Rates of unintended pregnancy are higher in servicewomen than in the general population.
Abel, who opened the medical center’s contraceptive clinic about 10 years ago, stressed that it’s crucial to military readiness considering that the percentage of women in the American military is approaching 20%.
Thanks to a 2022 edict, military hospitals and clinics are required to offer walk-in contraceptive services with same-day access, no requirements for appointments or referrals. An announcement about the mandate noted that these contraceptive services, such as preventing unplanned pregnancy and decreasing menstrual periods, “support the overall well-being of the force and optimize personal warrior readiness.”
As Abel noted, 29 states and Washington D.C. allow pharmacists to prescribe contraception to outpatients, although the requirements vary. “Can we start practicing at the top of our license and start prescribing in the outpatient setting? Absolutely we should,” she said. “Pharmacists have a very unique opportunity to be a part of this.”
Abel also shared that setting up a contraceptive program requires patience and education. “I cannot tell you how many women have come to me who don't know the different names of their body parts, women who've had two babies that don't understand how their body works. So, I constantly find myself taking extra time to do general sexual education,” she said.
There are many lessons to impart to patients about sexual health. For example, birth control drugs and devices do not prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). “So I have bowls of condoms literally everywhere because condoms are the only thing that protects against STIs,” Abel said.
In terms of devices, “we have diaphragms available and cervical caps,” she said. “The Caya diaphragm is a TRICARE-covered benefit. It’s a small purple diaphragm, one size fits most. We can prescribe it, and it is good for 2 years. Unfortunately, spermicide, which you have to use with these things, is not a TRICARE-covered benefit.”
Hormonal contraceptives are also available, with Abel recommending the continuous monophasic type for most women. “Please don't tell women they have to have their periods. They don't,” she said. “What I'm trying to do is give a woman some stability in her hormones. She can know and expect what she's going to feel like. She's not going to wake up and say, ‘Oh God, today's the day. I'm going to be like this for a week.’”
Patches are another option, and a flurry of patients have been asking about them because of recent TikTok videos promoting their use. “We have the Xulane patch, our bread and butter. They wear it on their shoulder, their hip, their butt, or their back. They leave it in place for a week at a time. And every week, they will change that patch. I usually have to walk patients through a whole month to help them understand how that works.”
Another option, the NuvaRing, is notable because it’s linked to low amounts of breakthrough bleeding Abel noted. An extended form is now available that doesn’t need to be removed during menstrual periods.
Medroxyprogesterone injections, which are linked to bone loss, and subdermal implants, which may be less effective in women over 130% of their ideal weight are also available, she said.
Finally, IUDs are an option, although when they fail, they’re linked to ectopic pregnancies.
Abel has no disclosures.
SAN DIEGO — Not surprisingly, the contraception clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma, Wash., is popular among female soldiers seeking to avoid pregnancy. However, about half of the patients drop by for other reasons, the military pharmacist who runs the program told colleagues here at the Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar.
“They come to suppress menstruation, to get help with pain, to get help with PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] symptoms. They're coming for a wide range of indications that we use contraception to treat,” said Sarah Abel, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist.
Regardless of the reason, Abel emphasized that contraceptives can significantly impact the ability of female soldiers to do their jobs. “If you have heavy periods and can't make it in work, or you have endometriosis and requiring a lot of doctor's appointments, or you're deployed and you get pregnant, these are all situations where contraceptive care matters,” she said. Rates of unintended pregnancy are higher in servicewomen than in the general population.
Abel, who opened the medical center’s contraceptive clinic about 10 years ago, stressed that it’s crucial to military readiness considering that the percentage of women in the American military is approaching 20%.
Thanks to a 2022 edict, military hospitals and clinics are required to offer walk-in contraceptive services with same-day access, no requirements for appointments or referrals. An announcement about the mandate noted that these contraceptive services, such as preventing unplanned pregnancy and decreasing menstrual periods, “support the overall well-being of the force and optimize personal warrior readiness.”
As Abel noted, 29 states and Washington D.C. allow pharmacists to prescribe contraception to outpatients, although the requirements vary. “Can we start practicing at the top of our license and start prescribing in the outpatient setting? Absolutely we should,” she said. “Pharmacists have a very unique opportunity to be a part of this.”
Abel also shared that setting up a contraceptive program requires patience and education. “I cannot tell you how many women have come to me who don't know the different names of their body parts, women who've had two babies that don't understand how their body works. So, I constantly find myself taking extra time to do general sexual education,” she said.
There are many lessons to impart to patients about sexual health. For example, birth control drugs and devices do not prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). “So I have bowls of condoms literally everywhere because condoms are the only thing that protects against STIs,” Abel said.
In terms of devices, “we have diaphragms available and cervical caps,” she said. “The Caya diaphragm is a TRICARE-covered benefit. It’s a small purple diaphragm, one size fits most. We can prescribe it, and it is good for 2 years. Unfortunately, spermicide, which you have to use with these things, is not a TRICARE-covered benefit.”
Hormonal contraceptives are also available, with Abel recommending the continuous monophasic type for most women. “Please don't tell women they have to have their periods. They don't,” she said. “What I'm trying to do is give a woman some stability in her hormones. She can know and expect what she's going to feel like. She's not going to wake up and say, ‘Oh God, today's the day. I'm going to be like this for a week.’”
Patches are another option, and a flurry of patients have been asking about them because of recent TikTok videos promoting their use. “We have the Xulane patch, our bread and butter. They wear it on their shoulder, their hip, their butt, or their back. They leave it in place for a week at a time. And every week, they will change that patch. I usually have to walk patients through a whole month to help them understand how that works.”
Another option, the NuvaRing, is notable because it’s linked to low amounts of breakthrough bleeding Abel noted. An extended form is now available that doesn’t need to be removed during menstrual periods.
Medroxyprogesterone injections, which are linked to bone loss, and subdermal implants, which may be less effective in women over 130% of their ideal weight are also available, she said.
Finally, IUDs are an option, although when they fail, they’re linked to ectopic pregnancies.
Abel has no disclosures.
SAN DIEGO — Not surprisingly, the contraception clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center near Tacoma, Wash., is popular among female soldiers seeking to avoid pregnancy. However, about half of the patients drop by for other reasons, the military pharmacist who runs the program told colleagues here at the Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar.
“They come to suppress menstruation, to get help with pain, to get help with PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] symptoms. They're coming for a wide range of indications that we use contraception to treat,” said Sarah Abel, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist.
Regardless of the reason, Abel emphasized that contraceptives can significantly impact the ability of female soldiers to do their jobs. “If you have heavy periods and can't make it in work, or you have endometriosis and requiring a lot of doctor's appointments, or you're deployed and you get pregnant, these are all situations where contraceptive care matters,” she said. Rates of unintended pregnancy are higher in servicewomen than in the general population.
Abel, who opened the medical center’s contraceptive clinic about 10 years ago, stressed that it’s crucial to military readiness considering that the percentage of women in the American military is approaching 20%.
Thanks to a 2022 edict, military hospitals and clinics are required to offer walk-in contraceptive services with same-day access, no requirements for appointments or referrals. An announcement about the mandate noted that these contraceptive services, such as preventing unplanned pregnancy and decreasing menstrual periods, “support the overall well-being of the force and optimize personal warrior readiness.”
As Abel noted, 29 states and Washington D.C. allow pharmacists to prescribe contraception to outpatients, although the requirements vary. “Can we start practicing at the top of our license and start prescribing in the outpatient setting? Absolutely we should,” she said. “Pharmacists have a very unique opportunity to be a part of this.”
Abel also shared that setting up a contraceptive program requires patience and education. “I cannot tell you how many women have come to me who don't know the different names of their body parts, women who've had two babies that don't understand how their body works. So, I constantly find myself taking extra time to do general sexual education,” she said.
There are many lessons to impart to patients about sexual health. For example, birth control drugs and devices do not prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). “So I have bowls of condoms literally everywhere because condoms are the only thing that protects against STIs,” Abel said.
In terms of devices, “we have diaphragms available and cervical caps,” she said. “The Caya diaphragm is a TRICARE-covered benefit. It’s a small purple diaphragm, one size fits most. We can prescribe it, and it is good for 2 years. Unfortunately, spermicide, which you have to use with these things, is not a TRICARE-covered benefit.”
Hormonal contraceptives are also available, with Abel recommending the continuous monophasic type for most women. “Please don't tell women they have to have their periods. They don't,” she said. “What I'm trying to do is give a woman some stability in her hormones. She can know and expect what she's going to feel like. She's not going to wake up and say, ‘Oh God, today's the day. I'm going to be like this for a week.’”
Patches are another option, and a flurry of patients have been asking about them because of recent TikTok videos promoting their use. “We have the Xulane patch, our bread and butter. They wear it on their shoulder, their hip, their butt, or their back. They leave it in place for a week at a time. And every week, they will change that patch. I usually have to walk patients through a whole month to help them understand how that works.”
Another option, the NuvaRing, is notable because it’s linked to low amounts of breakthrough bleeding Abel noted. An extended form is now available that doesn’t need to be removed during menstrual periods.
Medroxyprogesterone injections, which are linked to bone loss, and subdermal implants, which may be less effective in women over 130% of their ideal weight are also available, she said.
Finally, IUDs are an option, although when they fail, they’re linked to ectopic pregnancies.
Abel has no disclosures.
Searching for the Optimal CRC Surveillance Test
About a third of the US population are eligible for colorectal cancer screening but aren’t up to date on screening.
Many patients are reluctant to test for colon cancer for a variety of reasons, said Jeffrey K. Lee, MD, MPH, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and an attending gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center.
“As a gastroenterologist, I strongly believe we should emphasize the importance of colorectal cancer screening. And there’s many tests available, not just a colonoscopy, to help reduce your chances of developing colorectal cancer and even dying from colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Lee.
Many patients prefer a test that’s more convenient, that doesn’t require them to take time out of their busy schedules. “We must educate our patients that there are some noninvasive screening options that are helpful, and to be able to share with them some of the benefits, but also some of the drawbacks compared to colonoscopy and allow them to have a choice,” he advised.
He is a recipient of the AGA Research Scholar Award, and has in turn supported other researchers by contributing to the AGA Research Foundation. In 2012, Dr. Lee received a grant from the Sylvia Allison Kaplan Clinical Research Fund to fund a study on long-term colorectal cancer risk in patients with normal colonoscopy results.
The findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, determined that 10 years after a negative colonoscopy, Kaiser Permanente members had a 46% lower risk of being diagnosed with CRC and were 88% less likely to die from disease compared with patients who didn’t undergo screening.
“Furthermore, the reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer, even dying from it, persisted for more than 12 years after the examination compared with an unscreened population,” said Dr. Lee. “I firmly believe our study really supports the ten-year screening interval after a normal colonoscopy, as currently recommended by our guidelines.”
In an interview, he discussed his research efforts to find the best detection regimens for CRC, and the mentors who guided his career path as a GI scientist.
Q: Why did you choose GI?
During medical school I was fortunate to work in the lab of Dr. John M. Carethers at UC San Diego. He introduced me to GI and inspired me to choose GI as a career. His mentorship was invaluable because he not only solidified my interest in GI, but also inspired me to become a physician scientist, focusing on colorectal cancer prevention and control. His amazing mentorship drew me to this field.
Q: One of your clinical focus areas is hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. How did you become interested in this area of GI medicine?
My interest in hereditary GI cancer syndromes stemmed from my work as a medical student in Dr. Carethers’ lab. One of my research projects was looking at certain gene mutations among patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes, specifically, familial hamartomatous polyposis syndrome. It was through these research projects and seeing how these genetic mutations impacted their risk of developing colorectal cancer, inspired me to care for patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes.
Q: Have you been doing any research on the reasons why more young people are getting colon cancer?
We recently published work looking at the potential factors that may be driving the rising rates of early onset colorectal cancer. One hypothesis that’s been floating around is antibiotic exposure in early adulthood or childhood because of its effect on the microbiome. Using our large database at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we did not find an association between oral antibiotic use during early adulthood and the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.
You have the usual suspects like obesity and diabetes, but it’s not explaining all that risk. While familial colorectal cancer syndromes contribute to a small proportion of early-onset colorectal, these syndromes are not increasing across generations. I really do feel it’s something in the diet or how foods are processed and environmental factors that’s driving some of the risk of early onset colorectal cancer and this should be explored further.
Q: In 2018, you issued a landmark study which found an association between a 10-year follow-up after negative colonoscopy and reduced risk of disease and mortality. Has there been any updates to these findings over the last 6 years?
We recently saw a study in JAMA Oncology of a Swedish cohort that showed a negative colonoscopy result was associated with a reduced risk of developing and even dying from colorectal cancer 15 years from that examination, compared to the general population of Sweden. I think there’s some things that we need to be cautious about regarding that study. We have to think about the comparison group that they used and the lack of information regarding the indication of the colonoscopy and the quality of the examination. So, it remains uncertain whether future guidelines are going to stretch out that 10-year interval to 15 years.
Q: What other CRC studies are you working on now?
We have several studies that we are working on right now. One is called the PREVENT CRC study, which is looking at whether a polygenic risk score can improve risk stratification following adenoma removal for colorectal cancer prevention and tailoring post-polypectomy surveillance. This is a large observational cohort study that we have teamed up with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Erasmus University, and Kaiser Permanente Northwest to answer this important question that may have implications for personalized medicine.
Then there’s the COOP study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. This is looking at the best surveillance test to use among older adults 65 years and older with a history of polyps. The trial is randomizing them to either getting a colonoscopy for surveillance or annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for surveillance. This is to see which test is best for detecting colorectal cancer among older adults with a history of polyps.
Q: Do you think FIT tests could eventually replace colonoscopy, given that it’s less invasive?
Although FIT and other stool-based tests are less invasive and have been shown to have high accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer, I personally do not think they are going to replace colonoscopy as the most popular screening modality in the United States. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for detecting and removing precancerous polyps and has the highest accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer.
Q: Besides Dr. Carethers, what teacher or mentor had the greatest impact on you?
Clinically it’s been Dr. Jonathan Terdiman from UCSF, who taught me everything I know about clinical GI, and the art of colonoscopy. In addition, Douglas A. Corley, MD, PhD, the Permanente Medical Group’s chief research officer, has made the greatest impact on my research career. He’s really taught me how to rigorously design a research study to answer important clinically relevant questions, and has given me the skill set to write NIH grants. I would not be here without these mentors who are truly giants in the field of GI.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons? Are you still a “Cal Bears” fan at your alma mater, UC Berkeley?
I spend a lot of time taking my kids to their activities on the weekends. I just took my son to a Cal Bears Game Day, which was hosted by ESPN at Berkeley.
It was an incredible experience hearing sports analyst Pat McAfee lead all the Cal chants, seeing Nick Saban from the University of Alabama take off his red tie and replace it with a Cal Bears tie, and watching a Cal student win a hundred thousand dollars by kicking a football through the goal posts wearing checkered vans.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Text
Favorite breakfast?
Taiwanese breakfast
Place you most want to travel to?
Japan
Favorite junk food?
Trader Joe’s chili lime chips
Favorite season?
Springtime, baseball season
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
2-3
Last movie you watched?
Oppenheimer
Best place you ever went on vacation?
Hawaii
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?
Barber
Best Halloween costume you ever wore?
SpongeBob SquarePants
Favorite sport?
Tennis
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
Any classic 80s song
Introvert or extrovert?
Introvert
About a third of the US population are eligible for colorectal cancer screening but aren’t up to date on screening.
Many patients are reluctant to test for colon cancer for a variety of reasons, said Jeffrey K. Lee, MD, MPH, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and an attending gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center.
“As a gastroenterologist, I strongly believe we should emphasize the importance of colorectal cancer screening. And there’s many tests available, not just a colonoscopy, to help reduce your chances of developing colorectal cancer and even dying from colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Lee.
Many patients prefer a test that’s more convenient, that doesn’t require them to take time out of their busy schedules. “We must educate our patients that there are some noninvasive screening options that are helpful, and to be able to share with them some of the benefits, but also some of the drawbacks compared to colonoscopy and allow them to have a choice,” he advised.
He is a recipient of the AGA Research Scholar Award, and has in turn supported other researchers by contributing to the AGA Research Foundation. In 2012, Dr. Lee received a grant from the Sylvia Allison Kaplan Clinical Research Fund to fund a study on long-term colorectal cancer risk in patients with normal colonoscopy results.
The findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, determined that 10 years after a negative colonoscopy, Kaiser Permanente members had a 46% lower risk of being diagnosed with CRC and were 88% less likely to die from disease compared with patients who didn’t undergo screening.
“Furthermore, the reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer, even dying from it, persisted for more than 12 years after the examination compared with an unscreened population,” said Dr. Lee. “I firmly believe our study really supports the ten-year screening interval after a normal colonoscopy, as currently recommended by our guidelines.”
In an interview, he discussed his research efforts to find the best detection regimens for CRC, and the mentors who guided his career path as a GI scientist.
Q: Why did you choose GI?
During medical school I was fortunate to work in the lab of Dr. John M. Carethers at UC San Diego. He introduced me to GI and inspired me to choose GI as a career. His mentorship was invaluable because he not only solidified my interest in GI, but also inspired me to become a physician scientist, focusing on colorectal cancer prevention and control. His amazing mentorship drew me to this field.
Q: One of your clinical focus areas is hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. How did you become interested in this area of GI medicine?
My interest in hereditary GI cancer syndromes stemmed from my work as a medical student in Dr. Carethers’ lab. One of my research projects was looking at certain gene mutations among patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes, specifically, familial hamartomatous polyposis syndrome. It was through these research projects and seeing how these genetic mutations impacted their risk of developing colorectal cancer, inspired me to care for patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes.
Q: Have you been doing any research on the reasons why more young people are getting colon cancer?
We recently published work looking at the potential factors that may be driving the rising rates of early onset colorectal cancer. One hypothesis that’s been floating around is antibiotic exposure in early adulthood or childhood because of its effect on the microbiome. Using our large database at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we did not find an association between oral antibiotic use during early adulthood and the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.
You have the usual suspects like obesity and diabetes, but it’s not explaining all that risk. While familial colorectal cancer syndromes contribute to a small proportion of early-onset colorectal, these syndromes are not increasing across generations. I really do feel it’s something in the diet or how foods are processed and environmental factors that’s driving some of the risk of early onset colorectal cancer and this should be explored further.
Q: In 2018, you issued a landmark study which found an association between a 10-year follow-up after negative colonoscopy and reduced risk of disease and mortality. Has there been any updates to these findings over the last 6 years?
We recently saw a study in JAMA Oncology of a Swedish cohort that showed a negative colonoscopy result was associated with a reduced risk of developing and even dying from colorectal cancer 15 years from that examination, compared to the general population of Sweden. I think there’s some things that we need to be cautious about regarding that study. We have to think about the comparison group that they used and the lack of information regarding the indication of the colonoscopy and the quality of the examination. So, it remains uncertain whether future guidelines are going to stretch out that 10-year interval to 15 years.
Q: What other CRC studies are you working on now?
We have several studies that we are working on right now. One is called the PREVENT CRC study, which is looking at whether a polygenic risk score can improve risk stratification following adenoma removal for colorectal cancer prevention and tailoring post-polypectomy surveillance. This is a large observational cohort study that we have teamed up with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Erasmus University, and Kaiser Permanente Northwest to answer this important question that may have implications for personalized medicine.
Then there’s the COOP study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. This is looking at the best surveillance test to use among older adults 65 years and older with a history of polyps. The trial is randomizing them to either getting a colonoscopy for surveillance or annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for surveillance. This is to see which test is best for detecting colorectal cancer among older adults with a history of polyps.
Q: Do you think FIT tests could eventually replace colonoscopy, given that it’s less invasive?
Although FIT and other stool-based tests are less invasive and have been shown to have high accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer, I personally do not think they are going to replace colonoscopy as the most popular screening modality in the United States. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for detecting and removing precancerous polyps and has the highest accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer.
Q: Besides Dr. Carethers, what teacher or mentor had the greatest impact on you?
Clinically it’s been Dr. Jonathan Terdiman from UCSF, who taught me everything I know about clinical GI, and the art of colonoscopy. In addition, Douglas A. Corley, MD, PhD, the Permanente Medical Group’s chief research officer, has made the greatest impact on my research career. He’s really taught me how to rigorously design a research study to answer important clinically relevant questions, and has given me the skill set to write NIH grants. I would not be here without these mentors who are truly giants in the field of GI.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons? Are you still a “Cal Bears” fan at your alma mater, UC Berkeley?
I spend a lot of time taking my kids to their activities on the weekends. I just took my son to a Cal Bears Game Day, which was hosted by ESPN at Berkeley.
It was an incredible experience hearing sports analyst Pat McAfee lead all the Cal chants, seeing Nick Saban from the University of Alabama take off his red tie and replace it with a Cal Bears tie, and watching a Cal student win a hundred thousand dollars by kicking a football through the goal posts wearing checkered vans.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Text
Favorite breakfast?
Taiwanese breakfast
Place you most want to travel to?
Japan
Favorite junk food?
Trader Joe’s chili lime chips
Favorite season?
Springtime, baseball season
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
2-3
Last movie you watched?
Oppenheimer
Best place you ever went on vacation?
Hawaii
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?
Barber
Best Halloween costume you ever wore?
SpongeBob SquarePants
Favorite sport?
Tennis
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
Any classic 80s song
Introvert or extrovert?
Introvert
About a third of the US population are eligible for colorectal cancer screening but aren’t up to date on screening.
Many patients are reluctant to test for colon cancer for a variety of reasons, said Jeffrey K. Lee, MD, MPH, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and an attending gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center.
“As a gastroenterologist, I strongly believe we should emphasize the importance of colorectal cancer screening. And there’s many tests available, not just a colonoscopy, to help reduce your chances of developing colorectal cancer and even dying from colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Lee.
Many patients prefer a test that’s more convenient, that doesn’t require them to take time out of their busy schedules. “We must educate our patients that there are some noninvasive screening options that are helpful, and to be able to share with them some of the benefits, but also some of the drawbacks compared to colonoscopy and allow them to have a choice,” he advised.
He is a recipient of the AGA Research Scholar Award, and has in turn supported other researchers by contributing to the AGA Research Foundation. In 2012, Dr. Lee received a grant from the Sylvia Allison Kaplan Clinical Research Fund to fund a study on long-term colorectal cancer risk in patients with normal colonoscopy results.
The findings, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, determined that 10 years after a negative colonoscopy, Kaiser Permanente members had a 46% lower risk of being diagnosed with CRC and were 88% less likely to die from disease compared with patients who didn’t undergo screening.
“Furthermore, the reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer, even dying from it, persisted for more than 12 years after the examination compared with an unscreened population,” said Dr. Lee. “I firmly believe our study really supports the ten-year screening interval after a normal colonoscopy, as currently recommended by our guidelines.”
In an interview, he discussed his research efforts to find the best detection regimens for CRC, and the mentors who guided his career path as a GI scientist.
Q: Why did you choose GI?
During medical school I was fortunate to work in the lab of Dr. John M. Carethers at UC San Diego. He introduced me to GI and inspired me to choose GI as a career. His mentorship was invaluable because he not only solidified my interest in GI, but also inspired me to become a physician scientist, focusing on colorectal cancer prevention and control. His amazing mentorship drew me to this field.
Q: One of your clinical focus areas is hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. How did you become interested in this area of GI medicine?
My interest in hereditary GI cancer syndromes stemmed from my work as a medical student in Dr. Carethers’ lab. One of my research projects was looking at certain gene mutations among patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes, specifically, familial hamartomatous polyposis syndrome. It was through these research projects and seeing how these genetic mutations impacted their risk of developing colorectal cancer, inspired me to care for patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes.
Q: Have you been doing any research on the reasons why more young people are getting colon cancer?
We recently published work looking at the potential factors that may be driving the rising rates of early onset colorectal cancer. One hypothesis that’s been floating around is antibiotic exposure in early adulthood or childhood because of its effect on the microbiome. Using our large database at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we did not find an association between oral antibiotic use during early adulthood and the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.
You have the usual suspects like obesity and diabetes, but it’s not explaining all that risk. While familial colorectal cancer syndromes contribute to a small proportion of early-onset colorectal, these syndromes are not increasing across generations. I really do feel it’s something in the diet or how foods are processed and environmental factors that’s driving some of the risk of early onset colorectal cancer and this should be explored further.
Q: In 2018, you issued a landmark study which found an association between a 10-year follow-up after negative colonoscopy and reduced risk of disease and mortality. Has there been any updates to these findings over the last 6 years?
We recently saw a study in JAMA Oncology of a Swedish cohort that showed a negative colonoscopy result was associated with a reduced risk of developing and even dying from colorectal cancer 15 years from that examination, compared to the general population of Sweden. I think there’s some things that we need to be cautious about regarding that study. We have to think about the comparison group that they used and the lack of information regarding the indication of the colonoscopy and the quality of the examination. So, it remains uncertain whether future guidelines are going to stretch out that 10-year interval to 15 years.
Q: What other CRC studies are you working on now?
We have several studies that we are working on right now. One is called the PREVENT CRC study, which is looking at whether a polygenic risk score can improve risk stratification following adenoma removal for colorectal cancer prevention and tailoring post-polypectomy surveillance. This is a large observational cohort study that we have teamed up with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Erasmus University, and Kaiser Permanente Northwest to answer this important question that may have implications for personalized medicine.
Then there’s the COOP study, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. This is looking at the best surveillance test to use among older adults 65 years and older with a history of polyps. The trial is randomizing them to either getting a colonoscopy for surveillance or annual fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for surveillance. This is to see which test is best for detecting colorectal cancer among older adults with a history of polyps.
Q: Do you think FIT tests could eventually replace colonoscopy, given that it’s less invasive?
Although FIT and other stool-based tests are less invasive and have been shown to have high accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer, I personally do not think they are going to replace colonoscopy as the most popular screening modality in the United States. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for detecting and removing precancerous polyps and has the highest accuracy for detecting colorectal cancer.
Q: Besides Dr. Carethers, what teacher or mentor had the greatest impact on you?
Clinically it’s been Dr. Jonathan Terdiman from UCSF, who taught me everything I know about clinical GI, and the art of colonoscopy. In addition, Douglas A. Corley, MD, PhD, the Permanente Medical Group’s chief research officer, has made the greatest impact on my research career. He’s really taught me how to rigorously design a research study to answer important clinically relevant questions, and has given me the skill set to write NIH grants. I would not be here without these mentors who are truly giants in the field of GI.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons? Are you still a “Cal Bears” fan at your alma mater, UC Berkeley?
I spend a lot of time taking my kids to their activities on the weekends. I just took my son to a Cal Bears Game Day, which was hosted by ESPN at Berkeley.
It was an incredible experience hearing sports analyst Pat McAfee lead all the Cal chants, seeing Nick Saban from the University of Alabama take off his red tie and replace it with a Cal Bears tie, and watching a Cal student win a hundred thousand dollars by kicking a football through the goal posts wearing checkered vans.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Text
Favorite breakfast?
Taiwanese breakfast
Place you most want to travel to?
Japan
Favorite junk food?
Trader Joe’s chili lime chips
Favorite season?
Springtime, baseball season
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
2-3
Last movie you watched?
Oppenheimer
Best place you ever went on vacation?
Hawaii
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?
Barber
Best Halloween costume you ever wore?
SpongeBob SquarePants
Favorite sport?
Tennis
What song do you have to sing along with when you hear it?
Any classic 80s song
Introvert or extrovert?
Introvert
Giving the Smallest GI Transplant Patients a New Lease On Life
The best part about working with kids is that “I get to laugh every day,” said Ke-You (Yoyo) Zhang, MD, clinical assistant professor for pediatrics–gastroenterology and hepatology at Stanford Medicine in California.
Everyday life for them is a challenge.
Dealing with sick children is difficult. “But I think the difference between pediatrics and adults is despite how hard things get, children are the single most resilient people you’re ever going to meet,” she said.
Kids don’t always know they’re sick and they don’t act sick, even when they are. “Every day, I literally get on the floor, I get to play, I get to run around. And truly, I have fun every single day. I get excited to go to work. And I think that’s what makes work not feel like work,” said Dr. Zhang.
In an interview, she discussed the satisfaction of following patients throughout their care continuum and her research to reduce the likelihood of transplant rejection.
She also shared an inspirational story of one young patient who spent his life tied to an IV, and how a transplant exposed him to the normal joys of life, like swimming, going to camp and getting on a plane for the first time.
Q: Why did you choose this subspecialty of pediatric GI?
I think it’s the best subspecialty because I think it combines a lot of the things that I enjoy, which is long-term continuity of care. It’s about growing up with your patients and seeing them through all the various stages of their life, often meeting patients when they’re babies. I get pictures of high school graduations and life milestones and even see some of my patients have families of their own. Becoming a part of their family is very meaningful to me. I also like complexity and acuity, and gastroenterology and hepatology provide those things.
And then lastly, it’s great to be able to exercise procedural skills and constantly learn new procedural skills.
Q: How did you become interested in the field of pediatric intestinal and liver transplantation?
I did all my training here at Stanford. We have one of the largest pediatric transplant centers and we also have a very large intestinal rehabilitation population.
Coming through residency and fellowship, I had a lot of exposure to transplant and intestinal failure, intestinal rehabilitation. I really liked the longitudinal relationship I got to form with my patients. Sometimes they’re in the neonatal ICU, where you’re meeting them in their very first days of life. You follow them through their chronic illness, through transplant and after transplant for many years. You become not just their GI, but the center of their care.
Q: What challenges are unique to this type of transplant work?
Pediatric intestinal failure and intestinal transplant represents an incredibly small subset of children. Oftentimes, they do not get the resources and recognition on a national policy level or even at the hospital level that other gastrointestinal diseases receive. What’s difficult is they are such a small subset but their complexity and their needs are probably in the highest percentile. So that’s a really challenging combination to start with. And there’s only a few centers that specialize in doing intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplantation for children in the country.
Developing expertise has been slow. But I think in the last decade or so, our understanding and success with intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplantation has really improved, especially at large centers like Stanford. We’ve had a lot of success stories and have not had any graft loss since 2014.
Q: Are these transplants hard to acquire?
Yes, especially when you’re transplanting not just the intestines but the liver as well. You’re waiting for two organs, not just one organ. And on top of that, you’re waiting for an appropriately sized donor; usually a child who’s around the same size or same age who’s passed away. Those organs would have to be a good match. Children can wait multiple years for a transplant.
Q: Is there a success story you’d like to share?
One patient I met in the neonatal ICU had congenital short bowel syndrome. He was born with hardly any intestines. He developed complications of being on long-term intravenous nutrition, which included recurrent central line infections and liver disease. He was never able to eat because he really didn’t have a digestive system that could adequately absorb anything. He had a central line in one of his large veins, so he couldn’t go swimming.
He had to have special adaptive wear to even shower or bathe and couldn’t travel. It’s these types of patients that benefit so much from transplant. Putting any kid through transplant is a massive undertaking and it certainly has risks. But he underwent a successful transplant at the age of 8—not just an intestinal transplant, but a multi-visceral transplant of the liver, intestine, and pancreas. He’s 9 years old now, and no longer needs intravenous nutrition. He ate by mouth for the very first time after transplant. He’s trying all sorts of new foods and he was able to go to a special transplant camp for children. Getting on a plane to Los Angeles, which is where our transplant camp is, was a huge deal.
He was able to swim in the lake. He’s never been able to do that. And he wants to start doing sports this fall. This was really a life-changing story for him.
Q: What advancements lie ahead for this field of work? Have you work on any notable research?
I think our understanding of transplant immunology has really progressed, especially recently. That’s what part of my research is about—using novel therapies to modulate the immune system of pediatric transplant recipients. The No. 1 complication that occurs after intestinal transplant is rejection because obviously you’re implanting somebody else’s organs into a patient.
I am involved in a clinical trial that’s looking at the use of extracellular vesicles that are isolated from hematopoietic stem cells. These vesicles contain various growth factors, anti-inflammatory proteins and tissue repair factors that we are infusing into intestinal transplant patients with the aim to repair the intestinal tissue patients are rejecting.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons?
My husband and I have an almost 2-year-old little girl. She keeps us busy and I spend my afternoons chasing after a crazy toddler.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Huge texter
Favorite junk food?
French fries
Cat or dog person?
Dog
Favorite ice cream?
Strawberry
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?Florist
Best place you’ve traveled to?
Thailand
Number of cups of coffee you drink per day?
Too many
Favorite city in the US besides the one you live in?
New York City
Favorite sport?
Tennis
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist
The best part about working with kids is that “I get to laugh every day,” said Ke-You (Yoyo) Zhang, MD, clinical assistant professor for pediatrics–gastroenterology and hepatology at Stanford Medicine in California.
Everyday life for them is a challenge.
Dealing with sick children is difficult. “But I think the difference between pediatrics and adults is despite how hard things get, children are the single most resilient people you’re ever going to meet,” she said.
Kids don’t always know they’re sick and they don’t act sick, even when they are. “Every day, I literally get on the floor, I get to play, I get to run around. And truly, I have fun every single day. I get excited to go to work. And I think that’s what makes work not feel like work,” said Dr. Zhang.
In an interview, she discussed the satisfaction of following patients throughout their care continuum and her research to reduce the likelihood of transplant rejection.
She also shared an inspirational story of one young patient who spent his life tied to an IV, and how a transplant exposed him to the normal joys of life, like swimming, going to camp and getting on a plane for the first time.
Q: Why did you choose this subspecialty of pediatric GI?
I think it’s the best subspecialty because I think it combines a lot of the things that I enjoy, which is long-term continuity of care. It’s about growing up with your patients and seeing them through all the various stages of their life, often meeting patients when they’re babies. I get pictures of high school graduations and life milestones and even see some of my patients have families of their own. Becoming a part of their family is very meaningful to me. I also like complexity and acuity, and gastroenterology and hepatology provide those things.
And then lastly, it’s great to be able to exercise procedural skills and constantly learn new procedural skills.
Q: How did you become interested in the field of pediatric intestinal and liver transplantation?
I did all my training here at Stanford. We have one of the largest pediatric transplant centers and we also have a very large intestinal rehabilitation population.
Coming through residency and fellowship, I had a lot of exposure to transplant and intestinal failure, intestinal rehabilitation. I really liked the longitudinal relationship I got to form with my patients. Sometimes they’re in the neonatal ICU, where you’re meeting them in their very first days of life. You follow them through their chronic illness, through transplant and after transplant for many years. You become not just their GI, but the center of their care.
Q: What challenges are unique to this type of transplant work?
Pediatric intestinal failure and intestinal transplant represents an incredibly small subset of children. Oftentimes, they do not get the resources and recognition on a national policy level or even at the hospital level that other gastrointestinal diseases receive. What’s difficult is they are such a small subset but their complexity and their needs are probably in the highest percentile. So that’s a really challenging combination to start with. And there’s only a few centers that specialize in doing intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplantation for children in the country.
Developing expertise has been slow. But I think in the last decade or so, our understanding and success with intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplantation has really improved, especially at large centers like Stanford. We’ve had a lot of success stories and have not had any graft loss since 2014.
Q: Are these transplants hard to acquire?
Yes, especially when you’re transplanting not just the intestines but the liver as well. You’re waiting for two organs, not just one organ. And on top of that, you’re waiting for an appropriately sized donor; usually a child who’s around the same size or same age who’s passed away. Those organs would have to be a good match. Children can wait multiple years for a transplant.
Q: Is there a success story you’d like to share?
One patient I met in the neonatal ICU had congenital short bowel syndrome. He was born with hardly any intestines. He developed complications of being on long-term intravenous nutrition, which included recurrent central line infections and liver disease. He was never able to eat because he really didn’t have a digestive system that could adequately absorb anything. He had a central line in one of his large veins, so he couldn’t go swimming.
He had to have special adaptive wear to even shower or bathe and couldn’t travel. It’s these types of patients that benefit so much from transplant. Putting any kid through transplant is a massive undertaking and it certainly has risks. But he underwent a successful transplant at the age of 8—not just an intestinal transplant, but a multi-visceral transplant of the liver, intestine, and pancreas. He’s 9 years old now, and no longer needs intravenous nutrition. He ate by mouth for the very first time after transplant. He’s trying all sorts of new foods and he was able to go to a special transplant camp for children. Getting on a plane to Los Angeles, which is where our transplant camp is, was a huge deal.
He was able to swim in the lake. He’s never been able to do that. And he wants to start doing sports this fall. This was really a life-changing story for him.
Q: What advancements lie ahead for this field of work? Have you work on any notable research?
I think our understanding of transplant immunology has really progressed, especially recently. That’s what part of my research is about—using novel therapies to modulate the immune system of pediatric transplant recipients. The No. 1 complication that occurs after intestinal transplant is rejection because obviously you’re implanting somebody else’s organs into a patient.
I am involved in a clinical trial that’s looking at the use of extracellular vesicles that are isolated from hematopoietic stem cells. These vesicles contain various growth factors, anti-inflammatory proteins and tissue repair factors that we are infusing into intestinal transplant patients with the aim to repair the intestinal tissue patients are rejecting.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons?
My husband and I have an almost 2-year-old little girl. She keeps us busy and I spend my afternoons chasing after a crazy toddler.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Huge texter
Favorite junk food?
French fries
Cat or dog person?
Dog
Favorite ice cream?
Strawberry
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?Florist
Best place you’ve traveled to?
Thailand
Number of cups of coffee you drink per day?
Too many
Favorite city in the US besides the one you live in?
New York City
Favorite sport?
Tennis
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist
The best part about working with kids is that “I get to laugh every day,” said Ke-You (Yoyo) Zhang, MD, clinical assistant professor for pediatrics–gastroenterology and hepatology at Stanford Medicine in California.
Everyday life for them is a challenge.
Dealing with sick children is difficult. “But I think the difference between pediatrics and adults is despite how hard things get, children are the single most resilient people you’re ever going to meet,” she said.
Kids don’t always know they’re sick and they don’t act sick, even when they are. “Every day, I literally get on the floor, I get to play, I get to run around. And truly, I have fun every single day. I get excited to go to work. And I think that’s what makes work not feel like work,” said Dr. Zhang.
In an interview, she discussed the satisfaction of following patients throughout their care continuum and her research to reduce the likelihood of transplant rejection.
She also shared an inspirational story of one young patient who spent his life tied to an IV, and how a transplant exposed him to the normal joys of life, like swimming, going to camp and getting on a plane for the first time.
Q: Why did you choose this subspecialty of pediatric GI?
I think it’s the best subspecialty because I think it combines a lot of the things that I enjoy, which is long-term continuity of care. It’s about growing up with your patients and seeing them through all the various stages of their life, often meeting patients when they’re babies. I get pictures of high school graduations and life milestones and even see some of my patients have families of their own. Becoming a part of their family is very meaningful to me. I also like complexity and acuity, and gastroenterology and hepatology provide those things.
And then lastly, it’s great to be able to exercise procedural skills and constantly learn new procedural skills.
Q: How did you become interested in the field of pediatric intestinal and liver transplantation?
I did all my training here at Stanford. We have one of the largest pediatric transplant centers and we also have a very large intestinal rehabilitation population.
Coming through residency and fellowship, I had a lot of exposure to transplant and intestinal failure, intestinal rehabilitation. I really liked the longitudinal relationship I got to form with my patients. Sometimes they’re in the neonatal ICU, where you’re meeting them in their very first days of life. You follow them through their chronic illness, through transplant and after transplant for many years. You become not just their GI, but the center of their care.
Q: What challenges are unique to this type of transplant work?
Pediatric intestinal failure and intestinal transplant represents an incredibly small subset of children. Oftentimes, they do not get the resources and recognition on a national policy level or even at the hospital level that other gastrointestinal diseases receive. What’s difficult is they are such a small subset but their complexity and their needs are probably in the highest percentile. So that’s a really challenging combination to start with. And there’s only a few centers that specialize in doing intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplantation for children in the country.
Developing expertise has been slow. But I think in the last decade or so, our understanding and success with intestinal rehabilitation and intestinal transplantation has really improved, especially at large centers like Stanford. We’ve had a lot of success stories and have not had any graft loss since 2014.
Q: Are these transplants hard to acquire?
Yes, especially when you’re transplanting not just the intestines but the liver as well. You’re waiting for two organs, not just one organ. And on top of that, you’re waiting for an appropriately sized donor; usually a child who’s around the same size or same age who’s passed away. Those organs would have to be a good match. Children can wait multiple years for a transplant.
Q: Is there a success story you’d like to share?
One patient I met in the neonatal ICU had congenital short bowel syndrome. He was born with hardly any intestines. He developed complications of being on long-term intravenous nutrition, which included recurrent central line infections and liver disease. He was never able to eat because he really didn’t have a digestive system that could adequately absorb anything. He had a central line in one of his large veins, so he couldn’t go swimming.
He had to have special adaptive wear to even shower or bathe and couldn’t travel. It’s these types of patients that benefit so much from transplant. Putting any kid through transplant is a massive undertaking and it certainly has risks. But he underwent a successful transplant at the age of 8—not just an intestinal transplant, but a multi-visceral transplant of the liver, intestine, and pancreas. He’s 9 years old now, and no longer needs intravenous nutrition. He ate by mouth for the very first time after transplant. He’s trying all sorts of new foods and he was able to go to a special transplant camp for children. Getting on a plane to Los Angeles, which is where our transplant camp is, was a huge deal.
He was able to swim in the lake. He’s never been able to do that. And he wants to start doing sports this fall. This was really a life-changing story for him.
Q: What advancements lie ahead for this field of work? Have you work on any notable research?
I think our understanding of transplant immunology has really progressed, especially recently. That’s what part of my research is about—using novel therapies to modulate the immune system of pediatric transplant recipients. The No. 1 complication that occurs after intestinal transplant is rejection because obviously you’re implanting somebody else’s organs into a patient.
I am involved in a clinical trial that’s looking at the use of extracellular vesicles that are isolated from hematopoietic stem cells. These vesicles contain various growth factors, anti-inflammatory proteins and tissue repair factors that we are infusing into intestinal transplant patients with the aim to repair the intestinal tissue patients are rejecting.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons?
My husband and I have an almost 2-year-old little girl. She keeps us busy and I spend my afternoons chasing after a crazy toddler.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Huge texter
Favorite junk food?
French fries
Cat or dog person?
Dog
Favorite ice cream?
Strawberry
If you weren’t a gastroenterologist, what would you be?Florist
Best place you’ve traveled to?
Thailand
Number of cups of coffee you drink per day?
Too many
Favorite city in the US besides the one you live in?
New York City
Favorite sport?
Tennis
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist
In a Parallel Universe, “I’d Be a Concert Pianist” Says Tennessee GI
She also relishes opportunities to think, to analyze, and solve problems for her patients.
One of her chief interests is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It’s reassuring to focus on a field of work “where I know exactly what’s causing the issue, and I can select a therapeutic approach (medication and lifestyle changes) that help a patient achieve remission,” said Dr. Pointer, co-owner and managing partner of Digestive and Liver Health Specialists in Hendersonville, Tenn. She’s also the medical director and a principal investigator of Quality Medical Research in Nashville, and currently serves as chair of the AGA Trainee and Early Career Committee.
Starting her own practice has been just as challenging and rewarding as going through medical school. Medical training does not prepare you for starting your own practice, Dr. Pointer said, so she and her business partner have had to learn as they go. “But I think we’ve done very well. We’ve taken the ups and downs in stride.”
In an interview, Dr. Pointer spoke more about her work in IBD and the ways in which she’s given back to the community through music and mentoring.
Q: Why did you choose GI?
I knew from a very young age that I was going to be a physician. I had always been interested in science. When I got into medical school and became exposed to the different areas, I really liked the cognitive skills where you had to think through a problem or an issue. But I also liked the procedural things as well.
During my internal medicine residency training, I felt that I had a knack for it. As I was looking at different options, I decided on gastroenterology because it combined both cognitive thinking through issues, but also taking it to the next step and intervening through procedures.
Q: During fellowship, your focus was inflammatory bowel disease. What drew your interest to this condition?
There are a lot of different areas within gastroenterology that one can subspecialize in, as we see the full gamut of gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders. But treating some conditions, like functional disorders, means taking more of a ‘trial and error’ approach, and you may not always get the patient a hundred percent better. That’s not to say that we can’t improve a patient’s quality of life, but it’s not always a guarantee.
But inflammatory bowel disease is a little bit different. Because I can point to an exact spot in the intestines that’s causing the problem, it’s very fulfilling for me as a physician to take a patient who is having 10-12 bloody bowel movements a day, to normal form stools and no abdominal pain. They’re able to gain weight and go on about their lives and about their day. So that was why I picked inflammatory bowel disease as my subspecialty.
Q: Tell me about the gastroenterology elective you developed for family medicine residents and undergraduate students. What’s the status of the program now?
I’ve always been interested in teaching and giving back to the next generations. I feel like I had great mentor opportunities and people who helped me along the way. In my previous hospital position, I was able to work with the family medicine department and create an elective through which residents and even undergraduate students could come and shadow and work with me in the clinic and see me performing procedures.
That elective ended once I left that position, at least as far as I’m aware. But in the private practice that I co-own now, we have numerous shadowing opportunities. I was able to give a lecture at Middle Tennessee State University for some students. And through that lecture, many students have reached out to me to shadow. I have allowed them to come shadow and do clinic work as a medical assistant and watch me perform procedures. I have multiple students working with me weekly.
Q: Years ago, you founded the non-profit Enchanted Fingers Piano Lessons, which gave free piano lessons to underserved youth. What was that experience like?
Piano was one of my first loves. In some parallel universe, there’s a Dr. Pointer who is a classical, concert pianist. I started taking piano lessons when I was in early middle school, and I took to it very quickly. I was able to excel. I just loved it. I enjoyed practicing and I still play.
The impetus for starting Enchanted Fingers Piano lessons was because I wanted to give back again to the community. I came from an underserved community. Oftentimes children and young adults in those communities don’t get exposed to extracurricular activities and they don’t even know what they could potentially have a passion for. And I definitely had a passion for piano. I partnered with a church organization and they allowed me to use their church to host these piano lessons, and it was a phenomenal and rewarding experience. I would definitely like to start it up again one day in the future. It was an amazing experience.
It’s actually how I met my husband. He was one of the young adult students who signed up to take lessons. We both still enjoy playing the piano together.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons?
I’m a creative at heart. I really enjoy sewing and I’m working on a few sewing projects. I just got a serger. It is a machine that helps you finish a seam. It can also be used to sew entire garments. That has been fun, learning how to thread that machine. When I’m not doing that or just relaxing with my family, I do enjoy curling up with a good book. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Talking
Favorite junk food?
Chocolate chip cookies
Cat or dog person?
Cat
Favorite vacation?
Hawaii
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
I don’t drink coffee
Favorite ice cream?
Butter pecan
Favorite sport?
I don’t watch sports
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist
She also relishes opportunities to think, to analyze, and solve problems for her patients.
One of her chief interests is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It’s reassuring to focus on a field of work “where I know exactly what’s causing the issue, and I can select a therapeutic approach (medication and lifestyle changes) that help a patient achieve remission,” said Dr. Pointer, co-owner and managing partner of Digestive and Liver Health Specialists in Hendersonville, Tenn. She’s also the medical director and a principal investigator of Quality Medical Research in Nashville, and currently serves as chair of the AGA Trainee and Early Career Committee.
Starting her own practice has been just as challenging and rewarding as going through medical school. Medical training does not prepare you for starting your own practice, Dr. Pointer said, so she and her business partner have had to learn as they go. “But I think we’ve done very well. We’ve taken the ups and downs in stride.”
In an interview, Dr. Pointer spoke more about her work in IBD and the ways in which she’s given back to the community through music and mentoring.
Q: Why did you choose GI?
I knew from a very young age that I was going to be a physician. I had always been interested in science. When I got into medical school and became exposed to the different areas, I really liked the cognitive skills where you had to think through a problem or an issue. But I also liked the procedural things as well.
During my internal medicine residency training, I felt that I had a knack for it. As I was looking at different options, I decided on gastroenterology because it combined both cognitive thinking through issues, but also taking it to the next step and intervening through procedures.
Q: During fellowship, your focus was inflammatory bowel disease. What drew your interest to this condition?
There are a lot of different areas within gastroenterology that one can subspecialize in, as we see the full gamut of gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders. But treating some conditions, like functional disorders, means taking more of a ‘trial and error’ approach, and you may not always get the patient a hundred percent better. That’s not to say that we can’t improve a patient’s quality of life, but it’s not always a guarantee.
But inflammatory bowel disease is a little bit different. Because I can point to an exact spot in the intestines that’s causing the problem, it’s very fulfilling for me as a physician to take a patient who is having 10-12 bloody bowel movements a day, to normal form stools and no abdominal pain. They’re able to gain weight and go on about their lives and about their day. So that was why I picked inflammatory bowel disease as my subspecialty.
Q: Tell me about the gastroenterology elective you developed for family medicine residents and undergraduate students. What’s the status of the program now?
I’ve always been interested in teaching and giving back to the next generations. I feel like I had great mentor opportunities and people who helped me along the way. In my previous hospital position, I was able to work with the family medicine department and create an elective through which residents and even undergraduate students could come and shadow and work with me in the clinic and see me performing procedures.
That elective ended once I left that position, at least as far as I’m aware. But in the private practice that I co-own now, we have numerous shadowing opportunities. I was able to give a lecture at Middle Tennessee State University for some students. And through that lecture, many students have reached out to me to shadow. I have allowed them to come shadow and do clinic work as a medical assistant and watch me perform procedures. I have multiple students working with me weekly.
Q: Years ago, you founded the non-profit Enchanted Fingers Piano Lessons, which gave free piano lessons to underserved youth. What was that experience like?
Piano was one of my first loves. In some parallel universe, there’s a Dr. Pointer who is a classical, concert pianist. I started taking piano lessons when I was in early middle school, and I took to it very quickly. I was able to excel. I just loved it. I enjoyed practicing and I still play.
The impetus for starting Enchanted Fingers Piano lessons was because I wanted to give back again to the community. I came from an underserved community. Oftentimes children and young adults in those communities don’t get exposed to extracurricular activities and they don’t even know what they could potentially have a passion for. And I definitely had a passion for piano. I partnered with a church organization and they allowed me to use their church to host these piano lessons, and it was a phenomenal and rewarding experience. I would definitely like to start it up again one day in the future. It was an amazing experience.
It’s actually how I met my husband. He was one of the young adult students who signed up to take lessons. We both still enjoy playing the piano together.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons?
I’m a creative at heart. I really enjoy sewing and I’m working on a few sewing projects. I just got a serger. It is a machine that helps you finish a seam. It can also be used to sew entire garments. That has been fun, learning how to thread that machine. When I’m not doing that or just relaxing with my family, I do enjoy curling up with a good book. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Talking
Favorite junk food?
Chocolate chip cookies
Cat or dog person?
Cat
Favorite vacation?
Hawaii
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
I don’t drink coffee
Favorite ice cream?
Butter pecan
Favorite sport?
I don’t watch sports
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist
She also relishes opportunities to think, to analyze, and solve problems for her patients.
One of her chief interests is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It’s reassuring to focus on a field of work “where I know exactly what’s causing the issue, and I can select a therapeutic approach (medication and lifestyle changes) that help a patient achieve remission,” said Dr. Pointer, co-owner and managing partner of Digestive and Liver Health Specialists in Hendersonville, Tenn. She’s also the medical director and a principal investigator of Quality Medical Research in Nashville, and currently serves as chair of the AGA Trainee and Early Career Committee.
Starting her own practice has been just as challenging and rewarding as going through medical school. Medical training does not prepare you for starting your own practice, Dr. Pointer said, so she and her business partner have had to learn as they go. “But I think we’ve done very well. We’ve taken the ups and downs in stride.”
In an interview, Dr. Pointer spoke more about her work in IBD and the ways in which she’s given back to the community through music and mentoring.
Q: Why did you choose GI?
I knew from a very young age that I was going to be a physician. I had always been interested in science. When I got into medical school and became exposed to the different areas, I really liked the cognitive skills where you had to think through a problem or an issue. But I also liked the procedural things as well.
During my internal medicine residency training, I felt that I had a knack for it. As I was looking at different options, I decided on gastroenterology because it combined both cognitive thinking through issues, but also taking it to the next step and intervening through procedures.
Q: During fellowship, your focus was inflammatory bowel disease. What drew your interest to this condition?
There are a lot of different areas within gastroenterology that one can subspecialize in, as we see the full gamut of gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders. But treating some conditions, like functional disorders, means taking more of a ‘trial and error’ approach, and you may not always get the patient a hundred percent better. That’s not to say that we can’t improve a patient’s quality of life, but it’s not always a guarantee.
But inflammatory bowel disease is a little bit different. Because I can point to an exact spot in the intestines that’s causing the problem, it’s very fulfilling for me as a physician to take a patient who is having 10-12 bloody bowel movements a day, to normal form stools and no abdominal pain. They’re able to gain weight and go on about their lives and about their day. So that was why I picked inflammatory bowel disease as my subspecialty.
Q: Tell me about the gastroenterology elective you developed for family medicine residents and undergraduate students. What’s the status of the program now?
I’ve always been interested in teaching and giving back to the next generations. I feel like I had great mentor opportunities and people who helped me along the way. In my previous hospital position, I was able to work with the family medicine department and create an elective through which residents and even undergraduate students could come and shadow and work with me in the clinic and see me performing procedures.
That elective ended once I left that position, at least as far as I’m aware. But in the private practice that I co-own now, we have numerous shadowing opportunities. I was able to give a lecture at Middle Tennessee State University for some students. And through that lecture, many students have reached out to me to shadow. I have allowed them to come shadow and do clinic work as a medical assistant and watch me perform procedures. I have multiple students working with me weekly.
Q: Years ago, you founded the non-profit Enchanted Fingers Piano Lessons, which gave free piano lessons to underserved youth. What was that experience like?
Piano was one of my first loves. In some parallel universe, there’s a Dr. Pointer who is a classical, concert pianist. I started taking piano lessons when I was in early middle school, and I took to it very quickly. I was able to excel. I just loved it. I enjoyed practicing and I still play.
The impetus for starting Enchanted Fingers Piano lessons was because I wanted to give back again to the community. I came from an underserved community. Oftentimes children and young adults in those communities don’t get exposed to extracurricular activities and they don’t even know what they could potentially have a passion for. And I definitely had a passion for piano. I partnered with a church organization and they allowed me to use their church to host these piano lessons, and it was a phenomenal and rewarding experience. I would definitely like to start it up again one day in the future. It was an amazing experience.
It’s actually how I met my husband. He was one of the young adult students who signed up to take lessons. We both still enjoy playing the piano together.
Q: When you’re not being a GI, how do you spend your free weekend afternoons?
I’m a creative at heart. I really enjoy sewing and I’m working on a few sewing projects. I just got a serger. It is a machine that helps you finish a seam. It can also be used to sew entire garments. That has been fun, learning how to thread that machine. When I’m not doing that or just relaxing with my family, I do enjoy curling up with a good book. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
Talking
Favorite junk food?
Chocolate chip cookies
Cat or dog person?
Cat
Favorite vacation?
Hawaii
How many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
I don’t drink coffee
Favorite ice cream?
Butter pecan
Favorite sport?
I don’t watch sports
Optimist or pessimist?
Optimist
Patient Navigators for Serious Illnesses Can Now Bill Under New Medicare Codes
In a move that acknowledges the gauntlet the US health system poses for people facing serious and fatal illnesses, Medicare will pay for a new class of workers to help patients manage treatments for conditions like cancer and heart failure.
The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule includes new billing codes, including G0023, to pay for 60 minutes a month of care coordination by certified or trained auxiliary personnel working under the direction of a clinician.
A diagnosis of cancer or another serious illness takes a toll beyond the physical effects of the disease. Patients often scramble to make adjustments in family and work schedules to manage treatment, said Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, medical director of oncology at Thyme Care, a Nashville, Tennessee–based firm that provides navigation and coordination services to oncology practices and insurers.
“It just really does create a bit of a pressure cooker for patients,” Dr. Mullangi told this news organization.
Medicare has for many years paid for medical professionals to help patients cope with the complexities of disease, such as chronic care management (CCM) provided by physicians, nurses, and physician assistants.
The new principal illness navigation (PIN) payments are intended to pay for work that to date typically has been done by people without medical degrees, including those involved in peer support networks and community health programs. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) expects these navigators will undergo training and work under the supervision of clinicians.
The new navigators may coordinate care transitions between medical settings, follow up with patients after emergency department (ED) visits, or communicate with skilled nursing facilities regarding the psychosocial needs and functional deficits of a patient, among other functions.
CMS expects the new navigators may:
- Conduct assessments to understand a patient’s life story, strengths, needs, goals, preferences, and desired outcomes, including understanding cultural and linguistic factors.
- Provide support to accomplish the clinician’s treatment plan.
- Coordinate the receipt of needed services from healthcare facilities, home- and community-based service providers, and caregivers.
Peers as Navigators
The new navigators can be former patients who have undergone similar treatments for serious diseases, CMS said. This approach sets the new program apart from other care management services Medicare already covers, program officials wrote in the 2024 physician fee schedule.
“For some conditions, patients are best able to engage with the healthcare system and access care if they have assistance from a single, dedicated individual who has ‘lived experience,’ ” according to the rule.
The agency has taken a broad initial approach in defining what kinds of illnesses a patient may have to qualify for services. Patients must have a serious condition that is expected to last at least 3 months, such as cancer, heart failure, or substance use disorder.
But those without a definitive diagnosis may also qualify to receive navigator services.
In the rule, CMS cited a case in which a CT scan identified a suspicious mass in a patient’s colon. A clinician might decide this person would benefit from navigation services due to the potential risks for an undiagnosed illness.
“Regardless of the definitive diagnosis of the mass, presence of a colonic mass for that patient may be a serious high-risk condition that could, for example, cause obstruction and lead the patient to present to the emergency department, as well as be potentially indicative of an underlying life-threatening illness such as colon cancer,” CMS wrote in the rule.
Navigators often start their work when cancer patients are screened and guide them through initial diagnosis, potential surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, said Sharon Gentry, MSN, RN, a former nurse navigator who is now the editor in chief of the Journal of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators.
The navigators are meant to be a trusted and continual presence for patients, who otherwise might be left to start anew in finding help at each phase of care.
The navigators “see the whole picture. They see the whole journey the patient takes, from pre-diagnosis all the way through diagnosis care out through survival,” Ms. Gentry said.
Gaining a special Medicare payment for these kinds of services will elevate this work, she said.
Many newer drugs can target specific mechanisms and proteins of cancer. Often, oncology treatment involves testing to find out if mutations are allowing the cancer cells to evade a patient’s immune system.
Checking these biomarkers takes time, however. Patients sometimes become frustrated because they are anxious to begin treatment. Patients may receive inaccurate information from friends or family who went through treatment previously. Navigators can provide knowledge on the current state of care for a patient’s disease, helping them better manage anxieties.
“You have to explain to them that things have changed since the guy you drink coffee with was diagnosed with cancer, and there may be a drug that could target that,” Ms. Gentry said.
Potential Challenges
Initial uptake of the new PIN codes may be slow going, however, as clinicians and health systems may already use well-established codes. These include CCM and principal care management services, which may pay higher rates, Mullangi said.
“There might be sensitivity around not wanting to cannibalize existing programs with a new program,” Dr. Mullangi said.
In addition, many patients will have a copay for the services of principal illness navigators, Dr. Mullangi said.
While many patients have additional insurance that would cover the service, not all do. People with traditional Medicare coverage can sometimes pay 20% of the cost of some medical services.
“I think that may give patients pause, particularly if they’re already feeling the financial burden of a cancer treatment journey,” Dr. Mullangi said.
Pay rates for PIN services involve calculations of regional price differences, which are posted publicly by CMS, and potential added fees for services provided by hospital-affiliated organizations.
Consider payments for code G0023, covering 60 minutes of principal navigation services provided in a single month.
A set reimbursement for patients cared for in independent medical practices exists, with variation for local costs. Medicare’s non-facility price for G0023 would be $102.41 in some parts of Silicon Valley in California, including San Jose. In Arkansas, where costs are lower, reimbursement would be $73.14 for this same service.
Patients who get services covered by code G0023 in independent medical practices would have monthly copays of about $15-$20, depending on where they live.
The tab for patients tends to be higher for these same services if delivered through a medical practice owned by a hospital, as this would trigger the addition of facility fees to the payments made to cover the services. Facility fees are difficult for the public to ascertain before getting a treatment or service.
Dr. Mullangi and Ms. Gentry reported no relevant financial disclosures outside of their employers.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
In a move that acknowledges the gauntlet the US health system poses for people facing serious and fatal illnesses, Medicare will pay for a new class of workers to help patients manage treatments for conditions like cancer and heart failure.
The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule includes new billing codes, including G0023, to pay for 60 minutes a month of care coordination by certified or trained auxiliary personnel working under the direction of a clinician.
A diagnosis of cancer or another serious illness takes a toll beyond the physical effects of the disease. Patients often scramble to make adjustments in family and work schedules to manage treatment, said Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, medical director of oncology at Thyme Care, a Nashville, Tennessee–based firm that provides navigation and coordination services to oncology practices and insurers.
“It just really does create a bit of a pressure cooker for patients,” Dr. Mullangi told this news organization.
Medicare has for many years paid for medical professionals to help patients cope with the complexities of disease, such as chronic care management (CCM) provided by physicians, nurses, and physician assistants.
The new principal illness navigation (PIN) payments are intended to pay for work that to date typically has been done by people without medical degrees, including those involved in peer support networks and community health programs. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) expects these navigators will undergo training and work under the supervision of clinicians.
The new navigators may coordinate care transitions between medical settings, follow up with patients after emergency department (ED) visits, or communicate with skilled nursing facilities regarding the psychosocial needs and functional deficits of a patient, among other functions.
CMS expects the new navigators may:
- Conduct assessments to understand a patient’s life story, strengths, needs, goals, preferences, and desired outcomes, including understanding cultural and linguistic factors.
- Provide support to accomplish the clinician’s treatment plan.
- Coordinate the receipt of needed services from healthcare facilities, home- and community-based service providers, and caregivers.
Peers as Navigators
The new navigators can be former patients who have undergone similar treatments for serious diseases, CMS said. This approach sets the new program apart from other care management services Medicare already covers, program officials wrote in the 2024 physician fee schedule.
“For some conditions, patients are best able to engage with the healthcare system and access care if they have assistance from a single, dedicated individual who has ‘lived experience,’ ” according to the rule.
The agency has taken a broad initial approach in defining what kinds of illnesses a patient may have to qualify for services. Patients must have a serious condition that is expected to last at least 3 months, such as cancer, heart failure, or substance use disorder.
But those without a definitive diagnosis may also qualify to receive navigator services.
In the rule, CMS cited a case in which a CT scan identified a suspicious mass in a patient’s colon. A clinician might decide this person would benefit from navigation services due to the potential risks for an undiagnosed illness.
“Regardless of the definitive diagnosis of the mass, presence of a colonic mass for that patient may be a serious high-risk condition that could, for example, cause obstruction and lead the patient to present to the emergency department, as well as be potentially indicative of an underlying life-threatening illness such as colon cancer,” CMS wrote in the rule.
Navigators often start their work when cancer patients are screened and guide them through initial diagnosis, potential surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, said Sharon Gentry, MSN, RN, a former nurse navigator who is now the editor in chief of the Journal of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators.
The navigators are meant to be a trusted and continual presence for patients, who otherwise might be left to start anew in finding help at each phase of care.
The navigators “see the whole picture. They see the whole journey the patient takes, from pre-diagnosis all the way through diagnosis care out through survival,” Ms. Gentry said.
Gaining a special Medicare payment for these kinds of services will elevate this work, she said.
Many newer drugs can target specific mechanisms and proteins of cancer. Often, oncology treatment involves testing to find out if mutations are allowing the cancer cells to evade a patient’s immune system.
Checking these biomarkers takes time, however. Patients sometimes become frustrated because they are anxious to begin treatment. Patients may receive inaccurate information from friends or family who went through treatment previously. Navigators can provide knowledge on the current state of care for a patient’s disease, helping them better manage anxieties.
“You have to explain to them that things have changed since the guy you drink coffee with was diagnosed with cancer, and there may be a drug that could target that,” Ms. Gentry said.
Potential Challenges
Initial uptake of the new PIN codes may be slow going, however, as clinicians and health systems may already use well-established codes. These include CCM and principal care management services, which may pay higher rates, Mullangi said.
“There might be sensitivity around not wanting to cannibalize existing programs with a new program,” Dr. Mullangi said.
In addition, many patients will have a copay for the services of principal illness navigators, Dr. Mullangi said.
While many patients have additional insurance that would cover the service, not all do. People with traditional Medicare coverage can sometimes pay 20% of the cost of some medical services.
“I think that may give patients pause, particularly if they’re already feeling the financial burden of a cancer treatment journey,” Dr. Mullangi said.
Pay rates for PIN services involve calculations of regional price differences, which are posted publicly by CMS, and potential added fees for services provided by hospital-affiliated organizations.
Consider payments for code G0023, covering 60 minutes of principal navigation services provided in a single month.
A set reimbursement for patients cared for in independent medical practices exists, with variation for local costs. Medicare’s non-facility price for G0023 would be $102.41 in some parts of Silicon Valley in California, including San Jose. In Arkansas, where costs are lower, reimbursement would be $73.14 for this same service.
Patients who get services covered by code G0023 in independent medical practices would have monthly copays of about $15-$20, depending on where they live.
The tab for patients tends to be higher for these same services if delivered through a medical practice owned by a hospital, as this would trigger the addition of facility fees to the payments made to cover the services. Facility fees are difficult for the public to ascertain before getting a treatment or service.
Dr. Mullangi and Ms. Gentry reported no relevant financial disclosures outside of their employers.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
In a move that acknowledges the gauntlet the US health system poses for people facing serious and fatal illnesses, Medicare will pay for a new class of workers to help patients manage treatments for conditions like cancer and heart failure.
The 2024 Medicare physician fee schedule includes new billing codes, including G0023, to pay for 60 minutes a month of care coordination by certified or trained auxiliary personnel working under the direction of a clinician.
A diagnosis of cancer or another serious illness takes a toll beyond the physical effects of the disease. Patients often scramble to make adjustments in family and work schedules to manage treatment, said Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, medical director of oncology at Thyme Care, a Nashville, Tennessee–based firm that provides navigation and coordination services to oncology practices and insurers.
“It just really does create a bit of a pressure cooker for patients,” Dr. Mullangi told this news organization.
Medicare has for many years paid for medical professionals to help patients cope with the complexities of disease, such as chronic care management (CCM) provided by physicians, nurses, and physician assistants.
The new principal illness navigation (PIN) payments are intended to pay for work that to date typically has been done by people without medical degrees, including those involved in peer support networks and community health programs. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) expects these navigators will undergo training and work under the supervision of clinicians.
The new navigators may coordinate care transitions between medical settings, follow up with patients after emergency department (ED) visits, or communicate with skilled nursing facilities regarding the psychosocial needs and functional deficits of a patient, among other functions.
CMS expects the new navigators may:
- Conduct assessments to understand a patient’s life story, strengths, needs, goals, preferences, and desired outcomes, including understanding cultural and linguistic factors.
- Provide support to accomplish the clinician’s treatment plan.
- Coordinate the receipt of needed services from healthcare facilities, home- and community-based service providers, and caregivers.
Peers as Navigators
The new navigators can be former patients who have undergone similar treatments for serious diseases, CMS said. This approach sets the new program apart from other care management services Medicare already covers, program officials wrote in the 2024 physician fee schedule.
“For some conditions, patients are best able to engage with the healthcare system and access care if they have assistance from a single, dedicated individual who has ‘lived experience,’ ” according to the rule.
The agency has taken a broad initial approach in defining what kinds of illnesses a patient may have to qualify for services. Patients must have a serious condition that is expected to last at least 3 months, such as cancer, heart failure, or substance use disorder.
But those without a definitive diagnosis may also qualify to receive navigator services.
In the rule, CMS cited a case in which a CT scan identified a suspicious mass in a patient’s colon. A clinician might decide this person would benefit from navigation services due to the potential risks for an undiagnosed illness.
“Regardless of the definitive diagnosis of the mass, presence of a colonic mass for that patient may be a serious high-risk condition that could, for example, cause obstruction and lead the patient to present to the emergency department, as well as be potentially indicative of an underlying life-threatening illness such as colon cancer,” CMS wrote in the rule.
Navigators often start their work when cancer patients are screened and guide them through initial diagnosis, potential surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, said Sharon Gentry, MSN, RN, a former nurse navigator who is now the editor in chief of the Journal of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators.
The navigators are meant to be a trusted and continual presence for patients, who otherwise might be left to start anew in finding help at each phase of care.
The navigators “see the whole picture. They see the whole journey the patient takes, from pre-diagnosis all the way through diagnosis care out through survival,” Ms. Gentry said.
Gaining a special Medicare payment for these kinds of services will elevate this work, she said.
Many newer drugs can target specific mechanisms and proteins of cancer. Often, oncology treatment involves testing to find out if mutations are allowing the cancer cells to evade a patient’s immune system.
Checking these biomarkers takes time, however. Patients sometimes become frustrated because they are anxious to begin treatment. Patients may receive inaccurate information from friends or family who went through treatment previously. Navigators can provide knowledge on the current state of care for a patient’s disease, helping them better manage anxieties.
“You have to explain to them that things have changed since the guy you drink coffee with was diagnosed with cancer, and there may be a drug that could target that,” Ms. Gentry said.
Potential Challenges
Initial uptake of the new PIN codes may be slow going, however, as clinicians and health systems may already use well-established codes. These include CCM and principal care management services, which may pay higher rates, Mullangi said.
“There might be sensitivity around not wanting to cannibalize existing programs with a new program,” Dr. Mullangi said.
In addition, many patients will have a copay for the services of principal illness navigators, Dr. Mullangi said.
While many patients have additional insurance that would cover the service, not all do. People with traditional Medicare coverage can sometimes pay 20% of the cost of some medical services.
“I think that may give patients pause, particularly if they’re already feeling the financial burden of a cancer treatment journey,” Dr. Mullangi said.
Pay rates for PIN services involve calculations of regional price differences, which are posted publicly by CMS, and potential added fees for services provided by hospital-affiliated organizations.
Consider payments for code G0023, covering 60 minutes of principal navigation services provided in a single month.
A set reimbursement for patients cared for in independent medical practices exists, with variation for local costs. Medicare’s non-facility price for G0023 would be $102.41 in some parts of Silicon Valley in California, including San Jose. In Arkansas, where costs are lower, reimbursement would be $73.14 for this same service.
Patients who get services covered by code G0023 in independent medical practices would have monthly copays of about $15-$20, depending on where they live.
The tab for patients tends to be higher for these same services if delivered through a medical practice owned by a hospital, as this would trigger the addition of facility fees to the payments made to cover the services. Facility fees are difficult for the public to ascertain before getting a treatment or service.
Dr. Mullangi and Ms. Gentry reported no relevant financial disclosures outside of their employers.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
SVS Now Accepting Abstracts for VAM 2017
Abstracts for the 2017 Vascular Annual Meeting are now being accepted. The submission site opened Monday, Nov. 14 for the meeting, to be held May 31 to June 3, 2017, in San Diego. Plenary sessions and exhibits will be June 1 to 3.
Participants may submit abstracts into any of 14 categories and a number of presentation types, including videos. In 2016, organizers selected approximately two-thirds of the submitted abstracts, and this year the VAM Program Committee is seeking additional venues for people to present their work in, including more sessions and other presentation formats.
Click here for abstract guidelines and more information. Abstracts themselves may be submitted here.
Abstracts for the 2017 Vascular Annual Meeting are now being accepted. The submission site opened Monday, Nov. 14 for the meeting, to be held May 31 to June 3, 2017, in San Diego. Plenary sessions and exhibits will be June 1 to 3.
Participants may submit abstracts into any of 14 categories and a number of presentation types, including videos. In 2016, organizers selected approximately two-thirds of the submitted abstracts, and this year the VAM Program Committee is seeking additional venues for people to present their work in, including more sessions and other presentation formats.
Click here for abstract guidelines and more information. Abstracts themselves may be submitted here.
Abstracts for the 2017 Vascular Annual Meeting are now being accepted. The submission site opened Monday, Nov. 14 for the meeting, to be held May 31 to June 3, 2017, in San Diego. Plenary sessions and exhibits will be June 1 to 3.
Participants may submit abstracts into any of 14 categories and a number of presentation types, including videos. In 2016, organizers selected approximately two-thirds of the submitted abstracts, and this year the VAM Program Committee is seeking additional venues for people to present their work in, including more sessions and other presentation formats.
Click here for abstract guidelines and more information. Abstracts themselves may be submitted here.