Miller School Hosts Miami Gastroenterology Congress
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The congress showcased accomplished Miller School faculty and solidified its reputation as a national force in gastroenterology.
Digestive Health and Liver Diseases faculty members at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine hosted the Miami Gastroenterology Congress January 31-February 1 in Coral Gables.
“The congress was an opportunity to showcase our accomplished faculty and solidify our reputation as a national force in gastroenterology. We are excited that, in addition to a traditional lecture format, we featured live endoscopy, which offers next-level education for those who attend,” said Congress Co-director Sunil Amin, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases at the Miller School and system-wide director of endoscopy.
Gastroenterologists, hepatologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and gastrointestinal (GI) fellows from the Miller School and other academic centers attended.
“Many of those attending were community physicians who refer gastroenterology patients who need specialized care,” Dr. Amin said. “Through lectures and the live endoscopy, they learned more about what we do and saw us in action.”
Nationwide Experts in Gastroenterology
The new meeting attracted an impressive roster of speakers in the specialty, according to Congress Co-director Jodie Barkin, M.D., director of pancreatic and small bowel diseases and associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases at the Miller School.
“Those speakers included presidents of two important national GI societies. Prateek Sharma, M.D., of the University of Kansas and president of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, presented an update on his specialty, Barrett’s esophagus. And president of the American College of Gastroenterology, Amy Oxentenko, M.D, of Mayo Clinic, presented on functional GI disorders and bloating,” Dr. Barkin said.
Other national speakers included Amrita Sethi, M.D., a world-class endoscopist from Columbia University, and Raj Keswani, M.D., from Northwestern University, who presented on maximizing colonoscopy efficacy.
“We do a lot of colonoscopies at UM, so we hoped to add to the understanding of this procedure with a brilliant national expert, one who is an expert in colonoscopy quality,” Dr. Amin said.
Miller School Faculty Share Knowledge, Experience
A total of 21 Miller School faculty presented at the congress, on topics ranging from viral hepatitis and cholestatic liver disease to chronic pancreatitis, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colitis.
Among those participating:
• David Goldberg, M.D., Miller School associate professor of clinical hepatology in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, moderated a hepatology panel.
• Paul Martin, M.D., chief of the division and Sol Mandel Endowed Professor of Medicine, presented “The ABCDEs of Viral Hepatitis.”
• Cynthia Levy, M.D., professor in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases and associate director of the Schiff Center for Liver Diseases, and Patricia Jones, M.D., a hepatologist and associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, joined Dr. Goldberg to present during the panel session.
• Daniel Sussman, M.D., M.S.P.H., professor of clinical medicine in Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, presented “Hereditary GI Cancers: Who to Screen and When.”
“Up to 10 percent of GI tract cancers are due to mutations in genes that run in families that can cause cancers. These common tumors include cancers of the pancreas and colon,” Dr. Sussman said. “Identifying genes that cause these cancers helps guide screening exams, with the goal of cancer prevention or identifying cancers early, when they are more likely to be cured.”
Dr. Barkin, who presented “Chronic Pancreatitis: Pain and Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI),” said EPI can be challenging to diagnose. If left undiagnosed, the condition results in significant risks of morbidity and mortality.
“We addressed how this disease presents and how to make the diagnosis early, as well as how to initiate therapy to prevent and mitigate these harms,” Dr. Barkin said. “The Congress was a great opportunity to educate health care providers who are likely to encounter these patients early in the disease process.”
Dr. Amin spoke about third-space endoscopy, which is a blurring of the lines between gastroenterology and minimally invasive surgery.
“Third-space endoscopy is a new, minimally invasive option for patients with diseases including achalasia, gastroparesis or Zenker’s diverticulum,” Dr. Amin said.
One of the most exciting aspects of the Congress, according to Dr. Amin, was to convey knowledge and learn from some of the country’s most notable experts.
“The 2025 congress solidified our reputation as the leading gastroenterology division in South Florida,” Dr. Barkin said. “The plan is to make this an annual event, one that gets bigger and better every year.”
Tags: colitis, Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases, Dr. Cynthia Levy, Dr. Daniel Sussman, Dr. David Goldberg, Dr. Jodie Barkin, Dr. Paul Martin, Dr. Sunil Amin, gastroenterology, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, IBD, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, pancreatitis
