Study shows success of UCLA program's method of training physician-scientists - February 2016
UCLA's Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program recently published a paper in the February issue of Journal of Graduate Medical Education that tracks all 123 graduates from the first 20 years of the STAR Program (through 2013). The piece demonstrates the success of the program with over 80 percent of graduates conducting research in academic or biotechnology careers and 71 percent with academic appointments. The Division of Digestive Diseases has graduated several of these STAR fellows over the past several years. Read more in the UCLA Newsroom | Download the paper

Phillip Ge, MD awarded first place in the 2015 Department of Medicine research poster competition - 2015
Dr. Ge, 2nd year GI fellow, was awarded first place in the 2015 Department of Medicine Research Poster Competition in the Clinical/Health Services Research, Trainee Category. Dr. Ge, under the supervision of Dr. V. Raman Muthusamy, focused his research on "Barrett's Esophagus Quality of Endoscopic Reporting." The study shows that due to poor technique and documentation on referral endoscopy procedures and reports, nearly 40% of patients had their diagnoses changed, about 20% needed additional diagnostic procedure to determine the best next course of action, and that 25% of the time we performed an entirely different procedure than what was requested on the referral. Adherence to accepted reporting and biopsy standards occurred well below 50% of the time. UCLA Interventional Endoscopy is now making this a multicenter project that will be submitted to DDW 2016 in December for next year's meeting in San Diego. The research was done through the division's Quality Program. This award is especially prestigious given the number of highly qualified candidates that he was competing with. Congratulations Dr. Ge!

Deepinder Goyal, MD abstract chosen as ACG most newsworthy - 2015
Dr. Goyal received recognition from ACG for submitting his abstract, Endoscopic Trans-Oral Outlet Reduction in Combination with Gastroplasty (TORe-G) Is a Novel Technique That Is Highly Efficacious and Safe for Weight Loss in Patients With Failed Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB), Poster 186. It was not only selected to be presented at ACG 2015, but also chosen as one of the most "newsworthy" -- novel or significant findings with an impact on GI patient care or public health. 

UCLA GI fellows advance to next round of online GI Jeopardy competition - 2015
The UCLA team scored in the top five of the online GI Jeopardy competition. They will advance to the final round being held October 17, 2015 in Honolulu, HI immediately following the Saturday session of the ACG Postgraduate Course. The competition has grown to 124 GI training programs competing.

The UCLA team consisted of Drs. Deepinder Goyal, Brain Huang and Beth Videlock.  

Drs. Deepinder Goyal and Guy Weiss are recipients of Fellowship2Leadership Fellow's Travel Grant Program
The overall goal of this travel grant program is to facilitate the continued growth and development of 2nd- and 3rd-year gastroenterology and hepatology fellows who have demonstrated the ability and initiative to be future leaders in their field. The program will award 35 travel grants to the best and brightest fellows based on both objective and subjective criteria developed by the Selection Committee. The program is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Chris Almario, MD receives coveted ACG Career Development Award
Dr. Almario is one of three fellows in the nation who received this award. He has also received the rare designation of "ACG Scholar," a term reserved for the small group of CDA awardees honored by the ACG. The funding allows Dr. Almario, for the next three years, to focus on his research and launch his career in health services. The award was granted in pursuant to his proposal titled, "Automated Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Symptoms (AEGIS): A Pragmatic Clinical Trial Evaluating the Impact of AEGIS on Clinical Outcomes." 

Carl Nordstrom, MD quoted in Gastroenterology and Hepatology News
Carl Nordstrom, chief GI fellow, quoted in the cover article For Acute GI Bleeds, Hitting Care Metrics Cuts Hospital Stays of this week's "Gastroenterology and Hepatology News." 

Deepinder Goyal, MD, appointed to ACG committee
Congratulations on the appointment of Dr. Goyal as a member to the FDA related matters committee of the ACG. Approximately 25 eminent gastroenterologists are members of this committee belonging to different institutes across the country. Dr. Goyal was selected after successful completion of his visiting fellowship at the FDA in summer of this year.

Folasade P May, MD selected chief fellow for the STAR Program 
Congratulations to Dr. May for her recent appointment. Learn more about the STAR Program

Carl Nordstrom, MD, named chief GI fellow
Each year, the UCLA GI Fellowship Program director typically selects one fellow amongst the first year class for the position of chief fellow. Over the next two years, the chief fellow acts as the representative of his/her class to the program leadership. With a designated chief fellow in each class, there are usually three chief fellows in the program at any given time.

Although no formal job description exists for the position, the chief fellows are responsible for creating the fellowship rotation schedule each year as well as the quarterly call and vacation schedules. In addition, the chief fellows arrange coverage schemes for retreats and conferences. They may also be asked to take on additional responsibilities by the program leadership as issues arise.   

Andrew Ho, MD and Folasade May, MD, receive Fellowship2Leadership grant - 2014

Drs. Ho and May were recipients of the travel grant program, titled 2014 Fellowship2Leadership Salix Fellows' Program, which is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. They will have the opportunity to attend one of the following 2014 congresses:

  • Digestive Disease Week®, May 3-6, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois
  • ACG 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course, October 17-22, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • The Liver Meeting® 2014, AASLD's 65th Annual Meeting, November 7-11, 2014, in Boston, Massachusetts2014
  • Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (AIBD), Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's Clinical & Research Conference, December 4-6, 2014, in Orlando, Florida

Congratulations for being recognized as future leaders in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology!  

Folasade P. May, MD, awarded appointment By AGA 

Dr. May was invited to serve simultaneously as a trainee member of the newly-created AGA Government Affairs Commitee and as a member of the AGA Trainee and Young GI Committee for two terms. 

Deepinder Goyal, MD, awarded ACG-FDA fellowship - 2014
Dr. Goyal was selected from among many well deserved applicants by the ACG FDA Related Matters Committee as the first awardee for this exciting ACG-FDA collaboration. He received the announcement from the ACG FDA Related Matters Committee on January 16, 2014.  

Claudia Sanmiguel, MD, awarded two grants

Dr. Sanmiguel, and her mentors Dr. Emeran A. Mayer (Division of Digestive Diseases) and Dr. Erik Dutson (Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Division) won two proposals for funding through a ver competitive process after general calls.

The name of the grants are:

  1. The Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center/UCLA National Center of Excellence in Women's Health UCLA CTSI Pilot Research Project Award
  2. The CTRC Seed Grant

The study is designed to explore the changes produced by gastric bypass in brain function and eating behavior  in obese women undergoing weight loss surgery. Weight loss surgery is a very effective treatment for obesity however very little is known about how it works. We are going to explore changes in brain activity related to appetite and eating behavior produced by weight loss surgery. We will also explore if these changes are related to alterations in hormones that control appetite and satiety, if they are related to changes in food preferences and if it is possible to predict who will obtain a greater benefit after undergoing weight loss surgery.

Congratulations, Andrew Ho, MD, for your QI Scholarship Award! - 2013

Dr. Ho was a recipient of the 2013-14 Housestaff QI Scholarship Award. He will be implementing the AGA Quality Measures at the UCLA Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.   

UCLA GI fellows advance in ACG GI Jeapordy - 2013
The UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases would like congratulate Chris Almario, Stephen Kim and Claudia Sanmiguel (listed left to right) for scoring in the top 5 of the GI fellow teams for ACG GI Jeopardy! They will advance to the final round on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 5:15 p.m. in San Diego, California. Kudos!

Deepinder Goyal, MD, recognized - 2013
Congratulations to Dr. Goyal for the 2013 ACG Astra Zeneca Fellow Award for one of the ten best abstracts by fellows in training!