U.S. News & World Report ranks UCLA Gastroenterology and GI Surgery among top in the Nation

 

We are pleased and proud to share the news that UCLA Gastroenterology and GI Surgery placed #3 in the nation for the 2023-24 annual U.S. News & World Report rankings.

We are equally proud that U.S. News & World Report recognized our hospitals as one of the nation's best in a broad assessment of excellence in hospital-based patient care.

UCLA Health ranking


Why anemia occurs in ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is marked by rectal bleeding, bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain and cramping, and can raise the risk for anemia, particularly if it isn't well-controlled. Nirupama N. Bonthala, MD, director of Women’s Health in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, provides expert commentary in this Health Central article.


How a new stool test may help reduce colorectal cancer deaths

According to a new study published in The Lancet Oncology, a new stood test could offer improved detection of precursors to colorectal cancer. Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, provided expert commentary in this Medical News Today article.


What to know about Crohn’s disease pain

While most Crohn’s disease patients know that abdominal discomfort is a hallmark symptom of this form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), many still have questions about what Crohn’s pain feels like for others with the disease, how bad it can get, and what will make it go away. Nirupama N. Bonthala, MD, director of Women’s Health in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, provides expert commentary in this Health Central article.


Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, interviewed by ABC News on the troubling increase in colon and breast cancer in younger adults

Death rates from cancer have declined by 33% since 1991, averting 4.1 million deaths. However, more people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, and at earlier ages, according to a major new report from the American Cancer Society. Especially concerning is the rising number of deaths of young people from colon cancer. Oncologists say that the colon cancer trends in the U.S. are matched by other high-income countries and say it's possible the increase could be due to lifestyles or environmental exposures for younger generations. Environmental factors, such as exposure to chemicals in foods and in the air, and other currently unidentified factors, such as the recent legalization of cannabis and increased cannabis use, can't be ruled out as risk factors. "There are studies that even show that risk factors like whether or not you were breastfed, whether or not you had antibiotics at a high rate as a child -- that these factors might be predicting your chances of getting cancer when you're an adult," said Dr. Fola May, gastroenterologist and researcher at UCLA Health. Read full story


The UCLA Research Park: Immunology and Immunotherapy

UCLA has acquired the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall, which the university will transform into the UCLA Research Park — bringing together scholars and industry experts from around the world to create a nexus for discovery and innovation that will benefit Southern California and beyond. The 700,000-square-foot property, located 2 miles south of the Westwood campus, will initially host two multidisciplinary research centers: the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering. The new UCLA Research Park is made possible in part by an intended $500 million investment, with $200 million already allocated, from the state of California to establish and fund the immunology and immunotherapy institute at UCLA. The institute is also supported by a group of founding donors from the biotechnology, academic, entrepreneurship and philanthropic communities led by Meyer Luskin, Dr. Gary Michelson, Dr. Eric Esrailian, Dr. Arie Belldegrun, Sean Parker and Michael Milken. “Immunology plays a central role in the GI tract in both health and disease,” Dr. Esrailian says. “As a division, we are extremely excited to be part of this independent institute. It will be transformational for the field of digestive diseases as well as other disease areas by leveraging UCLA’s unique strengths and establishing an ecosystem for entrepreneurship that will ensure discoveries are translated to therapies and technologies that benefit patients.” Learn more at UCLA Newsroom 


Gut check: Five reasons why taking care of your gut can help you this flu season

A healthy digestive system plays a key role in your overall health and immune system response. Your immune system is an elaborate network in your body that is influenced by many different factors. One major determinant of how your immune system functions is the health of your gut. “In someone who is healthy, this gut microbiome is protective against pathogens that can enter the body through the food we eat or water we drink,” notes Nancee Jaffe, RDN, GI dietitian. This role can even extend outside the digestive system, potentially warding off respiratory infections like the flu. Read the EveryDay Health article on five reasons to take your gut health seriously


Can you drink alcohol if you have GERD?

One question that many people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have is how often they can or should drink alcohol. Alcohol is an established GERD trigger, but that doesn’t mean everyone with GERD will experience symptoms after they enjoy a glass of wine. “It really comes down to what the individual can tolerate best,” says Kate Evans, MS, RDN, GI dietitian. “There are no hard-and-fast rules for GERD.” Read the EveryDay Health article on triggers and tips for drinking alcohol if you have GERD


Why does my poop smell bad?

Poop, feces, stool — whatever you call it, there's no denying the unpleasant smell. While it's perfectly normal for poo to be pungent, you may wonder what it is about our excrement that makes it stink. So why does poop smell bad? "Stools are generally not a pleasant smell because they are releasing byproducts of your digestion," Shelby Yaceczko, MS, RDN-AP, CNSC, CSSD, advanced practice registered dietitian, told Live Science. Read the article


The keto diet protects against epileptic seizures. Scientists are uncovering why

The high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is more than just a trendy weight-loss tactic. It has also been known to help control seizures in children with epilepsy, particularly those who don’t respond to first-line anti-seizure medications. In a new UCLA study published in the journal Cell Reports, researchers demonstrate that changes to the human gut microbiome associated with the ketogenic diet can confer protection against seizures in mice. Understanding how microbiome function is altered by diet could aid in the development of new therapeutic approaches that incorporate these beneficial changes while avoiding certain drawbacks of the diet, said the study’s lead author, Gregory Lum, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Hsiao’s laboratory. Dr. Hsiao, director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, was senior author on the study. Read the story on UCLA News & Insights