We are pleased and proud to share the news that UCLA Gastroenterology and GI Surgery placed #4 in the nation for the 2021-22 annual U.S. News & World Report rankings.Suzanne R. Smith, MSN, NP, CMT-P, discusses pandemic stress and IBS on NPR
"The pandemic created an environment of uncertainty, isolation and less access to supportive resources that people depended on for well-being," says Suzanne, a nurse practitioner at UCLA's Integrative Digestive Health and Wellness Program. The program combines diet and stress management, and Smith helps patients understand the brain-gut connection in IBS. Listen to the 6-minute broadcast including patient interview or read transcript
Seven UCLA GI physicians named L.A.'s Top Doctors 2021 by Los Angeles Magazine
More than 300 UCLA Health physicians were named to Los Angeles Magazine’s 2021 list of “Top Doctors” in Los Angeles. The results are based on a Los Angeles Magazine survey that asked physicians throughout Los Angeles County to identify doctors they considered to be at the top of their fields. Recognized UCLA GI physicians include Peter Anton, MD, professor of medicine, Lynn S. Connolly, MD, MSCR, clinical chief of community practices for the Melvin and Bren Simon Digestive Diseases Center, Terri Getzug, MD, director of the Familiar Mediterranean Fever Clinic, Kevin Ghassemi, MD, clinical chief of Westwood and Beverly Hills for the Melvin and Bren Simon Digestive Diseases Center, Wendy Ho, MD, MPH, health sciences associate clinical professor of medicine, Vikas K. Pabby, MD, MPH, health sciences assistant clinical professor of medicine, and Jenny S. Sauk, MD, director of clinical care for the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. See full list
Enrique Rozengurt, DVM, PhD, AGAF, named among Top 100 Scientists in biology and biochemistry by Research.com
Research.com, a prominent academic platform for scientists, just published the 2022 edition of their Ranking of Top 1000 Scientists in the areas of biology and biochemistry. Their ranking is uses the H-index data gathered by Microsoft Academic and includes only prominent scientists with an H-index of at least 40 for scientific papers published in the fields of biology and biochemistry. Dr. Rozengurt, director of the Digestive Diseases Research Core Center for the Study of Cellular Signaling and Communication (DDRCC-SigCo) and distinguished professor of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, ranked: #249 in the United States, #371 in the world and top three at UCLA.
Jennifer Kolb, MD, MS, selected as the new GI associate editor for Foregut Journal
Foregut is the journal of the American Foregut Society (AFS) which is an interdisciplinary society made up of gastroenterologists and surgeons. This journal focuses exclusively on foregut disease, and links medical, endoscopic and surgical disciplines. The editorial board and associate editors include equal numbers of foregut surgeons and gastroenterologists. Dr. Kolb is an interventional endoscopist at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Heart Behind the White Coat: Diverse Health Hub interviews Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil
Dr. May shares how her upbringing influenced her medical career choice on Heart Behind the White Coat (HBWC). Watch as Dr. May explains how her experiences observing medical missions had an impact in her decision to pursue a career in medicine, places where she connects with patients, and her advice for BIPOC students considering the study of medicine. Dr. May is the director of the Melvin and Bren Simon Gastroenterology Quality Improvement Program and assistant professor of medicine.
Vay Liang W. “Bill” Go, MD, helps establish Endowed Lectureship in Nutrition and Pancreatic Diseases in the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and in the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases
Dr. Go recently pledged $300,000 to The UCLA Foundation to establish the Vay Liang W. (Bill) Go MD Endowed Lectureship in Nutrition and Pancreatic Diseases in the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and in the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases. This is in memory of his late wife, Dr. Frisca Yan Go, who was a professor of neurology and founder and director emerita, UCLA Center for Sleep Disorders. Dr. Go is a distinguished professor and co-director of the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He was the executive chairman of UCLA’s Department of Medicine from 1988 to 1992. He received his internal medicine and gastroenterology training and subsequently became a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. From 1985 to 1988, Dr. Go served in three related capacities at the National Institutes of Health, all involving digestive diseases and nutrition. In 1994, he co-founded the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition with Dr. David Heber. Over a five-decade academic career, his research has focused on the regulation of the human exocrine and endocrine pancreas and gut-brain axis in health and disease.
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, discussed colorectal cancer on Black News Channel
Dr. May, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, was interviewed by Tashanea Whitlow, anchor, Black News Channel. Dr. May discusses colorectal cancer risk and prevention among Black Americans, factors leading to low screening participation among Black individuals and ways we can reduce the burden of this largely preventable disease.
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, discussed colorectal cancer on Black News Channel
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and Dr. May joined Dr. John Torres, medical correspondent on NBC News Facebook Live to talk about updated colorectal cancer screening recommendations, risk factors, the increase in colorectal cancer in younger people and screening options. Dr. May is the director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program.
Could a high-fiber diet help boost cancer survival?
Emeran A. Mayer, MD, director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, provided expert commentary on a study published in Science that explores how diet and the gut microbiome might affect cancer patients' response to immunotherapy. Read Health Day’s article Could a high-fiber diet help boost cancer survival?
