Course Directors: 
Toba Weinstein, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Fellowship Training Program Director
Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology
Cohen Children’s Medical Center
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Northwell Health

Maria E. Perez, DO
Attending Physician, Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition)
Associate Program Director, Fellowship Training Program
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago


Postgraduate Course
Thursday, November 7, 2024
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Module 1 – FGID/Motility
Moderators: Toba Weinstein, MD, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Thomas Ciecierega, MD, NYP - Weill Cornell Medical College

8:00 AM    DGBI: Prescribing for the First Brain and Second Brain
                   Hannibal Person, MD, FAAP, Seattle Children's Hospital
                   Learning objectives:
  • Classify the roles of different neuromodulators in the management of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), including indications, dosing strategies, and navigating side-effects
  • Differentiate symptom patterns in patients with DGBI in consideration of neuromodulator therapy, including psychological comorbidities
  • Formulate neuromodulator therapy plans for common presentations of DGBI
8:20 AM    Neurostimulation for Pediatric DGBIs: Practical Tips and Tricks
                 Neha R. Santucci, MD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
                 Learning objectives:
  • Characterize patient selection, expectations, potential side effects, and long-term management strategies during neurostimulation for pediatric disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI)
  • Evaluate the evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of neurostimulation for pediatric DGBI
  • Outline future directions, including novel applications, interdisciplinary care and potential combination therapies
8:40 AM    Orthostatic Intolerance and Dysautonomia: Role of the Gastroenterologist in Demystifying the Myths
                   John Edward Fortunato, Jr., MD, Lurie Children's Hospital
                   Learning objectives:
  • Delineate the problem in understanding the relationship between autonomic symptoms such as orthostatic intolerance (OI) and DGBI
  • Discuss relevant co-morbidities
  • Recognize the importance of comprehensive symptom assessment towards mechanistic understanding and effective treatment
9:00 AM - 10:20 AM Module 2 – Liver/Pancreas
Moderators: Maria E. Perez, DO, Lurie Children's Hospital and Nadia Ovchinsky, MD, MBA, FAASLD, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

9:00 AM    Chronic Viral Hepatitis Coinfections: Management and Challenges
                   Norberto Rodriguez-Baez, MD, UT Southwestern
                   Learning objectives:
  • Describe the epidemiology and natural history of chronic viral hepatitis coinfections
  • Summarize the recommendations for monitoring patients with chronic viral hepatitis coinfections
  • Outline the treatment options for chronic viral hepatitis coinfections
9:20 AM    Challenges and Opportunities in the Pre-transplant Management of Children with End-Stage Liver Disease
                   Mercedes Martinez, MD, New York Presbyterian Hospital
                   Learning objectives:
  • Describe  how to identify end-stage liver disease complications
  • Categorize treatment for end-stage liver disease complications
  • Identify  when to refer patients to the transplant center
9:40 AM    From Surviving to Thriving: What Lies Ahead after Pediatric Liver Transplantation
                   Vicky Ng, MD, FRCPC, The Hospital for Sick Children
                   Learning objectives:
  • Highlight current issues affecting the health status of long-term survivors of pediatric liver transplantation
  • Describe complications of long term survivors of pediatric liver transplantation
  • Define the patient role in post pediatric liver transplant care
10:00 AM  Pancreatic Function Testing in Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis
                   Amit Grover, MD, FAAP, Boston Children's Hospital
                   Learning objectives:
  • Discuss the indications for Pancreatic Function Testing
  • Outline the current modalities for Pancreatic Function testing in Acute vs Recurrent Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis
  • Identify the shortcomings of the current modalities of pancreatic function testing, and future directions for improvement and innovation in testing
10:20 AM - 10:40 AM Break
10:40 AM - 11:40 AM Module 3 - Endoscopy
Moderators: Toba Weinstein, MD, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Lisa Fahey, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

10:40 AM     It's not Always Esophagitis: Inlet Patches, Schatzki's Rings, Hiatal Hernias, and More!
                     Wenly Ruan, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
                     Learning objectives:
  • Describe common esophageal findings/disorders
  • Discuss diagnosis and endoscopic management strategies for these disorders
11:00 AM     Pediatric GI Bleeding: Next-gen Treatments for Young Patients
                     Yolanda Rivas, MD, Children's Hospital At Montefiore
                     Learning objectives:
  • Describe the endoscopic resources and new interventions and techniques for managing the pediatric patient with acute GI bleeding
  • Discuss the advances and possible future directions of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with GI bleeding
11:20 AM    Cracking the Code: Endoscopic Grading Systems
                     Tom K. Lin, MD, Rady Children's Hospital
                     Learning objectives:
  • Discuss the utility of endoscopic grading systems
  • Outline the benefits and limitations of  endoscopic grading systems
  • Illustrate the clinical applications  of endoscopic grading systems

11:40 AM - 1:00 PM Lunch on your own/Learning Lunches*

1. Management of the Difficult GI Bleeder
Yolanda Rivas, MD, Children's Hospital At Montefiore and Alexander Koral, MD, Yale School of Medicine

2. Chronic Viral Hepatitis Coinfections: Management and Challenges
Norberto Rodriguez-Baez, MD, UT Southwestern and Steven Ciciora, MD, Nationwide Children's Hospital

3. Evaluating the Pancreas
Amit Grover, MD, FAAP, Boston Children's Hospital and Samuel Bitton, MD, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Northwell Health 

4. How To Approach Prescribing Psychiatric Medications for DGBI
Hannibal Person, MD, Seattle Children's Hospital and Tanaz Danialifar, MD, CHLA

5. Prioritizing Medications in the Challenging IBD Patient
Cary Sauer, MD, Emory University / Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Jacob Kurowski, MD, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital

6. Celiac Disease Screening for Patients and Family Members
Ritu Verma, MD, University of Chicago and Marisa Gallant Stahl, MD, MSCS, Children's Hospital Colorado

7. When Your Patient Refuses to Eat
Valerie Marchand, MD, Ste-Justine UHC and Erealda Prendaj, MD, Wake Forest University

8. Is My Patient Really Allergic?
Craig A. Friesen, MD, Children's Mercy Hospital and Deborah A. Neigut, MD, Children's Hospital Colorado

*Please note Learning Lunches are a separately ticketed events, but you do need to first be registered for the Postgraduate Course in order to register for a learning lunch. 
1:00 PM - 2:20 PM Module 4 – Inflammatory Disease
Moderators: Maria E. Perez, DO, Lurie Children's Hospital and Sonia Michail, MD, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

1:00 PM        Prioritizing Medications in IBD: Choose Wisely
             Cary Sauer, MD, Emory University / Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
             Learning objectives:
  • Evaluate and understand the data and guidelines pertinent to selecting initial treatment approaches for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), encompassing safety, efficacy, and considerations for insurance approval
  • Utilize available data to inform decisions regarding second, third, and fourth-line therapeutic strategies in the management of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)
  • Explore additional factors such as dose optimization/therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), shared decision-making, and the integration of adjuvant therapies into treatment protocols
  • Integrate the insights gained from this discussion into your clinical practice to enhance patient care and treatment decision-making
1:20 PM        The Role of Imaging and Intestinal Ultrasound in Monitoring Inflammatory Bowel Disease
                      Mallory Chavannes, MD, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
                      Learning objectives:
  • Summarize  the evidence for objective monitoring in IBD
  • Describe the basics  of performing intestinal ultrasound and interpreting findings
  • Describe the positioning of intestinal ultrasound compared to other monitoring modalities
1:40 PM        Block the Clot: VTE Prophylaxis in IBD
             Kimberley A. Chien, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College
                     Learning objectives:
  • Summarize the pathophysiology and incidence of VTEs in IBD
  • Categorize risk factors of VTEs in pediatric IBD
  • Outline the safety of VTE prophylaxis in children with IBD
  • Formulate a plan for  VTE screening and  VTE prophylaxis in children in IBD
2:00 PM       Celiac Disease: A Roadmap to Disease Monitoring
                    Ritu Verma, MD, University of Chicago
                    Learning objectives:
  • Summarize the need for disease monitoring
  • Identify the role of serology in disease monitoring
  • Interpret  the role of immunopeptides in disease monitoring
  • Classify role of biopsies in disease monitoring
2:20 PM – 2:40 PM Break
2:40 PM - 4:00 PM Module 5 – Nutrition/Potpourri
Moderators: Toba Weinstein, MD, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Rachel Kassel, MD, PhD, UAB At Birmingham and Children's of Alabama

2:40 PM      When the Lymph isn't Flowing: Management of Lymphatic Disorders
                     Jefferson Naylor Brownell, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
                    Learning objectives:
  • Recall the anatomy, normal function, and dysfunction of the lymphatic system as it relates to GI practice
  • Categorize  the adverse consequences of lymphatic dysfunction, with an emphasis on protein-losing enteropathy
  • Summarize therapeutic approaches to lymphatic disorders
3:00 PM      Dietary Therapies in IBD: Updates on the Evidence
                     Sandra Chihyun Kim, MD, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital
                     Learning objectives:
  • Describe the impact of diet in IBD from an epidemiologic perspective
  • Discuss the impact of diet on intestinal inflammation
  • Outline the evidence for specific defined diets in IBD therapy
  • Examine future directions in nutritional approaches to IBD
3:20 PM       Food Intolerance and Allergies in DGBIs: When is Testing Appropriate?
                     Craig A. Friesen, MD, Children's Mercy Hospital
                     Learning objectives:
  • Summarize the role of food in inducing symptoms in DGBIs
  • Illustrate  the difference between food intolerances and allergies
  • Evaluate  the value of allergy testing in DGBI
3:40 PM      The Picky Eater
                     Valerie Marchand, MD, Ste-Justine UHC
                     Learning objectives:
  • Define the term “picky eater”
  • Explain the impacts of “picky eating”
  • Examine the interaction between the “picky eater” and their caregivers
  • Formulate methods by which caregivers can help  their “picky eater”
The Postgraduate Course is supported in part through an educational grant from Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition