Five residents from our Department of Medicine displayed posters and gave oral presentations at the prestigious Digestive Disease Week (DDW) meeting, held May 14 to 19 in Chicago. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Turning Science into Medicine”. Our resident’s strong showing at this meeting demonstrates our program’s solid commitment to and ongoing success in research. Much gratitude is due to the faculty members involved in these projects and for their support of resident research.

The DDW meeting is the largest and most significant event for the GI professional. Over 14,000 physicians and researchers from around the world attend. According to the DDW web site (http://www.ddw.org), this meeting offers the best opportunity for physicians to learn about the latest advances in gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, and gastrointestinal surgery; prevention, diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders; and technological advances in the field.

Our five residents who presented are:

Antonik SJ, Tang Y, Grimm G, Kahrilas P, Hirano I, Barrett TA. Induction of Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling in Esophagitis and Barrett's Esophagus. Poster.

Dhere T, Mittal N, Tang Y, Shah N, Barrett, T. Activation of Local T Cells Results in TNF mRNA and Protein Expression Within Small Intestinal Crypt Epithelia and is Dependent Upon TNF Receptor ½ Signaling in a Murine Model. Named Poster of Distinction. Only the top 10% of all abstracts submitted to the DDW receive this honor.

Wessinger S, Williams M, Jones MP, Sharp L, Keshavarzian A, Crowell M, Choi L. Increased Use Of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in Patients Admitted With Acute Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage. Oral presentation.

Coté GA, Ferreira MR, Rozenberg K, Howden CW. Program of Stepping Down From Twice-Daily PPI Therapy for Symptomatic GERD Associated with a PPI Formulary Change at a VA Medical Center. Poster.

Schreiner M, Pandolfino J, Dhalla S, Zhang Z, Kahrilas PJ. Reflux Event Detection Using the Bravo Wireless vs. the Slimline Catheter-Mark iii Digitrapper pH Systems: Why are the Numbers So Different? Oral presentation.

The DDW meeting is sponsored by four medical societies, representing a combined membership of over 23,700 physicians, researchers, educators, and other medical professionals:

• The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)
• The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
• The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)
• The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).