On Friday, February 26, the division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology presented their annual continuing medical education (CME) conference to gastroenterology clinicians around the Midwest from the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel and Conference Center.

Attendees were physicians and physician assistants from a mix of emergency medicine, family medicine, and internal medicine specialties in the region. Gastroenterologist Alan Gunderson, MD, facilitated the event, introducing presenters and offering questions for them to field as panelists following each of their talks.

Presenters were nearly all physicians from University of Iowa Health Care at all levels of their careers, but for Elizabeth Cooper, PA-C, who set the stage by opening the conference with her talk, The Guts of IBD for the Primary Care Provider.

Throughout the day, attendees were given the opportunity to interact with each other and with industry vendors, who supported the conference, in-between didactic sessions. They also enjoyed healthy, focus-driven food throughout the event, including a mid-morning energy booster bar, featuring a build-your-own trail mix snack, fresh vegetable crudités, and green and berry smoothie shooters.

Presenter topics included:

Beth Cooper, PA-C
The Guts of IBD for the Primary Care Provider

Divya Ashat, MBBS
Health Maintenance in IBD

Serhan Karvar, MD, PhD
Evaluation and Management of Chronic Disease

M. Salman Ansari, MD
Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and De-prescribing

David Elliott, MD, PhD
GERD, Barrett’s, What, Who, When, Why

Rintaro Hashimoto, MD
IEGD Indications

Dean Abramson, MD
Screening for Colorectal Cancer: What Every Primary Care Provider Needs to Know

Antonio Sanchez, MD
Fatty Liver Diseases

Alan Gunderson, MD
Cirrhosis for the Primary Care Provider

Masaaki Kurahashi, MD, PhD
EndoFLIP in Focus: Guiding Dysphagia Patients to the Right Care

Congratulations to the conference organizers and planning committee for putting together an immersive and informative day, complete with what one attendee called, “the best conference food I’ve ever eaten!”

Elizabeth Cooper, PA-C
Alan Gunderson, MD
Hilary Humphrey, MBA
Taryn Owens, MBA