GASTROENTEROLOGY

& LIVER DISEASE,

COLORECTAL AND

GENERAL SURGERY

UHhospitals.org/Digestive • GASTROENTEROLOGY & LIVER DISEASE, AND COLORECTAL AND GENERAL SURGERY | 32 | UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CASE MEDICAL CENTER • 1-866-UH4-CARE

University Hospitals Digestive Health Institute at UH Case Medical Center, comprising the Divisions of Gastroenterology & Liver Disease, and Colorectal and General Surgery, is consistently one of the best in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. Our specialists are national leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of the digestive system using novel therapies, minimally invasive surgery and the most advanced technology. Expert medical and surgical teams collaborate to provide comprehensive, compassionate care for each patient, including essential preventive screening and wellness initiatives.

The UH Digestive Health Institute is led by Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhD, Chief, Division of Gastroenterology & Liver Disease, UH Case Medical Center; and Hermann Menges Jr. Chair and Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Conor P. Delaney, MD, MCh, PhD, FRCSI, FACS, FASCRS, Chief, Division of Colorectal Surgery; and Interim Chair, Department of Surgery, UH Case Medical Center; Director, Skills and Simulation Center; and Jeffrey L. Ponsky Professor of Surgical Education, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The multidisciplinary team consists of gastroenterologists, hepatologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, oncologists, nurse practitioners and nutritionists from UH Case Medical Center, UH Seidman Cancer Center and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

Our integrated model of health care means patients are seen at one location by specialists from multiple disciplines who collaborate on personalized care plans. For patients with co-occurring conditions, providers work closely with specialists in other UH institutes and departments.

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DIGESTIVE HEALTH

INSTITUTE

Among the nation’s leading academic medical centers, UH Case Medical Center is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

With more than 1,000 registered beds, UH Case Medical Center provides primary, specialty and subspecialty medical and surgical care. Located in the heart of Cleveland’s University Circle on a beautiful 35-acre campus, UH Case Medical Center includes general medical, intensive care and surgical units as well as three major hospitals:

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS SEIDMAN CANCER CENTER

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS MACDONALD WOMEN’S HOSPITAL

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS RAINBOW BABIES & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Our physicians and researchers – who also serve as faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine – are leaders in their respective fields, and their ongoing clinical research programs push the boundaries of medical progress.

To learn more, visit UHhospitals.org

UH CASE MEDICAL CENTER

ACCELERATING BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERIES INTO MEDICINESThe Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals is the nonprofit arm of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, a national initiative supporting breakthrough research by physician-scientists. The Harrington Project is a new and powerful approach to address the challenges of advancing discoveries into medicines.

To learn more, visit HarringtonDiscovery.org

HARRINGTON DISCOVERY INSTITUTE

Visit UHhospitals.org/CME for the latest in live, webinar and on-demand Continuing Medical Education events.

Dr. Fabio CominelliDr. Conor Delaney

UHhospitals.org/Digestive • GASTROENTEROLOGY & LIVER DISEASE, AND COLORECTAL AND GENERAL SURGERY | 54 | UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CASE MEDICAL CENTER • 1-866-UH4-CARE

Physicians and surgeons of UH Digestive Health Institute at UH Case Medical Center are internationally recognized leaders in minimally invasive surgical approaches to digestive diseases and in the treatment of complex and reoperative cases. This multidisciplinary team maintains a focus on pioneering techniques to make treatments safer and ensure the best patient outcomes.

Most upper gastrointestinal surgery can already be performed laparoscopically, but the surgeons and gastroenterologists at UH Case Medical Center continue to push the boundaries of minimally invasive approaches. As an example, Jeffrey Marks, MD, Surgical Director, Advanced Technology & Innovation Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Professor of Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, performs peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), a novel treatment that restores swallowing function in particular patients with achalasia. With POEM, surgeons pass an endoscope through the mouth and down the esophagus to cut muscle fibers and open the esophagus, allowing food to enter the stomach. Because the procedure is completed without a skin incision, patients recover faster than those undergoing traditional surgery.

Physicians at UH Case Medical Center also use advanced endoscopic techniques to diagnose and treat Barrett’s esophagus (BE), a disease that is a leading predictor of esophageal cancer. Amitabh Chak, MD, Medical Director, Advanced Technology & Innovation Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, and John Dumot, DO, Medical Director, Esophageal & Swallowing Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, perform

endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), a pioneering treatment using an endoscope to resect a wide area of dysplastic BE or early esophageal cancer en bloc.

Our specially trained surgeons, along with colleagues at UH Seidman Cancer Center, use minimally invasive and robotic surgery to treat upper gastrointestinal cancers, such as cancer of the stomach and pancreas. Hepatobiliary surgery, led by Christopher Siegel, MD, PhD, Surgical Director, Liver Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Associate Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine, provides a full range of innovative techniques and technology to treat even the most complex cases, including advanced cancers of the liver and bile ducts. Dr. Siegel was one of the first physicians in the United States to perform associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS). This breakthrough surgical technique involves accelerating liver regeneration to remove malignant liver tumors previously considered irresectable.

Colorectal surgeons at UH Case Medical Center, led by Dr. Conor Delaney, have extensive experience with minimally invasive procedures, training other physicians on these techniques nationally and internationally. Using small incisions, UH colorectal surgeons perform major bowel resections for colon and rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis and other debilitating conditions, enabling many patients

All National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for basic and clinical research is awarded to the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

to go home within a day or two and return to normal activities more quickly. The group is also highly experienced in treating patients with locally advanced or recurrent cancers, patients who have had prior surgeries with postoperative difficulties and patients with major cancers involving vascular and bony structures in the pelvis. A multidisciplinary team approach ensures that patients with complex conditions receive the highest level of care.

UH Case Medical Center’s Comprehensive Hernia Care and Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Center is leading the way in innovative minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical techniques and materials for every type of hernia. Co-led by Yuri Novitsky, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine, and Ajita Prabhu, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine, our surgeons take a team approach and care for the full spectrum of hernia cases, ranging from straightforward cases to complicated reconstructions involving active infection, fistulas, and patients with multiple comorbidities and multiple previous operations.

To meet the demand for accessing advanced gastrointestinal services close to home, the UH Digestive Health Institute’s endoscopic gastroenterologists and surgeons provide diagnostic and therapeutic procedures at many sites

throughout the University Hospitals system. Dr. John Dumot and Michael Koehler, MD, Medical Director, Community Gastroenterology & Quality Center; and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, lead in the measurement of quality metrics around screening colonoscopy, something the team has been doing longer than most other programs in the country. Supporting its expanded locations, UH Digestive Health Institute continues to attract the country’s best and brightest clinicians, recently welcoming Anthony Senagore, MD, MBA, Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine, past president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Working with the gastroenterologists and surgeons at UH Case Medical Center, our Community Gastroenterology & Quality Center team offers anorectal surgery, colorectal surgery and liver disease management, as well as treatment for hemorrhoids, fistulas, fecal incontinence and pelvic floor disorders.

FORGING MEDICINE’S FUTURE WITH

MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL OPTIONS

Dr. John Dumot

6 | UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CASE MEDICAL CENTER • 1-866-UH4-CARE

CLINICAL ADVANCESINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE CENTER: Led by Jeffry Katz, MD, Medical Director, IBD Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Sharon L. Stein, MD, Surgical Director, IBD Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Associate Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine, IBD specialists offer advanced surgical techniques such as laparoscopic or robotic ileal pouch-anal anastomosis – known as J-pouch surgery – and strictureplasty, which reshapes the bowel to make it wider and shorter to manage stricturing Crohn’s disease.

LIVER CENTER: Under the direction of Dr. Christopher Siegel and Pierre Gholam, MD, Medical Director, Liver Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Associate Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, hepatologists, surgeons, interventional radiologists, and medical and radiation oncologists offer open and laparoscopic liver surgery, liver transplantation, intraoperative radiation for cancer, intraoperative MRI, radiofrequency ablation techniques, microwave ablation techniques, and advanced intervention treatment for liver cancer and metastatic tumors, including drug-eluting beads and yttrium-90 CyberKnife®. The center also has state-of-the-art resources to treat hepatitis, which includes the Chronic Hepatitis Antiviral Management Program (CHAMP), one of the largest hepatitis management programs in the region.

INTESTINAL FAILURE UNIT: University Hospitals is one of a few institutions in the U.S. to have this specialized program, which coordinates care for patients with intestinal failure, such as surgeries, reconstructive procedures, nutrition plans, wound care and long-term solutions. Referrals to the unit come from across the nation and around the world.

GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER CENTER: As part of UH Seidman Cancer Center, and led by Jeffrey Hardacre, MD, Surgical Director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Associate Professor, School of Medicine, and Gregory Cooper, MD, Medical Director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, UH Digestive Health Institute; and Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, the center offers total screening, diagnosis and management of various gastrointestinal cancers. It is one of the few centers in the U.S. to offer heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which can be used to treat inoperable colorectal or appendix cancer that has spread to the peritoneum.

ANNUAL COLORECTAL RESIDENTS CAREER COURSE: UH Case Medical Center and the Department of Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine offer this two-day event, which reaches the majority of colorectal residents in the U.S. More than 20 physician-faculty members from UH and other institutions participate in training residents in colorectal medicine through interactive courses and labs.

coordinated care

Dr. Jeffrey Hardacre

Dr. Sharon L. Stein

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UHhospitals.org/Digestive • GASTROENTEROLOGY & LIVER DISEASE, AND COLORECTAL AND GENERAL SURGERY | 98 | UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CASE MEDICAL CENTER • 1-866-UH4-CARE

Dr. Thomas Sferra

In 2011, the National Cancer Institute awarded $11.3 million to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, creating a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers. The program, a collaborative effort of the School of Medicine and UH Seidman Cancer Center that includes researchers from UH Digestive Health Institute, is conducted under the leadership of Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, UH Seidman Cancer Center; and Francis Wragg Ingalls Professor of Cancer Genetics and Principal Investigator, GI SPORE, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

All National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for basic and clinical research is awarded to the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

The commitment to exceptional patient care begins with revolutionary discovery. University Hospitals Case Medical Center is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, a national leader in medical research and education and consistently ranked among the top research medical schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Through their faculty appointments at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, physicians at UH Case Medical Center are advancing medical care through innovative research and discovery that bring the latest treatment options to patients.

TOMORROW’S CURES TODAY.

UH Case Medical Center’s physicians, surgeons and scientists –

all members of the faculty of Case Western Reserve University

School of Medicine – are leaders in their respective fields,

and their ongoing research programs are at the leading edge

of medical progress. A strong emphasis on translational, or

“bench-to-bedside,” research means that new and innovative

treatments and technologies transfer more rapidly from the

research laboratory to actual patient care.

At the UH Digestive Health Institute’s IBD Center, research focuses on the pathogenesis and treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, including participation in the latest clinical trials. The New England Journal of Medicine included an editorial from Dr. Fabio Cominelli. The editorial, “Inhibition of Leukocyte Trafficking in Inflammatory Bowel Disease,” accompanies the results of two clinical trials that examined whether treatment with the drug vedolizumab could help patients with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease who had failed to get enough relief from standard medications. Dr. Cominelli noted that the new class of drugs that targets specific pathogenic mechanisms of disease, primarily in the form of monoclonal blocking antibodies, has revolutionized how gastroenterologists treat IBD, significantly improving patients’ quality of life.

Thomas Sferra, MD, Division Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Martin and Betty Rosskamm Endowed Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, is internationally renowned for his work on the discovery and development of novel gene- and small molecular-based therapies for inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer. He and his team have begun a series of studies to determine the impact of interleukin 6 on gastrointestinal mucosa, small molecular inhibitors targeted toward interleukin 6, and novel therapies directed against specific genes and proteins known to be involved in the development of colon cancer. His team also is collaborating with a Chinese research group to examine the potential use of traditional Chinese medicines as therapies for inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

Dr. Sanford Markowitz

In addition to innovative treatment of Barrett’s esophagus (BE), and research into its genetic origins, UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine are conducting leading-edge research in the hope of someday using a pharmaceutical approach to stop BE from progressing to cancer. For example, a small, randomized Phase II trial will study whether metformin hydrochloride will prevent esophageal cancer in patients with BE, with results possible by the end of this year. Linda Cummings, MD, gastroenterologist, UH Case Medical Center; and Assistant Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, is also evaluating the use of Vitamin D3 to determine whether it is beneficial in reducing the risk of developing esophageal cancer in patients with BE.

10 | UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS CASE MEDICAL CENTER • 1-866-UH4-CARE UHhospitals.org/Digestive • GASTROENTEROLOGY & LIVER DISEASE, AND COLORECTAL AND GENERAL SURGERY | 11

LEADERSHIP

Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhDChief, Division of Gastroenterology & Liver DiseaseDirector, UH Digestive Health InstituteHermann Menges Jr. Chair and Professor in Internal Medicine

Conor P. Delaney, MD, MCh, PhD, FRCSI, FACS, FASCRSChief, Division of Colorectal SurgeryDirector, UH Digestive Health InstituteInterim Chair, Department of SurgeryDirector, Skills and Simulation CenterJeffrey L. Ponsky Professor of Surgical Education

PHYSICIAN STAFF

Rami Abbass, MDClinical Instructor of Medicine

Atiye Aktay, MDAssistant Professor of Pediatrics

John Ammori, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Constantinos Anastassiades, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine

Nami Azar, MDAssistant Professor of Radiology

Virginia Baez-Socorro, MDAssistant Professor of Pediatrics

Edward Barksdale Jr., MDProfessor of Surgery

Raul M. Bosio, MDClinical Assistant Professor of Surgery

Igal Breitman, MDClinical Instructor of Surgery

Scott Boulanger, MD, PhDAssistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery

R. Bruce Cameron, MDClinical Professor of Medicine

Amitabh Chak, MDProfessor of Medicine

Bradley Champagne, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Stanley Martin Cohen, MDProfessor of Medicine

Gregory Cooper, MDProfessor of Medicine

Linda Cummings, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine

Maneesh Dave, MDInstructor of Medicine

Anthony DeRoss, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics

Vladimir Dubchuk, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Surgery

John Dumot, DOProfessor of Medicine

Heidi Elliott, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Yngve Falck-Ytter, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine

Ashley Faulx, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine

Kevin Geraci, MDClinical Professor of Medicine

Pierre Gholam, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine

Brooke Glessing, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine

Amitabh Goel, MDAssociate Clinical Professor of Surgery

Katarina Greer, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine

Vikas Gulani, MDAssistant Professor of Radiology

John Haaga, MDProfessor of Radiology

Jeffrey Hardacre, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Karin Herrmann, MD, PhDVisiting Associate Professor of Radiology

Vanessa Humphreville, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Gerard Isenberg, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine

John Jasper, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Surgery

Jeffry Katz, MDProfessor of Medicine

Leena Khaitan, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Ali Khalili, MDAssistant Professor of Pediatrics

Sadaf Khan, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Surgery

Julian Kim, MDProfessor of Surgery

CLINICIANS AND SCIENTISTSat UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

PHYSICIANS IN THE COMMUNITY

Riadh Al-Mudallal, MDJames Boyle, MDClinical Associate Professor of Medicine

Don Brinberg, MDBenjamin Bryant, MDJoseph DiBlasio, MDDavid Ferguson, MDMichael Frankel, MDKeith Friedenberg, MDDavid Gottesman, MDClinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

Sayed Khatami, MDMichael Kirsch, MDSenior Clinical Instructor of Medicine

Brian Kirsh, MDAshok Vardhan Kondru, MDJack Lissauer, MD

Maria Madden, MDMark Melamud, MDClinical Instructor of Medicine

Doris Myers, DOMichael Nowak, MDJeffrey Parks, MDMichael Joseph Pollack, MDClinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

Gregory Powell, MDSteven Schwartz, MDSenior Clinical Instructor of Medicine

Thomas Taxman, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics

Richard Ungvarsky, MDBoris Vinogradsky, MDMiriam Vishny, MDSenior Clinical Instructor of Medicine

Jason Wolf, MDPeter Yang, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Medicine

GASTROENTEROLOGY & LIVER DISEASE, COLORECTAL AND GENERAL SURGERY

Margaret Kinnard, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine

Michael Koehler, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Medicine

Elias Leon-Ruiz, MDAssistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine

Philip Linden, MDChief, Division of Thoracic & Esophageal SurgeryAssociate Professor of Surgery

Nadia Mansour, MDClinical Instructor of Medicine

Eric Marderstein, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhDProfessor of Medicine

Jeffrey Marks, MDProfessor of Surgery

Badar Muneer, MDInstructor of Medicine

Dean Nakamoto, MDAssociate Professor of Radiology

Yuri Novitsky, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Raymond Onders, MDProfessor of Surgery

Raj Paspulati, MDAssociate Professor of Radiology

Yaron Perry, MDClinical Associate Professor of Surgery

Anthony Post, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine

Ajita Prabhu, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Harry Reynolds Jr., MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Jason Robke, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Pablo Ros, MDProfessor of Radiology

Fred Rothstein, MDClinical Professor of Pediatrics

James Rowbottom, MDAssociate Professor of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine

Raymond Rozman Jr., MDSenior Clinical Instructor of Medicine

Edmund Sanchez, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Anthony Senagore, MD, MBAProfessor of Surgery

Thomas Sferra, MDAssociate Professor of Pediatrics

Eric Shapiro, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Medicine

Christopher T. Siegel, MD, PhDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Judy Splawski, MDAssociate Professor of Pediatrics

Sharon L. Stein, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Sapna Thomas, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine

Joseph A. Trunzo, MDAssistant Professor of Surgery

Hazel Veloso, MDAssistant Clinical Professor of Medicine

Deepak Venkat, MDAssistant Professor of Medicine

Joseph Willis, MDAssociate Professor of Pathology

Richard Wong, MDProfessor of Medicine

Kenneth Woodside, MDAssociate Professor of Surgery

Wei Xin, MD, PhDAssistant Professor of Pathology

To refer a patient or learn more about

Gastroenterology & Liver Disease, and Colorectal

and General Surgery at UH Case Medical Center,

call 1-866-UH4-CARE (1-866-844-2273) or visit

UHhospitals.org/Digestive.

© 2014 University Hospitals BRA 00309