Fiscal Year 2007 - Department of Medicine - University of ...

paresis Registry and furthering the nation’s understanding
of gastroparesis and its etiology.
The other five participating institutions in the
Consortium are the University of Michigan Medical
Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Center, Temple University Hospital, and the University
of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
In addition to gastroparesis, faculty research
interests within the division include GERD, functional
dyspepsia, diabetic enteropathy, pelvic floor
dysfunction, dysphagia, sedation for endoscopy, irritable
bowel syndrome, colorectal neoplasia, and
hepatitis C.
The division’s GI motility initiative evolved
this past year into a formal Gastric Stimulation Program.
UMMC is the only facility in the state to offer
gastric stimulator implanted placement for any type
of gastroparesis.
Roland Garretson, MD, is spearheading efforts
to expand the biliary endoscopy and bioethics
program. Walter Boone, MD, supervises the Digestive
Disease Clinic at the Jackson Medical Mall.
Drs. Maher Azzouz and Kalyana Lavu are
active in the liver and therapeutic endoscopy program,
located at the G.V. (“Sonny”) Montgomery
Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center.
The division also supervises UMMC’s Nutritional
Support Team, and faculty members work
with pharmacists, nutritionists, and other healthcare
providers to care for the nutritional needs of patients.
The team receives about 40 consults per
month with an average length of care of one week,
attending to more than 3,000 patient days per year.
Team members are active in the local American Society
for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition chapter
and sponsor educational meetings on nutrition
every year.
The division continues to conduct a very robust
fellowship program. Fellows include Drs. Chris
Abrasley, Vikas Dembla, Trippe McNeese, Namita
Pareek, Matt Runnels, Narendra Siddaiah, and
Vikram Tarugu.
All fellows within the division made scientific
presentations at various national and regional scientific
meetings this academic year. During the third
annual Department of Medicine Research Day, the
division was represented in all three of the Research
Day awards. The awards are based on the quality of
the research design, the significance of the findings,
the current and anticipated impacts on the applicable
field of study, and the individual’s ability to present
his or her findings when queried.
Narendra Siddaiah, MD, received the firstplace
award for his project, “Prevalence of Hepatic
Iron Overload and Association with Hepatocellular
Center in End-Stage Liver Disease: Results from the
National Hemochromatosis Transplant Registry.”
Stephen Weeks, MD, a second-year resident,
received the second-place award for his project,
“Mucosal Amplitude Ratio of Temporary EGG
Predicts Outcome of Response to Gastric Electrical
Stimulation.”
Chris Abrasley, MD, received the third-place
award for his project, “Impact of Combined Gastric
and Sacral Stimulators on Upper/Lower Gastrointestinal
and Urinary Symptoms.”
Finally, faculty members from the division
published several articles in peer-reviewed journals
on such diverse topics as gastroparesis, nutrition
support, functional bowel disorders, and gastrointestinal
endoscopy.
49