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Digestive Diseases Newsletter

May 2024

Message from Chief Loren Laine, MD

May 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Later this week, many of us will head to Washington, D.C., for Digestive Disease Week, the major digestive diseases meeting of the year. Once again, our faculty and trainees will have a very strong presence at the meeting, giving invited lectures, presenting their research, and moderating sessions. I am exceptionally proud of our section’s continued commitment to scientific discovery and improvement of care for patients everywhere.

I’m also delighted that we were recently ranked number one in the country for digestive care/gastroenterology in the 2024 Castle-Connolly rankings. I hope you take pride in this recognition and the excellent care we deliver. I also congratulate the nearly two dozen members of our section who were selected by their peers and recognized on Connecticut Magazine’s 2024 Top Doctors list.

To add to the list of accomplishments, Bubu Banini, MD, PhD, recently received an R01 grant to conduct a clinical trial on the efficacy of oral digoxin in NASH. Notably, this clinical trial was inspired by basic science from other members of our section, demonstrating the importance of scientific collaboration. It is a testament to Bubu’s abilities that she was awarded this R01 as a full-time clinician within the first three years of completing her training. I encourage you to join us on Friday, May 24, from 5 - 6:30 p.m. in the TAC Courtyard to congratulate Bubu on this achievement.

On a bittersweet note, our longtime colleague, Ronald Vender, MD, will retire after this academic year and become an emeritus professor of medicine on July 1. He has been an incredible force in improving the care of patients with digestive diseases, and our clinical practice is better because of his leadership. Ron, thank you for all you have done for us. You will be missed.

For those of you heading to Washington, D.C., I hope you can join us at our Yale Digestive Disease Week reception on Sunday, May 19, at 7 - 9 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis. It’s a great opportunity for current and past members of our section to come together and share insights from the meeting. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Sincerely,

Loren Laine, MD
Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases)
Section Chief, Digestive Diseases, Yale School of Medicine
Medical Chief, Digestive Health, Yale New Haven Health

May 2024 Newsletter Issue

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May 09, 2024

Search for Affordable Treatment Option for Liver Disease

Until very recently, no treatment options were available for metabolic-associated steatolic liver disease (MASLD) (previously called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). The Food and Drug Administration recently approved resmetirom, the first therapy for the more severe form of MASLD, but there remains a need for a generic, affordable treatment option for patients. Bubu Banini, MD, PhD, was recently awarded a $3.05 million R01 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a five-year research project to investigate the feasibility of oral digoxin as a treatment option for these patients.

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