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November 2024

Message from Chief Loren Laine, MD

Laine YSM Photo 4

Dear Colleagues,

This season, many of us have been busy presenting research, giving invited lectures, and moderating sessions at the major digestive diseases conferences in the U.S. At least 18 of our faculty members presented their work and led sessions this week at The Liver Meeting in San Diego, and in late October, I joined many of our colleagues at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course in Philadelphia. Congratulations to everyone who played a role in planning programs, sharing research, giving talks, and sparking conversations to advance our field. A special congratulations to Jill Gaidos, who co-chaired the ACG Postgraduate Course, one of the premier educational meetings of the year.

Please also join me in congratulating Tamar Taddei, who was recently elected as co-chair of the Committee on the Status of Women in Medicine (SWIM), effective July 1, 2025. I am certain Tamar will be an outstanding and effective leader of the organization, which aims to address issues related to gender equality at the Yale School of Medicine. I look forward to lending support wherever I can.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and this year, I am again grateful to work with our team of exceptional faculty, trainees, and staff. I hope you enjoy reading about some of our innovative work in this quarter’s newsletter.

I wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a very happy new year.

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
loren.laine@yale.edu

Digestive Diseases Newsletter

  • Pancreatic Cysts: A Q&A with James Farrell, MD

    James Farrell, MD, recently published a review on the current state of clinical care and research for pancreatic cysts in the New England Journal of Medicine. We spoke with him about this paper, the state of research around pancreatic cysts, and why he is inspired to learn more about this field.

    Read more
  • Liver Cancer Screening Post-Hep C Cure Improves Survival

    Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common form of liver cancer in adults. Hepatitis C infection is a known cause of hepatocellular carcinoma because the virus causes chronic inflammation and scarring of the liver, known as cirrhosis. Newer anti-viral drugs offer highly effective cures for hepatitis C, leading to stabilization of hepatitis C-related liver disease and decreased rates of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although new infections can occur at any age, the “baby boomer” generation born between 1945-1965 represents the largest population affected by hepatitis C in the United States. Yale's new research looked at whether ongoing liver cancer screening for individuals who achieved hepatitis C cure improves their overall survival rates.

    Read more
  • The First EHR-Based Machine-Learning Model for GI Bleeding

    Yale researchers are developing a machine-learning risk model that uses electronic health record (EHR) data to provide an initial patient assessment based on symptoms rather than where the bleeding is thought to be. In a new paper, they evaluate the machine learning risk model against clinical risk scores to determine the most accurate approach.

    Read more
  • Gut Microbiome Imbalance Promotes Liver Disease in Cystic Fibrosis

    About 30% of patients with cystic fibrosis report liver abnormalities and 10% of these patients go on to experience severe liver disease. Traditionally, cystic fibrosis-related liver disease was thought to be caused primarily by defective bile secretion due to the dysfunctional CFTR protein, which limited treatment options. Yale’s recent study led by Romina Fiorotto, PhD, and Mario Strazzabosco, MD, PhD, has identified a connection between the gut microbiome and the development of liver disease in cystic fibrosis patients.

    Read more
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