Bench to Bedside Management of GI Disorders and Liver Disease
Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
The Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition provides comprehensive patient care for a broad range of gastrointestinal, nutritional, and liver disorders. We strive for excellence in clinical care and teaching and support basic and clinical research to advance the frontiers of our field.
In 2023…
- We celebrated our 500th liver transplant as the largest pediatric liver transplant center in New York City. Our center is third in the nation in number of pediatric liver transplants.
- Dr. Jennifer Woo Baidal was awarded a $20 million grant from the PCORI foundation (Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute) to study the effectiveness of three health equity interventions to improve maternal health.
- The Columbia Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) center was selected as site of a multicenter study called CAMEO (Clinical, Imaging, and Endoscopic Outcomes Of Children Newly Diagnosed with Crohn's Disease). The study will evaluate the pre-treatment clinical, radiologic, genomic, microbial factors as well as the drug levels of biologic treatments associated with improvement in disease activity.
- Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital became the first children's hospital in New York to offer unsedated transnasal endoscopy in children. This procedure allows patients to undergo an upper endoscopy without anesthesia, which decreases procedure risk, shortens pre-procedure fasting time, and reduces length of recovery.
Clinical Care
Our multidisciplinary team of providers, the largest program of its kind in the tristate area, maintains robust procedural, outpatient, and inpatient clinical services and offers cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, including advanced endoscopic procedures and motility testing. The pediatric liver and intestinal transplant program is the largest in the Northeast.
We are recognized for providing seamless collaborations with other pediatric specialists, including surgeons, pulmonologists, cardiologists, clinical geneticists, speech and language pathologists, dietitians, social workers, and child life specialists. Our integrated approach provides comprehensive, innovative pediatric programs and centers in:
- Celiac disease
- Gastrointestinal motility and functional gastrointestinal disorders
- Fatty liver disease now called Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)
- Bariatric surgery and weight management
- Intestinal rehabilitation
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Esophageal atresia
- Aerodigestive disorders
- Liver disease and transplantation
- Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases
- Short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure
Research
Our faculty are leaders in clinical, translational, and basic gastrointestinal research. With robust funding and an active research program, our physicians continue to expand our understanding of childhood digestive disorders, transforming advances in research into the latest cutting-edge care. Many of the latest clinical trials are offered through the division’s clinical research program. Our faculty publish in a range of high quality scientific journals, including the leading journals in the field. A list of publications from this year can be found below.
The division receives extramural grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and our faculty hold a number of independent and mentored research awards, including R- and K-level NIH awards, and awards from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation.
Education
Through the Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition fellowship, we provide a broad clinical experience in outpatient and inpatient medicine, extensive procedural training, and in-depth didactics. As one of the leaders in liver and small bowel transplant in the region, we are proud to also offer an Advanced Hepatology Fellowship. Fellows participate in basic, clinical, or translational investigative research and produce high-quality projects under the dedicated supervision of an established faculty mentor. Many of our fellows are supported by extramural funding, including a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) T32 Training Grant.
New Appointments
- Amanda Cantor, MD
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at CUMC
- Jermie Gandhi, MD
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at CUMC
- Padmini Nallapaneni, MD
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at CUMC
Promotions
- Kim Hekimian, PhD
- Associate Professor of Nutrition (in Pediatrics and the Institute of Human Nutrition) at the Columbia
- Joseph A. Picoraro, MD
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Columbia
- Jennifer A. Woo Baidal, MD, MPH
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Honors and Awards
- Sivan Kinberg, MD
- Elected as Chair of the Clinical Advisory Council of the Oley Foundation
- Hillary Moore, MD
- Selected as the Assistant Program Director for the Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship at Columbia.
- Julie Khlevner, MD
- Chair, Neurogastroenterology and Motility Committee, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
- Chair, Academy of Clinical Excellence Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Mentorship Committee
- Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinical Trials in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Sarah Lusman, MD
- Appointed to a 3-year term as Vice Chair of the Training Committee for the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
- Moneek Madra, PhD
- 2023 Apgar Scholar, Virginia Apgar Academy of Medical Educators
- Joseph A. Picoraro, MD
- 2023 Apgar Scholar, Virginia Apgar Academy of Medical Educators
- Vice Chair, Clinical Quality and Care Committee for the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
- Crohns and Colitis Foundation 2023 Take Steps Health Care Honored Hero
- Jennifer A. Woo Baidal, MD, MPH
- 2022-2023 Irving Institute Intervention and Implementation Science Pilot Award
- Inaugural recipient of the SOGHN Early-Mid Career Leadership Award, American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (SOGHN)
- Vice Chair, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
Major Grants
- Molecular mechanisms of reactive epithelial changes in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. NIH. K08DK128603. Principal Investigator: Dominique Bailey, MD.
- Elucidating novel therapeutic pathways in asthma-associated pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. Robert Wood Johnson/The Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program. Principal Investigator: Dominque Bailey, MD.
- Synergistic effects of medium-chain and omega-3 triglycerides on cellular omega-3 fatty acid enrichment: Characterization, mechanisms, and optimization. NIH. R01DK119389-03. Principal Investigator: Chuchun Chang, MD.
- Omega 3 fatty acids, acute neuroprotection via mitochondria. NIH. R01NS088197-07. Principal Investigator: Richard Deckelbaum, MD.
- The GUTSY Program (Gaining Understanding of Transition for Short bowel syndrome among Youths): Optimizing transition of care in short bowel syndrome through collaborative and comprehensive. Takeda. Principal Investigator: Sivan Kinberg, MD.
- Clinical, Imaging, and Endoscopic Outcomes of Children Newly Diagnosed with Chron's Disease. NIH. U01DK134356. Principal Investigator: Neal Leleiko, MD.
- LINC: Leveraging IT for neighborhoods in childhood. National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. NIH/NIMHD. NIH R01MD014872. Principal Investigator: Jennifer Woo Baidal, MD, MPH.
- Determinants of zonation of liver inflammation and fibrosis in pediatric NASH. CaMPR-ISP award. CUIMC. Principal Investigator: Jennifer Woo Baidal, MD.
- Comparative Effectiveness of Three Health Equity Interventions to Improve Maternal Health. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Primary Investigator: Jennifer Woo Baidal, MD.
Selected Publications
- Cruz Herrera E, Figueroa-Nieves AI, Woo Baidal JA. The potential role of social care in reducing childhood obesity. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2023 Nov 17. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000001309.
- Griggs CL, Kochis M, Perez NP, Fennoy I, Woo Baidal J, Parkinson K, Lynch L, Bank E, DeFazio J, Zitsman JL. Weight Loss After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Children and Adolescents. Obes Surg. 2023 Oct;33(10):3186-3192. doi: 10.1007/s11695-023-06789-8.
- O'Shea D, Schmoke N, Porigow C, Murray LP, Chung WK, Kattan M, Jang M, Antosy A, Middlesworth W, Khlevner J. Recent Advances in the Genetic Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Management of Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula: A Review. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 Sep 29. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003952.
- Chehade M, Furuta G, Klion A, Abonia JP, Aceves S, Bose P, Collins MH, Davis C, Dellon ES, Eickel G, Falk G, Gupta S, Hiremath G, Howard A, Jensen ET, Kesh S, Khoury P, Kocher K, Kodroff E, Kyle S, Mak N, McCoy D, Mehta P, Menard-Katcher P, Mukkada V, Paliana A, Rothenberg M, Sable K, Schmitt C, Scott M, Spergel J, Strobel MJ, Wechsler JB, Yang GY, Zicarelli A, Muir AB, Wright BL, Bailey DD. Enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease research: the consortium for eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease researchers' journey. Ther Adv Rare Dis. 2023 Aug 14;4:26330040231180895. doi: 10.1177/26330040231180895.
- Carman N, Picoraro JA. Advances in Endoscopy for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastrointest Endosc Clin N Am. 2023 Apr;33(2):447-461. doi: 10.1016/j.giec.2022.10.002.
- Gibson M, Subedi S, Barker DH, Masur S, Mallette MM, Lingannan A, Recinos Soto AA, Esharif D, Maxwell SH, Riaz MS, Herzlinger MI, Shalon LB, Cerezo CS, Kasper VL, Ross AM, Leleiko NS, Shapiro JM. Safety and Durability of Accelerated Infliximab Dosing Strategies in Pediatric IBD: A Single Center, Retrospective Study. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 Aug 1;77(2):207-213. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003794.
- Sabharwal S, Lusman SS. CFTR Modulators for the Gastroenterologist. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 Oct 1;77(4):445-447. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003904.
- Slowik V, Ryan JL, Shah AA, Lobritto SJ. Monitoring Practices After Pediatric Liver Transplantation. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 Oct 1;77(4):448-454. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003909.
- Franciosi JP, Berg EA, Rosen JM, Lee JA, Sandberg KC, Srinath A, Setty M, Li BUK. North American Society for PedGastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Position Statement for Telehealth. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023 May 1;76(5):684-694. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003754.
- Kinberg S, Verma T, Kaura D, Mercer DF. Optimizing transition from pediatric to adult care in short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure. JPEN J Pare
Highlights
Columbia Pediatrics Gastroenterologist is First in New York to Perform Unsedated Transnasal Endoscopy for Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Ali Mencin, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, began using a new technique for pediatric patients called unsedated transnasal endoscopy (TNE), to avoid the need for anesthesia for frequent esophagoscopies.
Expanding Access to Pediatric Liver Transplantation Globally
Columbia pediatric hepatologists and surgeons partnered with local doctors to create a pediatric liver transplantation program in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.