Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

The division of pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology continues to grow, providing outstanding service in all the major subspecialties, engaging in innovative clinical and basic research, and offering excellent educational opportunities to GI fellows, residents, and medical students.  

Pediatric Gastroenterology and GI surgery at NYP was recognized as the top program by US News and World Report in the tri-state area. 

The division has an active clinical research program offering patients access to cutting-edge therapies and participation in observational studies to improve care for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal failure, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease, celiac disease, and motility disorders. 

The liver and intestinal transplant program continues to lead in pediatric transplantation, celebrating its 500th transplant at the end of 2023 and performing a record 33 transplants in 2024. 

New Programs

• Intestinal Ultrasound: Intestinal ultrasound is a cutting-edge technique to monitor response to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The ultrasound can be performed at the time of a clinic visit and provides real-time information on disease activity. The procedure is painless and can be performed within 15 to 20 minutes. Joseph Picoraro, MD, who is also Medical Director of IBD, has spearheaded the use of intestinal ultrasound in our program, which is one of only a few centers in the nation to offer this monitoring tool. 
• Unsedated Transnasal Endoscopy (TNE): For patients that require an upper endoscopy, TNE can be performed without anesthesia to inspect the surface of the upper gastrointestinal tract and gather biopsy specimens. Since the procedure is performed without sedation, preparation and recovery are minimal, and there are no anesthesia procedure risks. This tool is being used primarily to monitor treatment response in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis but is also being used for other applications. Columbia was the first program in the tri-state to offer TNE to patients. 

New Appointments

• Cynthia Akagbosu, MD, joined the Columbia Faculty after completing a year of fellowship in obesity medicine. Her training included both medical and endoscopic interventions for obesity treatment, and she sees patients for weight management, bariatric surgery evaluation, and general gastroenterology. Columbia has the busiest adolescent bariatric program in the tri-state area. 
• Evianna Cruz-Herrera, MD, was hired as a physician-scientist investigating the role of social determinants of health on obesity. She will be spending her clinical time in general GI as well as our bariatric and weight management clinic.

Honors and Awards

• Pediatric Gastroenterology and GI Surgery at NYP was named the top program in the tri-state area and ranked 13th in the nation. 
• Kim Hekimian, PhD, received a Fulbright Scholar Award to develop policy for nutrition in Armenia 
• White House Challenge Grant – Eviann Cruz-Herrera, MD 
• Implementation of Nutritional Demonstration Workshops for Adolescents Undergoing Evaluation for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 
• The Liver Transplant Program performed a record number of liver transplants for a total of 33 in 2024 
• Richard Deckelbaum, MD, and Chuchun Chang, MD
  • Recognized by the Department of Pediatrics as top-funded primary investigators 
• Neal Leleiko, MD
  • Named Editor of Gastroenterology Cases from Pediatrics in Review 
• Sivan Kinberg, MD
  • Elected Medical Chair of the Pediatric Intestinal Failure Section of the American Society for Parenteral Nutrition (ASPEN)
• Cynthia Haro, MD
  • Named dietician of the year by NYP
• Dominique Bailey, MD
  • Received the AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar VP&S Travel Grant 

In Memoriam 

On October 2nd, 2024, our founding division Chief, Dr. Richard Deckelbaum, passed away. Richard was the Robert R. Williams Professor of Nutrition and served as the chief of the division of pediatric gastroenterology from 1986 to 2003. He was also the Director of the Insitute of Human Nutrition at Columbia from 1992 to 2020. Richard was an esteemed scientist and prolific researcher who focused on lipid metabolism, publishing over 200 articles. During his long career, he mentored dozens of students, fellows, and researchers. He was also a tireless advocate for global health, developing research partnerships in Africa, the Middle East, and South America. He helped establish the first pediatric hospital in Ramallah in the West Bank and the Medical School of International Health at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Be’er Sheva. Dr. Deckelbaum was an active researcher and member of the division up until his passing. He will be sorely missed as mentor, colleague, and dear friend.