Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Dr. Winter is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, at Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, and has specific interest in the management and treatment of intestinal failure, nutrition rehabilitation and inflammatory bowel disease. He completed fellowship training at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, and at the John Radcliff Hospital OX, UK. He accomplished his PhD (Medicine) at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of 62 papers, editorials, letters and reviews, 9 chapters, and 84 abstracts.

Associate Professor
Stanford University, USA
Tel: 650-724-4509
Fax: 650-498-5174

Prof. Chris Constantinou has a formal education in biomedical engineering at Stanford University, USA and was fortunate to be appointed to the clinical Department of Urology, Stanford Medical School for all of his professional life. Prof. Constantinou looks forward to developing links with groups interested in imaging technology particularly using ultrasound to address basic and clinical problems quantitatively.

1. Pharmacologic methods in identifying alpha adrenergic receptors in the obstructed urinary tract. 2. Fluid mechanics and physiological mechanisms of contractility in the urinary tract. 3. Biomedical Engineering approaches in the characterization of static and dynamic properties of soft tissues 4. Image processing and 3D reconstruction of magnetic resonance 5. Computer models and vector analysis of pelvic floor musculature 6. Software for interactive teaching

Min Li got his Ph.D. from Emory University at Atlanta, Georgia in 2002, under the supervision of Dr. Richard W. Compans, a world renowned virologist and immunologist. Li studied the regulation of a retrovirus envelope protein induced membrane fusion and the association with lipid rafts. He then moved on to Baylor College of Medicine at Houston, Texas, USA and started his career in cancer research as an Assistant Professor in 2004. Li joined the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Medical School in 2010 as the Director of Cancer Research Program. His research interests include pancreatic cancer and brain tumor pathogenesis, translational research, new therapies and tumor vaccine development. Li′s group is the first one to identify a zinc transporter (ZIP4) as a new molecular target in pancreatic cancer, and has developed a novel therapy to treat this malignancy.

Pancreatic cancer and brain tumor pathogenesis. Translational research, new therapies (shRNA therapy, small molecule therapy, and nutrition/diet therapy), and tumor vaccine development.

Maxwell M Chait completed his MD degree at the age of 25 from the University of California School of Medicine at San Francisco. He is a Fellow of several prestigious organizations, including the American College of Physicians, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He is a practicing gastroenterologist on the faculty of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has authored more than 40 publications in reputed journals. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Liver Disease and Transplantation and serves on the editorial board of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA

Amr Amin is a Professor of Cell & Molecular Biology and a graduate faculty at UAE University. He earned his PhD in Cell & Developmental Biology from University of Illinois at Chicago and received a postdoctoral training in Molecular Genetics at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After joining UAEU, Dr. Amin’s focus was redirected to the field of preventive medicine. His lab is interested in natural product-based protection against cancer. Most recently, his lab has been employing non-invasive approaches and nanoparticles to learn more about the molecular aspects of chemoprevention particularly against liver cancer. He published many research articles, reviews and book chapters in reputable journals. He also serves on the editorial boards and as a reviewer of many international journals. Dr. Amin is also the recipient of many national and international awards.

Amr Amin research interests focus biology and chemoprevention of cancer, preclinical studies, and novel plant-based anticancer drugs.

Pankaj Kumar Singh completed his Ph.D at the age of 26 years. He completed his postdoctoral studies from Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, California. He is currently an associate professor at Eppley Institute For Cancer Research, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. He has published several articles in reputed journals, including PNAS and Nature, and has obtained several national awards.

Pankaj Kumar Singh research is focused on metabolic alterations in tumors and he is utilizing metabolomic tools to investigate the mechanisms of chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer.

Mark Feitelson received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the UCLA School of Medicine in 1979. He was then an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University (1980-82), and was the recruited to the Fox Chase Cancer Center by Baruch S. Blumberg (Nobel Laureate 1976) to work on the molecular pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B. In 1991, Dr. Feitelson moved to Thomas Jefferson University, and in 2007, he became Professor of Biology at Temple University. He has over 120 publications, has been funded by NIH for more than 30 years, and has developed cell based and animal models capable of evaluating both the basic biology of HBV, its relationship to liver cancer, and evaluating new treatment approaches. He holds visiting professorships at several universities in China and lectures widely to students and scientists worldwide.

Molecular/cellular mechanisms of hepatitis viruses on liver cancer development

Dr. Theresa C. Hemsworth-Peterson. Currently a Full Professor of Medicine and a Biomedical Research Scientist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. Dr. Hemsworth-Peterson received her doctoral degree at Dalhousie University followed by a Postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland in the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development in Developmental Pharmacology. Dr. Hemsworth-Peterson returned to Dalhousie as the first Research Scholar of the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation and has been a Full Professor of Medicine since 1999. She served as the Chair of the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation and ex officio on the Board for several years. Her research focusses on liver and G.I. disease and drug development and she holds several US patents. She has over 100 publications in top journals including Hepatology, Molecular Pharmacology and European Journal of Pharmacology.

Professor
Department of Medicine
Dalhousie University, Canada

Molecular biology of gene regulation, signal transduction, tumor biology, gene therapy, HCV Mediated Pathogenesis

Our laboratory is interested in the regulation of tight junction barrier function and the signaling pathway(s) involved in tight junction assembly and disassembly. Tight junctions serve as a permeability barrier in epithelial and endothelial cells regulating the passage of ions and small molecules through the paracellular pathway. Tight junction plays a crucial role in maintaining tissue homeostasis by keeping the extracellular fluid within the physiological range. Recent studies indicate that disruption of tight junction function leads to a number of human diseases such as autosomal recessive deafness and renal magnesium wasting resulting in nephrocalcinosis.

Dr. Carol Ann Podlasek has received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in University of Notre Dame during the period of 1987-1994. Currently, she is working as Assistant Professor in Northwestern University. She is serving as an editorial member of several reputed journals like Asian Journal of Andrology, ISRN Urology. She has authored 24 research articles/books. She is a member of American Urological Association.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a significant medical condition and current treatment options are ineffective in diabetic patients and in prostate cancer patients treated by prostatectomy. Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is an essential regulator of penile smooth muscle, cavernous nerve (CN) integrity and CN regeneration that has significant potential to be developed as a treatment to prevent ED by regenerating the CN and by suppressing penile apoptosis. In our laboratory we examine fundamental mechanisms that underlie cavernous nerve regulation of penile morphology during development, how these mechanisms become altered with peripheral neuropathy of the cavernous nerve in diabetic rats and how manipulation of SHH signaling can be used to speed cavernous nerve repair in CN injury models.

Jennifer Davagian-Ensign is the Founder and CEO of Christcot Medical Company. As a Crohn’s patient she knows the daily struggles of IBD patients and compliance decisions affecting healthcare outcomes. Ms Davagian-Ensign has given several talks including patient responsibility in compliance and the importance of new medical device technologies that motivate behavioral changes on the part of the patient. As a thought leader in the area of rectal medication treatment for gastrointestinal disease, Ms. Davagian-Ensign led the initiative to have Ulcerative Proctitis categorized as a Rare Genetic Orphan Disease by the NIH and wrote the abstract included in the NIH database.

Founder and CEO of Christcot Medical Company, USA

Director of Gastroenterology Programs Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Professor, Core Faculty Member, Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Gastroenterology and Physiology & Pharmacology

Dr. Bitar is the director of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Program at WFIRM. Signal transduction pathways involved in gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells. Thin filament regulation of smooth muscle activity and provide a regenerative medicine approach to the treatment of gastric motility disorders in an ever expanding aging population. Regenerative medicine approaches to manufacture replacement parts for the human gastrointestinal tract

Dr. Maxwell M. Chait is a practicing gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He is a Fellow of several prestigious organizations, including the American College of Physicians, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He has authored numerous publications and serves on the editorial board of several journals. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Liver Disease and Transplantation

Gastroenterology

Director of the Surgical Neuromodulation Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH. He has published 57 peer-reviewed papers and 16 book chapters and edited a book entitled Reoperative Pediatric Surgery.Serves on the editorial board of two journals and ad hoc reviewer for many journals Steven Teich, MD, is the Surgical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Teich coordinates the development of clinical pathways for pediatric surgery. He also serves as the Surgical Director of the Bariatric Surgery Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Pediatric Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care

Gerard E. Mullin, MD, is a board-certified internist, gastroenterologist and nutritionist. He is an associate professor of medicine and director of Integrative GI Nutrition Services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Mullin is regarded as an authority in integrative gastroenterology. Dr. Mullin teaches medical professionals at international conferences on the role of nutrition and lifestyle and the gut microbiome in digestive health and weight control. He is the author of several professional desk references and trade books (http://thefoodmd.com/books) including his latest The Gut Balance Revolution: Boost Your Metabolism, Restore Your Inner Ecology, and Lose the Weight for Good!

Elimination Diets in Gastrointestinal Disease; Nutrition; Gut Microbiome; Probiotics; Integrative Medicine; Celiac Disease; Spectrum of Gluten Intolerance; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth; Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

He is Director of 3D Imaging Research, Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School

His research interest includes Computer aided Diagnosis, Quantitative medical imaging and imaging informatic systems in general and particular, in the areas of Diagnosis of Colorectal cancer with CT Colonography.

Bing-Rong Liu has completed his MD in 2002 from Chongqing Medical University. He appointed as the director of gastrointestinal department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University in June 2004. He has developed so many endoscopic new techniques and published more than 20 papers in reputed journals

Gastrointestinal Surgery,Endoscopy

CHIEF OF ENDOSCOPY SERVICE OF HOSPITAL ESTADUAL ADÃO PEREIRA NUNES. COORDINATOR OF BARIATRIC ENDOSCOPY SERVICE, IN GASTROENDO SERVIÇOS MÉDICOS GASTROENTEROLOGIST FORMED BY FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF ESTATE OF RIO DE JANEIRO

Endoscopy, Surgey

PROFESSOR AND HEAD, DEPT. OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY KASTURBA MEDICAL COLLEGE, MANIPAL UNIVERSITY, MANIPAL, KARNATAKA STATE,INDIA.

PEDIATRIC SURGERY

ERCP in Sahmyook Medical Center Department of Internal Medicine GI division.

majored in ERCP and therapeutic endoscopy and ESD

Member of European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (E.A.E.S.), Member of Società Italiana di Chirurgia Endoscopica (S.I.C.E.), Member of Società Italiana di Chirurgia (S.I.C.), Member of Associazione dei Chirurghi Ospedalieri Italiani (A.C.O.I.)

Main interest is the colorectal surgery and Advanced laparoscopic surgery. Hernioplasty, Colectomy, Adrenalectomy, Splenectomy, Hysterectomy and Ovariectomy and, in emergency, diagnostic laparoscopy, bowel obstruction, gastric perforation as well as Cholecistectomy and appendectomy. Also have wide experience in Colonproctologic surgery performing routinely STARR, Longo, transanal resection, prolapse resection,Anal fistulectomy.

László Herszényi is associate professor of gastroenterology, internal medicine, clinical oncology, clinical pharmacology and master of health management at the Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest. He is head of Department of Gastroenterology at Medical Centre Hungarian Defence Forces, Semmelweis University Teaching Hospital Budapest, Hungary. He received his MD from the University of Medicine and Pharmacology of Marosvásárhely (Tg. Mures) in 1985. He served his residency in internal medicine, followed by fellowship in gastroenterology at the Semmelweis University, Budapest. He later completed a Clinical Research Fellowship in Gastroenterology and Clinical Oncology at European Training Center of Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Italy (1993-1997). He is the past president of Hungarian Society of Gastroenterology, secretary general of Hungarian Society of Internal Medicine and council member of Hungarian College of Gastroenterology. He is member of the Council of EAGEN (European Association for Gastroenterology, Endoscopy and Nutrition). He has been council member of UEG - National Societies Committee (2012-2015) and member of the UEG-Education Committee (2014-2015). He has been speaker, chairman and organizer at several national and international symposia and congresses. His main research interests are gastrointestinal endoscopy, clinico-pharmacology of acidrelated disorders, gastrointestinal oncology and the role of proteolytic enzymes in gastrointestinal tract

His main research interests are gastrointestinal endoscopy, clinico-pharmacology of acidrelated disorders, gastrointestinal oncology and the role of proteolytic enzymes in gastrointestinal tract.