Expertise That Spans the Specialty

This year’s report illustrates not only the depth but also the breadth of the expertise to be found at the Mount Sinai Health System’s Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology.

We have long been known for our work in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and our lead story this year describes how we are taking our IBD expertise into the community. Our new IBDebrief program brings community physicians who treat IBD patients together with Mount Sinai’s renowned IBD experts to review often-complex cases and grow their knowledge base.

In this report, you’ll also read about our work on two pharmaceutical approaches to IBD: mirikizumab, the first Food and Drug Administration-approved ulcerative colitis treatment that selectively targets the p19 subunit of interleukin-23, and upadacitinib, the first oral treatment for Crohn’s disease. We also showed that ileocecal resection may be superior to medication as a first-line therapy for some Crohn’s patients.

But IBD is only one of many things we do.

You probably know of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes for their roles in breast and ovarian cancer, but they are also linked to some cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma—so we are building a surveillance program for patients whose genes may put them at increased risk.

Two recent Mount Sinai studies have identified gaps in physician attitudes and knowledge about disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), the most well-known of which is irritable bowel syndrome. One of those studies is helping pinpoint the best approaches to pain management, an important question since 15 percent of patients with DGBI are on at least one prescription pain medication.

A Mount Sinai surgeon worked with medical device manufacturers to improve a high-resolution anoscopy device that would more effectively identify anal lesions, helping to address the fact that annual Pap tests for anal cancer don't always accurately detect precancerous lesions.

We profile our Center for Gastrointestinal Physiology and Motility, one of a handful in the country that offers advanced diagnostics and treatment for patients with often-complex motility disorders. And we are extremely proud that Marla Dubinsky, MD, has become the third Mount Sinai faculty member to win the Sherman Prize, known as the “Nobel Prize of IBD.”

This breadth and depth of expertise has been repeatedly recognized by U.S. News & World Report®, which ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital No. 6 in the country for Gastroenterology & GI Surgery for 2023-24. I want to thank you for your support over the years and hope you will consider voting for us again in this year’s survey.