Our clinical mission is to expand and integrate the provision of innovative high-quality evidence-based care to diagnose and treat women with gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.
Providing integrated care is crucial to successfully treat women with gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. In the US, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional bowel disorders are up to 6 times more common in women than men. IBD is also more frequent in women with a ratio of about 2 to 1. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in women in the US. Moreover, pregnancy often affects the gastrointestinal tract, predisposing women to unique gastrointestinal symptoms during pregnancy and in the post-partum period. Lastly, differences in sensory processing coupled with poor nutrition, psychosocial stressors and anxiety can lead to heightened symptoms among women with a variety of gastrointestinal conditions.
Because gastrointestinal diseases and disorders in women are complex and triggered by various biochemical, nutritional, psychosocial and sensory processing mechanisms, a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to caring for and treating women is critical to achieve symptom relief and patient satisfaction.
The goals of our Clinical Core are to:
- Provide access to innovative state-of-the-science treatment to women with gastrointestinal diseases and disorders in the outpatient gastroenterology specialty care setting.
- Improve access to multidisciplinary and integrated care between gastroenterologists, providers focused on wellness and behavioral interventions and registered dieticians for women with gastrointestinal problems.
- Develop and implement innovative models that include both conventional and non-conventional therapeutic options to improve health outcomes among women with gastrointestinal diseases and disorders.
- Develop national evidence-based guidelines to address the treatment of women with gastrointestinal diseases and disorders using an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.