Ongoing Research Funded by Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Institute Advisory Council

The Digestive Health Foundation became a founding supporter in 2017 of a powerful new resource for digestive health medical research: The Digestive Health Foundation BioRepository. As one of only a few GI biorepositories of its kind in the world, the DHF BioRepository stores, organizes, and makes accessible (digitally, in real time) blood and tissue samples from patients and family members diagnosed with one or more of the digestive disorders treated at the Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Center.

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2019 Research Studies

• Impact of an artificial liver shunt procedure for the treatment of high pressure in the vein that carries blood from the digestive organs to the liver on the function of the heart
  Principal Investigator: Lisa B. VanWagner, MD
• Examining whether a stent helps stomach emptying after cutting the pylorus muscle in patients with delayed stomach emptying
  Principal Investigator: Aziz Aadam, MD; Co-Principal Investigator: Kevin Liu, MD
• Semen quality in males with inflammatory bowel disease: Influence of medication treatment for IBD
  Principal Investigator: Emanuelle Bellaguarda, MD; Co-Principal Investigator: Stephen B. Hanauer, MD

• How do opioids affect the esophagus?
  Principal Investigator: Dustin Carlson, MD; Co-Principal Investigator: Erica Donnan, MD

• Does an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flare Impact the Results of the Prostate Specific Anitigen (PSA) Test Used to Screen for Prostate Cancer
  Principal Investigator: Shilajit D. Kundu, MD

• Programmer Analyst to Improve Digestive Health Quality at Northwestern Medicine
  Principal Investigator: Rajesh N. Keswani, MD
• Inflammatory Lipid Signaling and Eosinophilic Esophagitis
  Principal Investigator: Guang-Yu Yang, MD, PhD
• How Does Inflammation Affect the Development and Progression of Eosinophilic Esophagitis
  Principal Investigator: Marie-Pier Tétreault, PhD

2018 Research Studies

• Understanding Immune Signature of Foods in Eosinophilic Esophagitis
  Principal Investigator: Joshua Wechsler, MD
• Do You See What I See? Improving the Reliability of the Evaluation of Swallowing Difficult
  Principal Investigator: Ronak Vashi Patel, MD
• A Clinical Trial of Standard Repair Versus a Novel Repair for Hiatal Hernia
  Principal Investigator: Eric S. Hungness, MD
• A New Technology to Shine a Light on What Our Pulses Can Tell Us
  Principal Investigator: Nikhilesh Mazumder, MD, MPH
• A Novel Protective Mechanism in the Bile Ducts of Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
  Principal Investigator: Richard M. Green, MD
• Does an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flare Impact the Results of the Prostate Specific Anitigen (PSA) Test Used to Screen for Prostate Cancer
  Principal Investigator: Shilajit D. Kundu, MD
• Programmer Analyst to Improve Digestive Health Quality at Northwestern Medicine
  Principal Investigator: Rajesh N. Keswani, MD
• Inflammatory Lipid Signaling and Eosinophilic Esophagitis
  Principal Investigator: Guang-Yu Yang, MD, PhD
• How Does Inflammation Affect the Development and Progression of Eosinophilic Esophagitis
  Principal Investigator: Marie-Pier Tétreault, PhD

2017 Research Studies

• How Does Inflammation Increase the Risk of Cancer in Intestinal Tissues?
  Principal Investigator: Ronen Sumagin, PhD
• Developing Ways to Reduce Inappropriate Use of (Leftover) Narcotics Prescribed for Patients Undergoing Bowel Surgery
  Principal Investigator: Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH
• Can We Improve Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis by Treating Constipation?
  Principal Investigator: Adam C. Stein, MD
• Developing Laboratory Markers to Predict Recurrence of Fatty Liver after Liver Transplantation
  Principal Investigator: Mary Rinella, MD
• How to Improve the Use of Lidocaine to Reduce Pain for Patients Undergoing Intestinal Surgery
  Principal Investigator: Shireen Ahmad, MD
• Can we Improve Doctors’ Colonoscopy Skills with a “Report Card”?
  Principal Investigator: Anna Duloy, MD
• Does Cannabis Reduce Symptoms or Inflammation inPatients with IBD
  Principal Investigator: Madeline McGuire Bertha, MD, MS
• Can We Use Therapeutic Monitoring of Drug Levels to Improve Long-Term Control of Patients Treated with Infliximab (Remicade) in IBD
  Principal Investigator: Emanuelle Araujo Lima Bellaguarda, MD
• How to Optimize Control of Acid Reflux to Reduce the Risk of Cancers in Barrett’s Esophagu
  Principal Investigator: Sri Komanduri, MD
• Molecular Profiling and Associations with Clinical Phenotypes in Adult Eosinophilic Esophagitis
  Principal Investigator:  Nirmala Gonsalves, MD

2016 Research Studies

• Developing Video-Based Education to Improve Patient Completion of Colorectal Cancer Screening
  Principal Investigator: Rajesh N. Keswani, M
• Developing Video Teaching Tools for Endoscopic Removal of Large Polyp
  Principal Investigator: A. Aziz Aadam, MD
• Does Use of Methotrexate Impact Male Fertility in IBD Patients
  Principal Investigator: Anne Grosen, MD
• Using a Video Education Tool to Impact Patient Satisfaction and Perceptions of Cancer Risks for Patients with Barrett’s Esophagus
  Principal Investigator: Amanda Guentner, MD
• Assessing a New Liver Function Tool to Predict Outcomes of Liver Failure in Patients with Heart Disease
  Principal Investigator: Daniel R. Ganger, MD
• Use of Health Coaches to Improve the Effectiveness of Behavioral Therapies for GI Condition
  Principal Investigator: Sarah Quinton, MD

2015 Research Studies

• Developing a Standardized Training System for Interpreting Esophageal Manometry Exam
  Principal investigator: Rena Yadlapati, MD
• How do Genetic Differences in Immunosuppressive Drug Metabolism Impact Outcomes for Liver Transplant
  Principal investigator: Pranab Barman, MD
• How Do We Improve Transitioning of Pediatric IBD Patients into Adult Practice
  Principal investigator: Itishree Trivedi, MD
• Assessing a New Imaging Probe to Evaluate Gastroesophageal Reflux
  Principal investigator: Dustin A. Carlson, MD