5th Annual Gastroenterology, Liver & Obesity Conference

John E. Pandolfino, MD is the Hans Popper Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He currently is funded by the NIH to study GERD and Dysphagia pathogenesis. He maintains a strong clinical practice and in the Esophageal Center at Northwestern which serves as the nation’s top referral center for complicated esophageal diseases. He is active in multiple professional organizations and has a strong commitment to the editorial process serving as a member of the editorial board of multiple high-level Gastroenterology and Hepatology journals.

Darren Brenner, MD is a Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Gastroenterology at Northwestern University and serves as Director of the Neurogastromotility and Interdisciplinary Bowel Dysfunction programs. Dr. Brenner focuses his clinical and research pursuits on a wide range of motility topics including IBS, constipation, opioid related constipation, fecal incontinence, gastroparesis and scleroderma. He has published more than 175 articles, abstracts, and online materials on these subjects, and has lectured both nationally and internationally in these areas. He acts as a reviewer and editor for multiple GI peer-reviewed journals and is a former associate editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. He serves as a member of the board of directors for the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, on the Rome Foundation committee on clinical trial design, and serves or has served on multiple AGA and ACG committees including research, education, and digital publications and communications. He is also the acting governor representative to the American College of Gastroenterology from the state of Illinois. Dr. Brenner is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and Rome Foundation. He has been appointed to the peer perspective board of Helio Gastroenterology and has been named to the Helio 200 top innovators in gastroenterology and hepatology and Best Doctors in America lists. In his free time, Dr. Brenner is an avid practitioner of Shotokan karate, holds a 3rd degree black belt in this art, and served as head coach of the US Junior National Karate Team at the World Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2022 where his daughter was the only American karate athlete to win a gold medal and the first female to win one in 30+ years.

Laura Kulik, MD is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and is Certified in both Gastroenterology and Hepatology and in Transplant Hepatology. Her major clinical research focus is on the therapy and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Her group at Northwestern University is very qualified for this particular study as their center is a major referral center for the management of HCC in all stages of disease. Dr. Kulik has worked in conjunction with Interventional Radiology and Transplant Surgery to develop a dedicated weekly clinic that is specifically tailored to allow for a timely evaluation and care of patients with HCC. Additionally, she has created a dedicated follow up clinic for patients with HCC that are not candidates for transplantation; this has allowed a seamless transition and plan of care in patients with more advanced HCC. At Northwestern, over the last 5 years, on average 110 OLT per year are performed. Among these, 1/3 has evidence of HCC.

Professor, Departments of Medicine and Medical Education Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Director, Center of Lifestyle Medicine, Northwestern Medicine Chicago, IL Robert Kushner, MD is Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine in Chicago, IL, USA. After finishing a residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University, he went on to complete a postgraduate fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and earned a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago, IL, USA. Dr Kushner is past President of The Obesity Society, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists (ABPNS), and a founder and first Chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). Dr Kushner has authored over 250 original articles, reviews, books and book chapters covering medical nutrition, medical nutrition education and obesity, and is an internationally recognized expert on the care of patients with overweight or obesity issues. He is author/editor of multiple books; current books include Nutrition and Bariatric Surgery (CRC Press, 2015), Lifestyle Medicine: A Manual for Clinical Practice (Springer, 2016), Creating a Lifestyle Medicine Center (Springer, 2020), Six Factors to Fit – Weight Loss that Works for You! (Eat Right Press, 2020), and Primary Care: Evaluation and Management of Obesity (Wolters Kluwer, 2022).

Adam C. Stein, MD specializes in the evaluation and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders that involve the small bowel, including Crohn's disease, intestinal failure (such as from short bowel syndrome), celiac disease, enteropathy, fat/protein malabsorption, cystic fibrosis, and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Additionally, he sees patients with ulcerative colitis. He performs both video capsule endoscopy as well as double balloon enteroscopy and is able to evaluate abnormal small bowel findings as well as small bowel bleeding. Dr. Stein also specializes in the evaluation and management of malnutrition, providing nutrition through the vein (parenteral nutrition, or "TPN") as well as tube feeding.