In this podcast episode, Tom Serena, chief executive officer of the American Gastroenterological Association, discusses the role of private equity in specialty societies, the hunger to be involved in innovation and more.

• Intro :24
• The interview/about Serena :29
• Can you tell us about your upbringing and how it helped you become who you are today? :50
• Were there certain early individuals or experiences that you think have been impactful or important to your career today? 1:43
• Have you always been a natural leader, or did you grow into it? 2:38
• What are some things you learned from your coach? 3:30
• Is there a pathway that you unintentionally took that led you to medical societies and medical society leadership? 5:09
• Over the thirty years you have been involved with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), when did you know that you were going to be a core part of the leadership team? 6:38
• How have you seen the GI field change over the last thirty years? 8:24
• Do you think there has been a shift in the culture of our specialty for major organizations like AGA to be more open to a wider range of physicians and stake holders? 11:00
• Where do you think we’re going over the next few years with private equity? 14:08
• Can you tell us more about the AGA’s GI Opportunity Fund? What prompted the AGA to partner with venture capital and how has the experience been so far? 19:19
• Are there things that organization leaders are more likely to invest or not invest in? 21:47
• Berry, Chey and Serena on non-traditional ways physicians are looking to make use of their medical training. 23:24
• How have larger legacy societies like AGA and ACG view the emergence of more nuanced clinical societies, and how do they impact the way the AGA tries to execute its mission? 27:05
• Can you talk about ABIM’s impact on health care and the GI specialty? 30:01
• What are some of the biggest challenges facing AGA and GI as a field moving forward? 33:17
• Outside of the Opportunity Fund, what are other ways that the AGA is working to solve challenges around physician burnout, autonomy and reimbursement? 34:43
• Any life lessons you want to share with listeners? 36:22
• Thank you, Tom 37:39
• Thanks for listening 37:58

Tom Serena is chief executive officer of the American Gastroenterological Association. Tom joined AGA in 1994 and has served as the organization’s CEO since 2010. His previous role was VP of finance. He has been heavily focused on governance, helping the governing board to become the stewards of AGA’s future, with an emphasis on strengthening board - committee - staff relationships.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from Serena, follow @TSerenaAGA on X. For more from the AGA, visit www.gastro.org and follow @AmerGastroAssn on X.

Disclosures: Berry and Chey report no relevant financial disclosures. Serena reports he is an investor in the GI Opportunity Fund.

In this podcast episode, Brad Stillman, executive director at American College of Gastroenterology, discusses adapting with the GI landscape to prevent physician burnout, the role organizations play in ensuring physicians have the right tools to aid patients and more.

• Intro :24
• The interview/about Stillman :35
• Can you tell us about your background? 1:17
• Who are your early influences? Who was foundational for the way you think and the person you are? 1:54
• Since your father was an artist, did you ever think about a career in art? 5:11
• How did you choose law as your vocation? 7:23
• From law, how did you get to the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)? 8:47
• Over the twenty-three years that you have been involved with ACG, what has struck you about how gastroenterology has changed as a subspecialty and as a profession? 14:26
• Chey and Stillman on the structural challenges facing GI practices and screenings. 18:01
• What needs to happen to address the crisis of training additional gastroenterologists to meet rising demands? 23:39
• Chey, Berry and Stillman on creative solutions and being disruptive innovators in medical education reform. 29:09
• How has the ACG changed over the course of your tenure? What have the most profound changes been in this organization? 33:07
• Outside of education, how has it been managing the distinct components of the ACG, and what do you see in the future for the structure of the ACG? 37:57
• Do you have any “Stillman quotes” you’d like to share with us? 44:17
• Can you share anything about the upcoming strategic plan that is slated to be released at the ACG's 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting & Postgraduate Course? 46:33
• Thank you, Brad 49:10
• Thanks for listening 49:29

Brad Stillman is the executive director at American College of Gastroenterology, the leading professional organization for GI clinicians with more than 20,000 members. He oversees all aspects of the College as well as the ACG Institute for Clinical Research and Education where he also serves on the board.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from Stillman, follow @AmCollegeGastro on X.

Disclosures: Berry, Chey and Stillman report no relevant financial disclosures.

In this podcast episode, Tom McCourt, chief executive officer of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, discusses the evolving relationship between physicians and pharma, breakthroughs in GI drugs and more.

• Intro :59
• Welcome to this episode of Gut Talk 1:23
• The interview/about McCourt 1:32
• Tell us about your family and where you grew up. 2:15
• What did you take away from your football career at University of Wisconsin? 4:19
• How long were you a clinical pharmacist? 7:57
• McCourt on his experience as a health science associate. 8:55
• Where is the line between academics and the pharma industry? 10:49
• When you launched drugs like omeprazole and esomeprazole, did you have any idea what impact they would have? 13:00
• What changed to make the pharma industry go from respected to villainized? 16:39
• What’s your perspective on innovation and billing architecture for pharmaceuticals? […] Where do you think we’re going to see the most exciting changes in the near-term? 19:33
• Chey and McCourt on challenges the US health care system faces in comparison to other countries. 24:47
• How can we make breakthrough drugs and technology available to everyone without stifling innovation? 27:05
• Did patients valuing their quality-of-life factor into your decision to switch from AmGen to Ironwood Pharmaceuticals? 29:12
• From a pharmaceutical perspective, do you think there are examples of successful health policy? 36:30
• Thank you, Tom 42:13
• Thanks for listening 43:20

Tom McCourt is the chief executive officer of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, a commercial biotechnology company working to revolutionize the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and redefine the standard of care for millions of patients.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from McCourt, follow @ironwoodpharma on X.

Disclosures: Berry and Chey report no relevant financial disclosures. McCourt is chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals; serves on the board of directors and member of the compensation committee of Pliant Therapeutics, Inc., a public company, and on the board of trustees for the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).

In this podcast episode, John Inadomi, MD, chair of the department of internal medicine at University of Utah Health, discusses the value of mentorship, qualities a leader should possess and more.

• Intro :59
• Welcome to this episode of Gut Talk 1:23
• The interview/about Inadomi 1:30
• Tell us about your family and where you grew up. 2:59
• Inadomi on the impact World War II had on his family. 3:47
• Chey and Inadomi on the ways immigrants approached being American post-World War II. 4:33
• How did you end up in medicine after receiving a mechanical engineering degree from MIT? 6:32
• How did you go from bionics to polyps/GI? 8:00
• What did you learn from your experiences playing water polo in college? 10:31
• How did you end up at the University of New Mexico? 13:00
• What did Amnon Sonnenberg, MD, MSc, teach you? 16:04
• How do you view and embrace change? 18:27
• When did you catch the bug of wanting to lead faculty? […] Did you have mentorship specifically on health system leadership? 24:30
• How have you learned these leadership characteristics and skills that are not an inherent part of physician training? Do you think there is going to be a change in leadership development moving forward? 29:59
• For people thinking about advancement opportunities in leadership, what is the mindset you have to develop as a successful division chief or a successful department chair? 33:55
• What do you think are the biggest challenges facing academic gastroenterology or academic internal medicine? […] How can we physicians be aware of and mitigate these challenges? 38:36
• How are academic medical centers going to survive? 41:39
• Do you see the loss of physician autonomy and burnout getting better? 43:29
• What has been your favorite golf course that you have played on? 46:36
• Thank you, John 47:48
• Thanks for listening 48:14

John M. Inadomi, MD, is the Jon M. Huntsman presidential endowed chair, and the chair of the department of internal medicine at University of Utah Health.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from Inadomi, follow him on X @InadomiJ.

Disclosures: Berry and Chey report no relevant financial disclosures. Inadomi reports grant support from Exact Sciences.

In this podcast episode, Tom Shehab, MD, managing partner at Arboretum Ventures, discusses supporting “doctorpreneurs”, alternative career paths for physicians and more.

• Intro :59
• Welcome to this episode of Gut Talk 1:23
• The interview/about Shehab 1:30
• Where did you grow up and who were your early influences? 2:02
• Can you give us some examples of your parents’ sacrifices that made your career possible? 3:19
• What did you learn from being an athlete and your time playing football at Bowling Green State University? 4:38
• Tell us about your education. 6:21
• How did you make the move from an academic career to venture capitalist? 7:03
• What can you teach our audience about paving this path? 10:55
• Is it better to thoughtfully consider major career decisions and changes, or just leap before you look? 12:45
• What other advice would you give budding “doctorpreneurs”? 14:35
• How are GI and liver a space for venture investment? 18:01
• Outside of endoscopy, why is there a dearth of information in the GI specialty from a venture perspective? 21:36
• Do you see this changing in the right direction toward GI specialists paying more attention on what needs attention and expertise, or are macroeconomic incentives preventing us from taking that perspective? 24:37
• What advice do you have for someone who is thinking about an alternative career pathway? 33:08
• What is the next step or time commitment for aspiring “doctorpreneurs” with ideas? 37:26
• What about the venture world? How should physicians go about funding and investing in their ideas? 41:33
• What are some of the upcoming macroeconomic trends that will impact GI in the short- and long-term? 46:47
• Thank you, Tom 52:02
• Thanks for listening 52:55

Tom Shehab, MD, practiced medicine for 15 years as a gastroenterologist serving as chair of medicine at Integrated Health Associates (IHA), and as chief of staff at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for more than 1,000 physicians. Shehab currently serves as a board director for Avation Medical, Boomerang Medical, Fifth Eye, Motif Neurotech, SonarMD and Virtual Incision and led Arboretum’s investment in nVision Medical, which was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2018. Shehab also serves as a board member for several health care innovation initiatives, including the Cleveland Clinic Medical Device Advisory. He is also on the board of trustees for Bowling Green State University.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from Shehab, follow him on X @TomShehabMD.

Disclosures: Berry, Chey and Shehab report no relevant financial disclosures.

In this podcast episode, Megan Riehl, PsyD, discusses symptoms and solutions in GI psychology, building educational tools for patients and physicians on GI psychology and more.

•    Intro :02
•    Welcome to this episode of Gut Talk :23
•    The interview/about Riehl :33
•    Riehl on early influences on her career. :48
•    Growing up, how did your family system influence you? 2:12
•    How did you get into psychology, and who were the people that influenced you to go into this field? 3:45
•    How did you become interested in GI psychology?  5:27
•    Chey and Riehl on risk-taking behavior and building the GI psychology program at Michigan. 7:29
•    Were there other fields you were considering as a subspecialty in psychology? 10:23 
•    Is there something physiologic about gastroenterology that makes the path to psychology more appropriate than other specialties in the health care system? 13:33
•    Can you explain the difference between a GI psychologist and a general psychologist, and what types of patients will benefit most from GI psychology? 16:12  
•    Do you get inappropriate referrals from clinicians, such as patients with compliance and adherence issues or lack of belief in the validity of their diagnosis? 19:33
•    Do you think the term ‘GI psychologist’ is limiting, and have you thought of different words or terminology we can use to refer to this type of work? 22:20
•    Berry, Chey and Riehl on potential benefits, risks and the impact of digital therapeutics on behavioral health. 24:37
•    Berry and Riehl on the issues facing patients’ ability to access GI psychology, and how digital therapeutics can potentially address these issues. 28:04
•    What are the main types of interventions in GI psychology, and what do they do? 31:48
•    Riehl on her upcoming book, Mind Your Gut: The Whole-body, Science-based Guide to Living with IBS, co-written with Kate Scarlata, RDN. 36:09
•    Thank you, Megan 38:40
•    Thanks for listening 38:55

Megan Riehl, PsyD, is a GI psychologist with expertise in psycho-gastroenterology and the management of GI conditions. She is the clinical director of the GI behavioral health program at the University of Michigan, where she has a full-time clinical practice, leads GI behavioral health trainings and provides peer consultation.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from Megan, follow @DrRiehl on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Disclosures: Berry and Chey report no relevant financial disclosures. Riehl reports she is a co-parent owner of GI OnDemand with Gastro Girl, Inc.

In this podcast episode, Kate Scarlata, MPH, RDN, discusses how to help patients avoid over restricting their diets, the use of digital therapeutic tools in dietetics and more.

•    Intro :02
•    Welcome to this episode of Gut Talk :23
•    The interview/about Scarlata :31
•    Scarlata on her family and growing up in a family of nine children. 1:02
•    Who was more influential in shaping you? Was it your family, or people outside the family unit? 3:40
•    What got you interested in diet and nutrition? 6:27
•    Are there any defining moments personally or professionally that affected the direction of your career?  8:02
•    Can you tell us about your first job as a GI dietician and how it led to your role in the field today? 12:17
•    Berry and Scarlata on GI patient motivations and how they differ from the average patient. 16:51 
•    Are there things that you think are unique from a dietetics perspective to build that rapport with the patient and walk them back from deeply rooted thoughts they may have about their diet? 17:49
•    Have you encountered situations with patients where you felt like you could not move forward without the assistance of other specialists such as a trained GI psychologist? 19:47  
•    Chey and Scarlata on disordered eating and eating disorders and red flags to help identify and assist these patients. 22:25
•    Are you utilizing the FODMAP Gentle or bottom-up approach? 27:27
•    Berry, Chey and Scarlata on the emergence of digital automated tools developed to help patients get access to therapies without the use of a trained clinician. 29:11
•    Can you talk about the patient advocacy efforts you have been involved with, including the IBelieveinyourStory campaign and the EndHungerPain initiative? 34:43
•    Chey, Berry and Scarlata on the economic challenges facing multidisciplinary GI care and getting patients access to dietary needs including resources like Equip Health. 41:29
•    Scarlata on her upcoming book, Mind Your Gut: The Whole-body, Science-based Guide to Living with IBS, co-written with Megan Reihl, PsyD. 43:52
•    Thank you, Kate 45:06
•    Thanks for listening 45:17

Kate Scarlata, MPH, RDN is a US-based dietitian with over 30 years of experience. Kate’s expertise is in gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerance. Kate is the author of numerous books and articles on digestive health topics including the New York Times Best Seller, The 21 Day Tummy Diet.

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc. For more from Kate Scarlata, follow @KateScarlata_RD on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Disclosures: Berry and Chey report no relevant financial disclosures. Scarlata reports stock options with Epicured LLC and FODY Food Company, financial support from Dr. Schar, Mahana Therapeutics, Nestle Health Science, Olipop, Pendulum, QOL Medical.