The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at OHSU specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of digestive and liver diseases. Our physicians and advanced practice providers are nationally recognized leaders in education, research, and clinical care.

As the only academic medical center in Oregon, we have a collaborative relationship with primary care and subspecialty providers across the state and Pacific Northwest. Many gastroenterologists throughout the region completed their training in our Division and partner with us to provide the latest advances in clinical care.

The OHSU Digestive Health Center unites subspecialty providers in all areas of gastroenterology, including inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatic disease, motility disorders, and interventional endoscopy. Practicing medicine alongside complementary subspecialists across the university assures that each patient has access to state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatments.

We have been at the center of efforts to improve colon cancer screening for decades. Our faculty led pivotal studies that confirmed colon cancer screening can save lives. The Digestive Health Center and Multispecialty Procedure Unit continues this legacy to improve the prevention and early detection of colon cancer.

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center specializes in patient-centered multidisciplinary treatment of complex Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Our expert faculty trained at inflammatory bowel disease specialty centers around the country.   We participate in multicenter clinical trials so that we can offer additional treatment options to our patients and shape the future of inflammatory bowel disease care. Our faculty are leaders in national efforts to advance care and advocate for patients through their work with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

The interventional endoscopy team at OHSU is widely recognized as leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatitis, complex biliary disease, GI malignancies and luminal pathology. Patients are referred from across the Pacific Northwest for second and third opinions as well as for tertiary treatments that include extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, deep enteroscopy, and ERCP in the setting of prior abdominal surgery, among others.  Patients are treated in a multidisciplinary manner, as the group works alongside experts in surgery, radiology, and oncology.

The Digestive Health Center at OHSU is committed to the management of complex benign and malignant diseases of the upper GI tract.  Our clinicians offer the latest innovations in the early detection and minimally invasive treatment of Barrett’s esophagus and early esophageal cancer.  Working with our renowned surgeons we also provide a full spectrum of treatments for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, dysphagia, and motility disorders, including those with refractory symptoms and complex surgical histories.

The Hepatology and Liver Transplant Program provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for a spectrum of liver diseases. Our nationally recognized hepatologists have been at the forefront of treatments for viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. They are now anticipating future challenges in the field and are developing multidisciplinary programs to diagnose and treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The transplant program has a long track record of success, with more than 1,000 patients transplanted since 1988 and with 80-90 liver transplants annually.

Together, we represent the future of gastroenterology and medicine, diverse in our personal backgrounds and subspecialty focus, all working to improve the lives of people with digestive and liver diseases.

The division provides the following clinical services:

• Ambulatory clinics 
  • General gastroenterology, such as cancer screening and irritable bowel syndrome
  • Hepatobiliary and pancreatology disease, including chronic pancreatitis
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Acute and chronic liver disease
• Endoscopy 
  • Colorectal cancer screening in high-risk and average risk individuals
  • Interventional endoscopy, including EUS, ERCP, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for challenging pancreatic stones, endoscopic suturing, and deep enteroscopy.
  • Inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis and dysplasia surveillance
• Motility 
  • Our motility lab utilizes the latest technology in the functional assessment of esophageal and gastric function which allows us to tailor various therapies and improve patient outcomes.
• Complementary and alternative 
  • Patient-centered holistic care
  • Behavioral medicine
  • Gastrointestinal dietician services
  • Non-narcotic pain management
  • Physical therapy

Education

The gastroenterology fellowship program at OHSU offers robust academic training in a supportive and collegial environment. Our fellowship program seeks to inspire and guide the next generation of gastroenterologists and hepatologists in their future careers. For further details, please see our fellowship website

Research

Members of the Division are national leaders in clinical research. OHSU is participating in multiple studies supported by the National Institute of Health, including those focused on early detection of pancreatic cancer and endoscopic treatments for acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. We collaborate with nationally renown investigators in the Knight Cancer Institute , Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research center, and the Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care to determine the best strategies for prevention and early detection of esophageal, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer, among others.