Gastroenterology

“The Pediatric Gastroenterology Division excels on a national level in all three pillars of our mission, including education, discovery and clinical care. These are the standards we hold ourselves to every day. In 2024, we significantly expanded our clinical, investigative and educational footprint.”

Brad Barth, M.D.
Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Division Director of Gastroenterology, Children's Health
Professor, UT Southwestern

PATIENT OUTCOMES

81.25% Prednisone-free IBD remission
>80% National benchmark

0.17% Complications on endoscopy procedures, including advanced and therapeutic cases
<1% National benchmark

58.8% Median BMI percentile for patients with cystic fibrosis aged 2 to 19 years
>50% National benchmark

KEY PROGRAMS

Liver (Hepatology) Disease

Our dedicated hepatologists treat liver conditions of all types and severity, from metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), neonatal cholestasis, biliary atresia and autoimmune hepatitis to acute liver failure and end-stage liver disease. We offer advanced biliary atresia care by accelerating the diagnostic process, offering expertise in surgical therapy and have developed the first comprehensive biliary atresia program in North Texas. Since the Liver Transplant Program’s inception in 1984, we have performed more than 600 pediatric liver transplants, including 17 in 2025.

Pediatric Advanced and Therapeutic Endoscopy

Children’s Health leads the nation by offering a premier pediatric advanced and therapeutic endoscopy program. Our team goes beyond routine endoscopy, performing cutting-edge procedures on-site, including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), cholangioscopy, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and extraluminal diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We have also pioneered advanced training, offering national hands-on courses as well as a dedicated advanced training year to help build the workforce.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Our IBD Program has extensive experience and expertise employing the new wave of therapies offered for moderate to severe disease. The team also offers integrative medicine as appropriate, allowing for a holistic methodology that focuses on the brain-gut connection to improve symptoms and quality of life. Because of the bidirectional communication between the central and enteric nervous systems (also known as the brain-gut connection), patients with IBD benefit from mind-body techniques like yoga, meditation and hypnosis. Integrative therapy is tailored to each individual patient based on their overall goals and preferences.