Gastroenterology Research

The Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center consistently ranks among the top programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and provides integrated and comprehensive care to children with complex gastrointestinal and liver disorders.

The program is a three-time winner of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Endoscopy Prize for research in endoscopic ultrasound, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and mucosal biopsies.

With over 20,000 outpatient visits, 2,000 inpatient admissions and 3,000 procedures per year, the division is composed of 10 distinct clinical programs.

Clinical Trials

Over 30 ongoing and recently completed IRB-approved clinical trials re taking place in the following areas:

• Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Genetics and disease course in at-risk minority populations with IBD
• Obesity and fatty liver disease in children
• Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)
• Intestinal bacterial overgrowth, motility and the microbiome
• Pediatric acute liver failure
• Therapeutic trials of motility agents and constipation treatments

Notable Research, NIH Studies

Current research includes national, multicenter studies evaluating treatments for pancreatic disease, cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis and liver failure, as well as National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored studies to understand the origins of childhood liver, esophageal and intestinal diseases.

• The GI program at Children’s Health serves as the central and founding site for the Pediatric ERCP Database Initiative (PEDI), the first multicenter pediatric ERCP database collecting information from multiple centers worldwide, including those in Asia and Europe.
• The IBD program at Children’s Health was one of the first centers to participate in the ImproveCareNow Network. This initiative has grown into a collaboration of 103 medical centers around the world.

Clinicians and scientists are currently leading investigations into:

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the effects of low carbohydrate diet in pediatric patients with NAFLD and Metabolic syndrome 
• Acute liver failure, chronic hepatitis B and C 
• Therapeutic interventions for complex childhood hepatobiliary and pancreatic disorders 
• Eosinophilis esophagitis (EoE) 
• IBD and a nutritional management algorithm 
• Neurogastroenterology, constipation and aerodigestive disorders 
• Genomics and early onset IBD 
• Therapeutic endoscopy 
• Fecal microbial transplant for recurrent and refractory C diff infections 

Fellowship Training and Research Opportunities 

The Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center offers a three-year ACGME-accredited fellowship program and provides:

• Individualized training tracks in quality improvement, therapeutic endoscopy and motility
• Opportunities for clinical and basic research
• Ongoing CME activities and training opportunities for students, residents and visiting faculty

To learn more about the programs and services offered at Children’s Health for the care and treatment of pediatric GI disorders, please visit here.