Medicine Grand Rounds, Balfour Sartor and Edward Barnes, “Post-Operative Crohn’s Disease: Current and Future Management”

Rescheduled from January 4 — In this lecture, Drs. Sartor and Barnes will summarize an evidence-based approach to the management of post-operative Crohn’s disease, and describe the future landscape based on novel molecular and microbial predictors of risk of recurrence. This topic is clinically important because the majority of patients with Crohn’s disease eventually undergo surgical resection for refractory disease or complications (obstruction or abscess/fistulae), and experience recurrent disease after resection. There are important advances in the field, but the goal of preventing recurrence after surgery has not yet been achieved; this goal will require innovative approaches.

Balfour Sartor is a gastroenterologist and mucosal immunologist with a long-standing interest in mechanisms by which commensal microbiota induce chronic intestinal inflammation vs. mucosal homeostasis. He specializes in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and co-directs the UNC Multidisciplinary IBD Center.

Edward Barnes is assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Barnes’ interests include evaluation of clinical outcomes related to differing treatment strategies among patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, as well as the effects that these strategies have on cost and resource utilization.