As Chair of the Diversity Committee, Dr. Tonya Adams has been actively involved with the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), a well-respected organization worldwide. Her recent editorial “When does impact become impactful” was published in the March issue of GIE and addressed the critical need for colorectal screening among underprivileged populations.

Her editorial thoughts originated from GANV’s experience as one of only two GI groups in Northern Virginia who provides care to Medicare and Bailey’s patients. Many physicians “talk the talk” of helping less fortunate and under-served populations, but few “walk the walk”. We are proud of our commitment and our role in helping screening-eligible men and women across all ethnic/racial and socioeconomic backgrounds receive the preventive care they need.

Read her editorial in full: When does impact become impactful

We’re proud to announce that GANV is represented once again in both regional Top Doctor lists. This year, Drs. Garone and Scudera were named specifically in Northern Virginia Magazine and Drs. Garone and Adams were named in Washingtonian Magazine.

GANV physicians have been included in these two lists for the past ten years. Although each of our physicians brings a distinct set of skills to the practice, they all share the same high standard of care and commitment to excellence. Referring physicians may often mention just one name, but they do so knowing that a referral to a GANV physician is a referral to the collective expertise of all our doctors.

Dr. Behzad Kalaghchi helps set up new GI Case Conference at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

In his role as Medical Director of The Center for Advanced Endoscopy at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Dr. Kalaghchi, recently worked with Dr. Mahmood Abedi, co-director, and transplant surgeon Dr. James Piper to establish a monthly Gastroenterology Case Conference at Inova Fairfax Hospital. The purpose of this conference is to discuss complex GI cases in a multi-disciplinary forum with physicians who diagnose and manage benign and malignant gastrointestinal diseases.

Each year, approximately 200,000 people in the US are diagnosed with some form of gastrointestinal cancer. Many of these cancers are so complex they are difficult to treat with just one modality. Further studies and discussions are needed to develop a comprehensive treatment plan and a more effective team approach involving the gastroenterologist, pathologist, radiologist, oncologist, radiation oncologist and surgeon to ultimately benefit the patient. This is the goal of the GI Case Conference at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Conference specific objectives are to:

• Review and discuss diagnostic studies
• Define management options
• Implement treatment plans to optimize better outcomes
• Review new procedures, technologies, and treatments
• Describe accurate staging of cancer patients

If you are a physician interested in participating in the conference, please click here for more information.

GANV is proud to announce that Dr. Scudera was recently recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s “Top Doctors”, a list that represents the top one percent of physicians in the country. U.S. News Top Doctors was developed in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of America’s Top Doctors® and other guides, and was built upon data from Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors™.

The Washington Post Magazine also recognized Dr. Scudera, as well as Dr. Garone, in their recent list of Super Doctors in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region. This list is carefully composed using a rigorous multi-step process designed to identify physicians who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The Super Doctors list is very select, representing approximately 5% of the physicians within the region. We are very proud to have two of our doctors included.

This past spring, the GANV Endoscopy Centers in Fairfax and Chantilly underwent rigorous, on-site surveys conducted by a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors. The team evaluated both centers for compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in ambulatory care organizations.

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. We are proud to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, an accomplishment that recognizes our commitment to providing exceptional endoscopy care to our patients.

The KODIAC-8 Study is evaluating the long-term safety of a new oral investigational medication, NKTR-118, in patients with OIC. Constipation is a frequent adverse effect of regular opioid analgesic use. Current treatments for OIC, which include laxatives, stool softeners, and reflex evacuation methods, only have up to a 46% response rate, and some are also considered inconvenient and impractical (e.g. enemas, lactulose). There remains a significant unmet medical need for treatments in this area that the KODIAC-8 study hopes to address.

If you are interested in participating in the study, you’ll find more details at Open/Current Studies.