GI Agenda - Friday, Oct. 30, 2026

7:00 a.m. Registration / Breakfast / Exhibits

7:40 a.m.
Welcome / Introduction
Quan P. Ly, MD, FACS
Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, UNMC

7:50 a.m.
Management of Endocrine Side Effects of Immunotherapy
Anupam Kotwal, MBBS
Associate Professor, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, UNMC

8:20 a.m.
Impact of Tai Chi on Patient’s Care and Wellness
Crystal Krause, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of General Surgery, MIS, & Bariatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, UNMC

Joseph Siu, PhD
Professor and Chair, PT Global Health Opportunities Program, UNMC

9:00 a.m.
Advances in Radiation Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
Chi Lin, MD, PhD, MS
Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Department of Radiation Oncology, UNMC

9:30 a.m. Break / Exhibits

9:50 a.m.
Pain Management for Cancer Patients
Peter Ricci Pellegrino, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, UNMC

10:20 a.m.
Recent Updates in GI Cancer Genetics
Grace Saunders, MS, LCGC
Munroe-Meyer Institute, UNMC

10:50 a.m.
The Psychosocial Impact of the Cancer Process
Adam C. Mills, PhD
Department of Psychology, Nebraska Medicine

11:20 a.m.
Neoadjuvant Strategies in Rectal Cancer
David Shibata, MD, FACS, FSSO, FASCRS
Harwell Wilson Alumni Endowed Chair in Surgery, Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery, and Executive Director/Chief Medical Officer of the UTHSC Cancer Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN

12:10 p.m. Lunch / Exhibits

12:50 p.m.
Emerging Tests for Early Cancer Detection
Rachael Schmidt, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP®
Medical Science Liaison, GRAIL

1:20 p.m.
Pancreatic Incidentalomas
Andrew T. Keldgord, DO
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, UNMC

Benjamin J. Swanson, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, UNMC-NMC

2:20 p.m.
Barriers to Cancer Screening in Rural Areas
Caleb Schroeder, MD, FACS
General Surgeon, Nebraska Rural Surgical Associates, Hastings, NE

2:50 p.m. Break / Exhibits

3:05 p.m.
Malnutrition in Oncology: From Recognition to Diagnosis
Leiauna Pelster, MMN, RD, LMNT
Clinical Dietitian, Nebraska Medicine

Cheyenne Watkins, MS, RDN, LMNT
Clinical Dietitian, Nebraska Medicine

3:35 p.m.
Debate: Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy vs. Surgery for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
James C. Padussis, MD
Associate Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, UNMC

4:15 p.m. Closing Remarks
Quan P. Ly, MD, FACS