Internal medicine awards
Katie Hutchins, MD, assistant professor in the UNMC Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, began her term as ACG Governor for Nebraska at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in October.
Governors are elected annually by members and fellows in their respective geographical areas. They serve a term of three years and are responsible for overseeing the governance and strategic direction of the ACG. Governors play a crucial role in shaping ACG’s policies and initiatives, ensuring that the organization remains aligned with the needs of gastroenterologists and their patients.
Many of Dr. Hutchins’s colleagues also participated in the event, which brings together GI physicians from around the world and delivers the latest clinical information on timely topics in gastroenterology and hepatology.
Sarah Malik, MD, assistant professor in the division, and Bilal Niazi, MD, second-year gastroenterology fellow, presented workshops.
A total of 14 faculty, fellows and residents presented 32 posters, and several were recognized by the ACG:
- Nurlan Aliyev, MD, clinical research project manager, ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter
- Jason Barbaretta, ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter
- Bilal Niazi, MD, ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter
- Kyle Scholten, DO, first-year gastroenterology fellow, ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter
- Carter Schulz, MD, house officer 2, ACG Presidential Poster Award Winner
- Zach Vinton, DO, house officer 2, ACG Outstanding Poster Presenter
- Boomer Zuniga, DO, house officer 3, ACG Presidential Poster Award Winner
-Maria Ball, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine
Transplant hepatology fellows win academic debate
UNMC participated in the AASLD Annual Meeting, commonly referred to as the Liver Meeting, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7-11. The UNMC Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology’s transplant hepatology fellows, Nadera Altork, MD, and Ismail Elkhattib, MD, won the event’s Academic Debate at The Liver Meeting and were awarded the 2025 Liver Cup.
At this event, rising hepatology fellows face off in a lively, evidence-based exchange on a critical and controversial topic within hepatology. This year, UNMC was pitted against Mayo Clinic in Arizona on the topic “Use of Machine Perfusion and Living Donor Grafts for Adults Awaiting Liver Transplant.” Teams were asked “Is there a role for living donor liver transplant in adult patients in the age of machine perfusion?”
Shaheed Merani, MD, PhD, associate professor in the UNMC Division of Transplant Surgery and transplant surgery fellowship program director, was the onstage mentor for the fellows.
“This is a distinction to our entire transplant fellowship program,” said Marco Olivera-Martinez, MD, professor in the UNMC Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and transplant hepatology fellowship program director. “Our faculty, mentors, partners and fellows are to be congratulated for this achievement.”
Organized by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the event is for the global hepatology community to learn about breakthroughs in liver disease research, practical tools for patient care and the future of hepatology. Learn more at The Liver Meeting | AASLD.
-Maria Ball, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine
Dr. Hwang takes on global research role
Soonjo Hwang, MD, has completed his five-year term as the Anna O. Stake Professor in Child Psychiatry and assumed a new role as the director of global research in the UNMC Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Hwang was named Anna O. Stake Professor in 2020. During his tenure, Dr. Hwang earned research funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health and more.
Dr. Hwang’s new role, which started on Nov. 1, will include a new emphasis on building the department’s global partnerships in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan as part of the UNMC East Asia Accelerator initiative. This will include coordination of international research and entrepreneurship opportunities, applications for extramural grant funding and mentorship of international faculty, research staff and learners.
-Derek Sullivan, UNMC Department of Psychiatry