In advance of the 2023 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress, Doximity spoke with Michael Osso, the CEO of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. He spoke about his expectations for the 2023 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress prior to the meeting.
Doximity: How would you characterize the theme of this year’s conference? What key topics stand out to you most, and what major questions will be addressed?
Michael Osso: The 2023 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress is an opportunity for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) professionals to learn about the latest advances in clinical care, innovative research, and patient advocacy. This year’s Congress is particularly exciting as we return to an in-person meeting after two years of gathering virtually. Sessions for clinicians and researchers will cover emerging innovations in IBD care and include interactive engagement models for audience participation.
Sessions will address questions including:
- What new advances have evolved as we try to find a cure for IBD?
- In what ways can we improve patients' quality of life?
- How will emerging technology impact IBD patient care?
- What should healthcare professionals know about the diversity of the IBD patient population?
Dox: What conversations are you hoping that the conference fosters?
MO: As the premier conference in IBD research and clinical care, the Crohn’s & Colitis Congress can be a platform to build connections between both seasoned and early-career health care professionals. Participants from around the world will be joining us in Denver to gain insight into new therapies and cutting-edge research, and this is crucial to forming a diverse network of clinicians who can learn from each other’s experiences and improve outcomes for their patients.
Dox: Is there a speaker or presentation you are most looking forward to, and why?
MO: There are two sessions that stand out to me among the dozens of fantastic presentations I’m looking forward to experiencing in Denver. One is titled “Controversies in IBD: Shark Tank Edition.” This session will be in a different format than traditional sessions, and it will feature evidence-based presentations of controversial positions in IBD care. Short presentations will be followed by “Shark Tank”-inspired questioning by an expert panel. The panelists — Drs. Jennifer Dotson, Sonia Friedman, David Hudesman, Neil Hyman, Edward Loftus, and Ryan Stidham — will determine situations in which they would "buy" and "not buy" the position.
The second session is titled “Improving Care for Our Diverse IBD Community” and includes both patient and healthcare professional perspectives. This session focuses on better understanding patients' needs and experiences from the perspective of racial and ethnic diversity and applying learnings to clinical practice. Featured panelists include Drs. Edward Barnes, Victor Chedid, Damie Odufalu, and Sandra Quezada — and IBD patients Tina Aswani Omprakash, Brooke Abbott, Amy Bugwadia, and Rocio Castrillon.
Dox: What do you believe sets this year’s conference apart from previous years?
MO: The 2023 Congress is more interactive than ever before, with case discussions, multi-disciplinary panels, patient perspectives, and more. This interactivity allows for more dialogue between presenters and the audience and more opportunities for participants to network and form connections.
Dox: What are three major takeaways you hope physicians walk away with after the conference?
MO: Our main goal is for health care professionals to gain clinical knowledge that they can take home and immediately implement into patient care and that these learnings improve outcomes for their patients. Additionally, we hope that by gathering with their colleagues from around the world at the Congress, participants walk away with fresh, multidisciplinary perspectives on the latest and most advanced updates in IBD research and clinical care.
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