ABGH summit spotlights mentorship, ‘handing the baton’ to future leaders in GI

The American Association for Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists’ inaugural Gut Health Summit shined a light on the historical, current and future state of heath equity for Black patients with GI and liver diseases.

The summit also gave attendees the opportunity to hear from patients and patient advocates themselves as well as grow their network of potential mentors and collaborators.

In a Healio interview exclusive, Ugo Iroku, MD, co-founder of ABGH, said the group’s first ever CME event intended to “highlight, discuss and generate solutions for discrepancies in access to care, lack of diversity in clinical trials, need for more comprehensive and patient-centered care and strategies to manage specific health disparities Black populations face in GI.”

In anticipation of the 2024 summit in Washington DC, Healio sat down with Iroku to recap what you may have missed at the sold-out event.

Healio: What are some of the unique challenges Black patients face when presenting with GI symptoms?

Iroku: Black patients often have to hurdle many systemic barriers when seeking care for GI symptoms. The most common feedback we receive as providers stems from patients not having their health complaints taken seriously, leading to prolonged suffering, delayed referral for specialist care and delays in diagnosis or treatment.

Additionally, there are issues of disparities due to social determinants of health, such as income and being underinsured, if insured at all. Again, these challenges are not theoretical. We hear these issues brought up multiple times in a week, oftentimes accompanied with heartbreaking stories as well.

As gastroenterologists and hepatologists we must do better.

Healio: Racial disparities in colorectal cancer detection has been a huge topic in 2023; has colorectal cancer been a rallying point for addressing inequities in early detection/GI cancer care overall?

Iroku: When you look at all GI cancers, including CRC, stomach, pancreas, liver amongst others, CRC has not only the highest number of new cancer cases, but also the highest rates of mortality.

So yes, CRC is an issue that has captured the national attention. It highlights what is, in many cases, a curable if not outright preventable disease that unfortunately today still has a disproportionate morbidity and mortality impact on Black communities.

Healio: Does pancreatic cancer care have similar disparities amongst Black patients?

Iroku: Pancreatic cancer is a major issue in the Black community. If you analyze the National Cancer Institute SEER data, we see that Black men and women are more likely to get pancreatic cancer than any other race or ethnic group. At the same time, we also have the highest rate of mortality with pancreatic cancer.

These disparities seem to outpace genetic and modifiable risk factors and, instead, point to access to care for services such as surgery for localized disease that would affect overall outcomes.

ABGH is committed to increasing awareness of this disease in the Black community and has done programming on this issue for the past 2 years.

Healio: How can we change the paradigm of reduced access to chronic liver disease care and transplantation for the Black community?

Iroku: Addressing health inequity in chronic liver disease and liver transplantation might involve advocating for policy changes, increasing access to care, addressing social determinants of health, promoting organ donation within the community and encouraging research that specifically focuses on these disparities.

Healio How can improved advocacy for patients reduce these disparities?

Iroku: Improved advocacy can help to reduce disparities by raising awareness about them, influencing policy changes, securing resources for underserved communities and ensuring representation of all racial and ethnic groups in research and health care leadership.

Healio: How did the Gut Health Summit foster growing a network among young clinicians?

Iroku: From the very inception of ABGH, we realized that one key way to achieve our major goal of serving Black communities was by increasing the pathway for Black trainees and students in the field of gastroenterology.

Research has shown time and time again that one likely way to increase effective services to Black communities is by having Black doctors. From our very first virtual meeting at the height of the pandemic in 2021, when over 100 Black physicians and trainees hopped on a virtual webinar, the next generation of gastroenterologists and hepatologists have embraced our organization’s mission as their own and run with it.

At this summit, we clocked over 250 practitioners and future practitioners providing extensive opportunities for forming mentorship and collaborative relationships as well as just true friendships. With a shared purpose in a shared space, many Black trainees are finding the support and allies they had not been able to access in their local training centers.

Healio: Several speakers highlighted the importance of mentorship relationships. How crucial is mentorship for clinicians starting out in the GI field?

Iroku: As in practically all fields, mentorship is the wind to the sails of any career in GI and hepatology. You can try to get along without it, but it is so much more effective and more rewarding with it.

Mentors can provide needed guidance, support, career development opportunities as well as exposure and opportunities to enhance one’s clinical skills and research capabilities. We take mentorship very seriously at ABGH and embrace the opportunity and responsibility of handing the baton to the next generation of leaders.

Healio: What was your favorite part of the Gut Health Summit 2023?

Iroku: Three moments stand out to me.

One, hearing the sage advice of John Carethers, MD, Andrea Reid, MD, MPH, Darwin Conwell, MD, MSc, FACG, and others reverberate around the packed and attentive luncheon on mentorship.

Two, hearing the wisdom, strength and humor from our community advocates and leaders Melodie Narain-Blackwell, Donna Cryer, JD, and Candace Henley.

Three, getting to watch the future stars take the stage and give amazing presentations. The moment of biggest honor was getting to celebrate Joanne Wilson, MD, for all her amazing contributions to medicine and medical education.

Healio: ABGH 2023 was a sold-out event; are you anticipating a similar turnout in Washington DC next year? What can attendees expect to see?

Iroku: Yes, the event sold out weeks before the event date and we are anticipating similar trends in DC from the feedback we have received to date.

Our goal is to create an agenda that is going to take the excellence of this year to the next level. But through it all the core principles remain: address health inequity, spotlight research and mentor trainees.

Healio: Is there anything else our readers should know about ABGH or the Gut Health Summit?

Iroku: ABGH is indebted to the amazing support we receive from our national GI societies, senior mentors and advisors, industry and non-profit allies and the infectious enthusiasm of our future leaders.

There is much work to do! Please visit blackingastro.org and follow us on social media (@blackingastro) to stay tuned for upcoming events and to join the cause!