Med-Tech Theatre Sessions
Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is rapidly transforming the management of IBD, offering clinicians a real‑time, non‑invasive, and patient‑centered tool to guide decision‑making. In this session, global leader in IUS and IBD Dr. Kerri Novak will explore how point‑of‑care ultrasound can reshape assessment of CD across the patient journey.
Dr. Novak will share current evidence and practical insights that illustrate how integrating point‑of‑care ultrasound into clinical practice can streamline workflows and deepen patient engagement, ultimately elevating the standard of IBD management.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand application of intestinal ultrasound in IBD
- Explore data and clinical impact of incorporating intestinal ultrasound into routine monitoring of CD
SPEAKER
Kerri Novak
Kerri Novak is an academic gastroenterologist and the Deputy Division Head, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Calgary.
Kerri has a special interest in small bowel imaging using intestinal ultrasound, and she developed the first clinic in North America to use bedside intestinal ultrasound (IUS) to objectively evaluate the bowel. She’s the president of the International Bowel Ultrasound group (IBUS) based in Berlin with over 2000 members and is the past Chair and founder of the Canadian interest group CANBUS.
Kerri is passionate about the use of this tool for patients and has dedicated her career to promoting its use clinically, as a preferred tool for diagnosis and monitoring by patients with IBD.
Fibrosis is an under-recognized yet clinically important complication of ulcerative colitis, contributing to bowel wall remodeling, impaired function, and suboptimal response to therapy. While inflammation has traditionally been the primary therapeutic focus, growing evidence underscores the need for improved tools to identify and characterize fibrotic disease in routine clinical practice. Intestinal ultrasound is a non-invasive, point-of-care imaging modality that enables real-time assessment of bowel wall structure and remodeling beyond mucosal inflammation. This session will review the principles of intestinal ultrasound most relevant to fibrosis assessment, alongside a focused overview of key fibrotic pathways in ulcerative colitis. Core ultrasound parameters, practical interpretation, and common limitations will be highlighted. Using illustrative clinical cases, the presentation will demonstrate how intestinal ultrasound findings can be integrated into clinical decision-making and longitudinal disease monitoring. The session will also briefly address emerging opportunities and unmet needs in non-invasive fibrosis assessment in ulcerative colitis.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the pathophysiology of intestinal fibrosis in ulcerative colitis
- Differentiate inflammatory versus fibrotic bowel wall changes
- Review the principles of intestinal ultrasound relevant to fibrosis assessment
SPEAKER
Joelle St-Pierre
Joelle St-Pierre is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Calgary. She is an IBUS-certified gastroenterologist with a clinical and research focus on intestinal ultrasound in inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. St-Pierre completed advanced training in inflammatory bowel disease and holds a PhD in immunology, with research interests spanning intestinal inflammation, fibrosis, and immunometabolic pathways. Her work integrates point-of-care imaging with clinical outcomes to improve disease assessment and monitoring.
All rise for To B or Not to B: When to Treat Hep B. The courtroom is now in session for a debate on the 2025 Canadian chronic hepatitis B (CHB) guideline recommendations, examining treatment considerations for patients in the clinical “grey zone”. Facing off as opposing counsel, Dr. Curtis Cooper argues for a more aggressive approach, while Dr. Ed Tam defends a more cautious strategy.
Opposing counsel will present evidence, cross‑examine the data, and put a controversial patient case on trial. As a member of the jury, you will weigh the arguments and deliberate on how to interpret and apply guideline recommendations for treating patients in the grey zone into practical treatment decisions.
Step into the courtroom, follow the debate, and deliver your verdict – because when it comes to patients in the grey zone, the question remains: When to Treat Hep B?
Learning Objectives
After attending this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify and classify patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who are in the grey zone for treatment, and describe the clinical factors that influence their management
- Interpret and apply the 2025 Canadian CHB guideline recommendations for treating patients in the grey zone, and integrate them into clinical practice
SPEAKERS
Edward Tam & Curtis Cooper
Edward Tam is a Clinical Hepatologist at the Digestive Health Centre of BC. He has a full-time community-based clinical practice in General Hepatology with a focus on viral hepatitis, as well as an interest in steatotic liver disease and autoimmune liver diseases. He is active in teaching, clinical research, clinical guidelines development, and has published extensively in peer-review journals and presented at international congresses. He currently serves on the executive for the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver as Secretary and Treasurer.
Curtis Cooper trained at the University of Saskatchewan (MD 1994). He received certification in Internal Medicine in 1997 and in Infectious Diseases in 1999 while at the University of Manitoba. He completed an HIV Research Fellowship and Masters of Epidemiology in 2002 while at the University of Ottawa. He is a Professor with the University of Ottawa, Infectious Diseases Consultant with The Ottawa Hospital Division of Infectious Diseases, Senior Scientist with the Ottawa Health Research Institute, and Research Director of The Ottawa Hospital Viral Hepatitis Program. As a clinical researcher, Dr. Cooper’s research activities encompass viral hepatitis, HIV and vaccine development. His work is focused on the development of new therapeutic agents and the delivery of treatments that maximizes safety, adherence and effectiveness. He also oversees cohort research related to HBV, HCV, HIV and COVID19.
Join Dr. Aliya Gulamhusein, moderated by Dr. Mark Swain, for Unexplained Cholestasis: How Should Genetics Inform Clinical Management? This case-based session explores the hidden genetic drivers of adult cholestatic liver disease and challenges traditional diagnostic approaches. Learn the new standard of care on how genetic testing can unlock clearer diagnoses, sharpen clinical decision-making, and transform the management of adults with unexplained cholestasis.
Learning Objectives
After attending this session, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the pathophysiology and identify appropriate diagnostic approaches for genetic cholestatic liver disease (CLD) in adults
- Implement evidence-based management strategies for genetic CLD in adults
SPEAKER
Aliya Gulamhusein & Mark Swain
Aliya Gulamhusein is an Assistant Professor and Clinician Investigator at the University of Toronto. She completed an advanced hepatology fellowship in cholestatic liver diseases and liver transplantation at Mayo Clinic, Rochester and a master’s degree in public health at John’s Hopkins University. Her academic focus is on outcomes-based clinical research and optimization of risk stratification tools for patients with cholestatic liver diseases, including PSC with a goal of improving patient outcomes using an individualized approach to care.
Mark Swain is a hepatologist and Professor of Medicine in the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. As a founding member of the Calgary Liver Unit and Canadian MASLD Network (CanMASLD), he specializes in managing complex liver disease with a specific focus in the management of metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease and autoimmune liver diseases. Dr. Swain is a clinician-scientist with a basic science research interest focused on body-brain communication pathways that drive symptom development (e.g., fatigue, ‘brain fog’) in chronic liver disease. His clinically focused research programs involve clinical care pathway development/implementation and performing clinical trials and translational research in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and autoimmune liver diseases.
