September is Women in Medicine Month, created by the American Medical Association to recognize the growing number of women in the medical profession. To celebrate the importance of females in the field and Women in Medicine Month, we’re spotlighting a few of our female speakers from Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) 2021. Are there other impressive women in the GI field that you want to recognize? Leave a comment below to give them a shoutout!

Jennifer A. Christie, MD

Professor of medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Emory School of Medicine; Clinical director of digestive diseases, The Emory Clinic
Twitter: @JChristieMD

Dr. Christie gave the J. Edward Berk Lecture during the session ASGE Presidential Plenary II. Her presentation, “Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Gastroenterology — The Path Ahead,” covered the current state of diversity and inclusion in medicine and gastroenterology, including the gender landscape in medicine, and why it is important. She also discussed strategies for moving diversity and inclusion initiatives forward at the individual and GI society level.

Dr. Christie has been a board-certified gastroenterologist for 20 years. Her clinical interests include women’s gastrointestinal health issues, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastrointestinal motility disorders. She serves as an ASGE Governing Board Councilor. Learn more about Dr. Christie and her presentation at DDW.

Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao, MD

Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine; Chief of Digestive Diseases, VA-Connecticut Health System
Twitter: @ggarciatsao

In her state-of-the-art-lecture, Dr. Garcia-Tsao discussed managing portal hypertension. She presented an update in the management of varices, variceal hemorrhage, and other complications of cirrhosis vis-à-vis strategies that reduce portal pressure.

Dr. Garcia-Tsao served as president of AASLD in 2012 and is currently the director of the Clinical Core of the Yale Liver Center, as well as the associate editor for the New England Journal of Medicine. Her investigation focuses on cirrhosis, portal hypertension and related complications, having authored over 100 original research publications as well as several society guidelines and position papers. Read more about Dr. Garcia-Tsao and the topics she covered in her lecture.

Taylor S. Riall, MD, PhD

Interim Chair Department of Surgery, University of Arizona; Professor, Surgery
Twitter: @TaylorRiall

During DDW 2021, Dr. Riall presented on the lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS), a revolutionary device recently developed in gastrointestinal endoscopy. She reviewed state-of-the-art treatment of pancreaticobiliary disease with LAMS and discussed both the benefits, complications and long-term risks of these novel endoscopic approaches.

Dr. Riall is known for her work on comparative effectiveness, patient-centered cancer and general surgery outcomes. She is the chief of the Division of General Surgery and Surgical Oncology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and has co-authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and 20 book chapters. Learn more about Dr. Riall’s session.

Deborah Gumucio, PhD

Professor; Director of BioArtography project, University of Michigan
Twitter: @grannyfossil

Dr. Gumucio gave the AGA Morton I. Grossman Distinguished Lectureship: Communicate!! The Essential Nature of Crosstalk in Development, Disease and Science. Her session gave three examples of the extraordinary power of communication in biological contexts and emphasized the essential nature of communication for cells, science and society.

Dr. Gumucio is the director of the BioArography Project. Initiated in 2005, BioArtography collates images from University of Michigan labs, where researchers add color stains to microscopic tissues to observe the structure under the microscope. Proceeds from image sales are used to send trainees to meetings and symposia. Read more about Dr. Gumucio and her session.