Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

The expanding Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences influenced the decision of Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine, to join and recruit Anthony D. Martinez, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine. The two physicians, part of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, built the Center for Clinical Care and Research in Liver Disease at UB together once they saw the opportunity of establishing Buffalo’s first liver center. “I began to understand the vision here and the vision that could be built,” said Talal.

Anthony D. Martinez, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine, discusses the latest advancements in hepatitis C and notes that injection drug users constitute the main group physicians need to reach. “This group is responsible for most of the incidents or new cases of hepatitis C in the United States, so it really behooves to treat them,” he says. 

To deal with gastrointestinal disorders, Thomas C. Mahl, MD, clinical professor of medicine, advises patients to consider food choices and behavioral therapy. A new treatment under study for infection involves inserting healthy stool into the colon, says the interim chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) intervention programs based in methadone clinics may help clinicians encourage patients to make healthier choices, says Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

According to a study by Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, people who inject drugs want to be educated about hepatitis C virus infection. “That education is associated with willingness to be treated,” he says.

A study led by Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, is the first to trace in real-time how the drug telaprevir inhibits viral replication in the liver and how it clears hepatitis C virus from infected cells and plasma.

Andrew Talal, MD, MPH, chief of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, says obeticholic acid, an investigational compound for primary biliary cirrhosis, “seems likely to change clinical practice” if approved, but its long-term effects are unknown.

Andrew Talal, MD, MPH, chief of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition, says price will initially be a major factor in the clinical use of promising new ‘direct-acting’ agents targeting the hepatitis C virus.

Studies, such as University at Buffalo research on grocery purchases, irritable bowel and reactions to repeated presentations of food, offer compensation to participants — and new knowledge for all.

Medical school recruitment efforts pay off as new faculty members seek growth opportunities and find a welcoming community.

Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor and chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, sheds light on the reinfection rates of drug users who have undergone treatment for hepatitis C.

Abha Rani, MD, clinical assistant professor of gastroenterology, provides insight about bowel preparation for colonoscopies, discusses risks for colon cancer and talks about relieving the stress and embarrassment often associated with gastroenterology procedures.

With research interests including hepatitis and liver diseases, Andrew Talal, MD, will lead the UB medical school's Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.