PSG
Rumblings SUMMER 2025 WINTER 2023
PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY OF GASTROENTEROLOGY / NEWSLETTER
President’s Message / Karen Krok, MD, FAASLD, FACG President’s Message / David L. Diehl, MD, FACP, FASGE
@Klkrok @DavidDiehlMD
www.pasg.org
www.pasg.org
Reflections. As I reflect on the last two years since I became President of the PSG, I simply cannot believe that the time has gone by so quickly. I often ponder The Mentoring on theImportance saying, “the days areof long, but the years are short”. Personally, my oldest daughter now drives and is entering her senior year. My youngest daughter is in attending physicians at one’s The PSG is launching high school – no more middleaschoolers for me. I have had fun trips both in and own training program work very mentorship program for GIand wonder outside of the US! It makes me stop what will life be like in 2 years hard to train GI fellows, but this is for me? and early career Fellows generally different from a mentoring GI physicians. We will relationship. For the PSG, I am very proud of our continued efforts to provide educational be reaching out to those opportunities for our GI fellows. They are clearly the future of GI and of course I have been lucky enough to have of you point, who the would at some rest oflike us willto retire. There is certainly a need for more some important mentors in my participate in this project. and West gastroenterologists in Pennsylvania Viriginia. A study published this medical career. The first was June in Gastroenterology by Ying and colleagues showed that “nearly 50 million assigned to me when I was a firstMany of us must have travel benefitted from Americans at least 25 miles to see a gastroenterologist…and another year medical student. His name mentors. Perhaps some ofthan us have 7 million people lived more 50 miles away” with more disparities in access was Eugene “Skip” Felmar, MD and suffered theareas. lack of a mentor to care infor rural The researchers also found that “of 3,149 [United States] he was a Family Practice attending during ourmore education or training. counties, than two-thirds (69.3%) had no gastroenterologists, and 17% in the San Fernando Valley area of Mentors can have a lifelong impact had fewer than 5 gastroenterologists.” Southern California. I enjoyed going on their trainees, but the relationship out to his office and shadowing him does not go in onlyinone I remember times the direction. last two years when we had patients being transferred closely while he saw outpatients, Mentors can get as much benefit to our institution from hospitals upand to 200 miles away. When I asked the referring rounded on inpatients, and did office satisfaction as their mentees can. team why they are looking so far away, they stated that they tried other hospitals procedures. Beyond gaining valuable Gastroenterology, like other areas of that were closer but were routinely told that there was no GI coverage at the insight into the practice of medicine, medical training is akin to better a “guild”, hospitals. We need to do for our patients! We should be working to I found out why his nickname was where experienced take the recruitthe these amazing fellows that we train to stay local if that fits their goals. “Skip” after he took me out on his novice under their wing to train sailboat which he kept docked at them in the of their chosen The PSG hasarts worked actively to engage the Pennsylvania fellows through many the Los Angeles harbor. Skip Felmar field. All GI fellows, includingwe ushave 9 fellows opportunities. For example, on the PSG board, giving them the became a role model for me, and way back when, had trainers opportunity to understand theand workings of a statewide organization. All GI fellows the mentor-mentee relationship was coaches that typically to were get free membership the staff PSG (and free admission to the annual meeting) and mutually rewarding. gastroenterologists at our program. we have now extended to this their first 6 months as an attending as well! Our Many medical schools for to show their research, and the 20 trainees annual conference hasprovide opportunities Another highly impactful mentor mentor but this is lesstravel and selectedrelationships, for this receive a generous housing stipend. We are hosting that I had was someone that I chose common in GI training. Certainly, our second capsule course in conjunction with Geisinger Medical Center. Also, myself. Dick Kozarek, MD was (and we have had a very successful virtual discussion with fellows about different
PSG/SOCIAL: @PAGastroSoc
INSIDE:
continuedon onpage page 22 continued
PSG/SOCIAL: @PAGastroSoc
INSIDE
1 President’s Message
1 President’s Message 3 Practice Management 4 Non-Compete Ban 4 GI Supergroups
6 Venue Shopping 6 GI Fellowship 8 EMR or ESD? 7 Annual Meeting 11 Roulette 8E rgonomics— Best Practices
13 Jeopardy Winners 10 Gastroenterology Update 14 Annual Meeting Highlights 11 Showing Up 16 Board and Staff 12 Board and Staff