Please note that the schedule below is subject to change and will be updated on a rolling basis.
VS:01 Welcome Remarks and Improving Access to GI: A Collaborative Open Access Model
8:00 AM - 9:10 AM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Asheley Johnson, DNP RN NEA-BC, and Brenda Findley, MSN RN CGRN NE-BC
A community hospital’s digestive health department launched a nurse-led Open Access program to address disparities in colonoscopy screening access. This session will explore how interdisciplinary collaboration, streamlined workflows, and personalized patient navigation significantly reduced referral delays and improved care coordination. Attendees will gain insight into replicable strategies that empower nursing professionals to lead access to care innovations in gastroenterology.
Break
9:10 AM - 9:20 AM
VS:02 Esophageal Disorders
9:20 AM - 10:20 AM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Kate Gaffney, PA
This session provides a comprehensive overview of dysphagia, focusing on its clinical significance, diagnostic evaluation, and endoscopic findings relevant to GI and endoscopy nursing practice. Participants will begin with an introduction to the definition, prevalence, and impact of dysphagia on patient outcomes, emphasizing its importance in clinical care. The session will review the normal physiology of swallowing, including the oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases, and distinguish between oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia. Attendees will gain a structured approach to patient assessment using key screening questions and will explore the role of diagnostic modalities. The session will also highlight common and clinically significant endoscopic findings associated with dysphagia, including peptic strictures and erosive esophagitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, Schatzki rings and webs, malignant strictures, and achalasia. By the end of this session, participants will be better equipped to recognize, evaluate, and support the management of patients presenting with dysphagia in the GI and endoscopy setting.
Break
10:20 AM - 10:30 AM
VS:03 Gastropsychology
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speakers: Dr. Sara Hoffman Marchese
This session introduces gastropsychology its role in the comprehensive care of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. The session will explore the brain-gut connection, including how it normally functions and the factors that can disrupt it. Attendees will learn how dysregulation of this connection can contribute to GI symptoms and digestive disorders. Evidence-based treatment approaches will be highlighted, with a focus on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and gut-directed hypnotherapy as effective interventions.
Lunch
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
VS:04 Chronic Pancreatitis
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: James Watkins, MD
This session discusses how endoscopic and surgical therapy of pancreatic stones is driven by pain and guideline suggest that there is no role for these therapies in patients with no symptoms. It explains the limitations of “standard endoscopic techniques” as used for biliary stones which are often not effective for pancreatic stone disease. It describes how Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL ) for therapy of pancreatic duct stones and the evolution of endoscopic evaluation and therapy of pancreatic duct stones. Lastly, it reviews surgical options in treatment of pancreatic stone disease.
Break
1:15 PM - 1:25 PM
VS:05 Gut Microbes: Shaping Your Health Destiny
1:25 PM - 2:25 PM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Savita Srivastava, MD
The gut microbiome—trillions of microorganisms living in the digestive tract—is increasingly recognized as a vital organ that influences nutrition, immunity, protection against disease, and brain development. This session explores how the microbiome shapes health throughout life, the diseases linked to microbiome imbalances, and why the first 1,000 days of life are critical for establishing a healthy, diverse microbial community that supports lifelong well-being.
Break
2:25 PM - 2:35 PM
VS:06 Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) vs Nissen Fundoplication
2:35 PM - 3:35 PM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Dr. Keith C. Bilbrew, DNP MSN RN CGRN CFER
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition that significantly impacts patients' quality of life. While proton pump inhibitors remain first-line therapy, patients with persistent symptoms may benefit from procedural intervention. This one-hour session compares Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF), a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure, with laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, the surgical gold standard for GERD management. Drawing from current clinical guidelines and evidence-based literature, participants will review patient selection criteria, procedural techniques, clinical outcomes, potential complications, and nursing considerations. Emphasis will be placed on the gastroenterology nurse's role in patient education, procedural preparation, post-procedure care, and shared decision-making to optimize patient outcomes.
Please note that the schedule below is subject to change and will be updated on a rolling basis.
The Future of SGNA: Perspectives from the Board
8:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Speakers: SGNA Board of Directors
VS:07 Gastroparesis
8:50 AM - 9:50 AM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Shelby Wills, DNP APRN CNP
This session introduces gastroparesis as a chronic condition characterized by delayed stomach emptying. Participants will learn to distinguish the components of gastroparesis, compare idiopathic and diabetic forms, and recognize risk factors that may put a patient at risk for gastroparesis. The session also highlights diagnostic challenges and associated risks, equipping learners to deliver safe, effective care.
Break
9:50 AM – 10:00 AM
VS:08 Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH): Burden, Impact, and Emerging Therapies
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | 1.0 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Nadia Blessing, PA-C
This session reviews the growing burden of MASH in the Unites States and its impact on patients and the healthcare system. It will highlight disease progression, complications, and the evolving role of pharmacologic therapies in management.
Lunch
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
VS:09 RN Care Coordinating - Not Your Average To-do List
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM | 0.5 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Katherine Craig RN, CGRN
This session highlights the role of the RN Care Coordinator, distinguishing it from triage nursing and case management. Participants will explore relationship-building with appropriate boundaries, gain insight into a hepatology care coordinator’s daily workflow, and learn strategies for navigating prior authorizations. The session will end with a case study and an explaniation of why its important to preserve the RN Care Coordinator role.
Break
12:45 PM - 12:55 PM
VS:10 Biologic Infusion Therapy in Gastroenterology: An Evidence-Based Approach to Best Practices
12:55 PM - 1:55 PM | 0.5 GI Specific Contact Hour
Speaker: Karin Cierzan, RN CGRN CRNI
This session will provide an overview of the care and management of inflammatory bowel disease patients receiving biologic therapy in a gastroenterology practice setting. It will start with providing the necessary steps prior to infusion therapy, then a review of the biologic drug classifications, and end with an explanation of vein site selection.