Houston Methodist to Showcase Expanding Digestive Health Leadership at DDW 2026

Houston Methodist’s Underwood Center for Digestive Health will once again bring a significant national presence to Digestive Disease Week 2026, underscoring the institution’s growing influence across gastroenterology, hepatology and advanced endoscopy.

At this year’s meeting, held May 2–6 in Chicago, Houston Methodist faculty will contribute across the scientific spectrum — from high-impact symposia and clinical courses to a robust portfolio of research abstracts. In total, the team will present 25 posters and lectures, participate in three clinical symposia, teach two specialized courses and serve as panelists in key sessions — a breadth of engagement that reflects both the scale and depth of the program.

The strong showing continues a steady rise in national visibility for the Underwood Center, where clinical innovation and translational research increasingly intersect with real-world practice change.

Framing the future of gut-brain and IBS care

Few areas better illustrate that intersection than disorders of gut-brain interaction, a focus of multiple sessions led by Dr. Eamonn Quigley, chief of Gastroenterology at Houston Methodist.

Dr. Quigley will deliver a lecture on nutritional strategies for complex gastrointestinal conditions and contribute to panel discussions addressing diagnostic challenges that can mimic irritable bowel syndrome, as well as the evolving — and often misunderstood — role of the microbiome in IBS care.

His sessions reflect a broader shift in the field toward more precise, patient-centered management of functional GI disorders.

“IBS and related conditions are no longer diagnoses of exclusion — they’re diagnoses we can actively understand and treat,” Dr. Quigley said. “The challenge now is applying the science thoughtfully, whether that’s looking at the patient’s diet, microbiome insights or motility testing, to improve outcomes for individuals.”

In parallel, Houston Methodist investigators will present multiple abstracts exploring motility, constipation and novel diagnostic tools — including work examining wireless capsule technologies and real-world treatment persistence — reinforcing the institution’s leadership in advancing functional GI care.

Advancing risk stratification in liver disease

On the hepatology front, Dr. Mazen Noureddin will lead a symposium lecture focused on risk stratification in metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), with an emphasis on noninvasive tools and referral timing — a critical issue as the global burden of liver disease continues to rise.

The session highlights a central challenge in hepatology: identifying which patients with steatosis are at highest risk of progression to fibrosis and cirrhosis, without relying on invasive biopsy.

“We’re entering an era where noninvasive testing can fundamentally change how we screen, risk stratify and manage liver disease,” Dr. Noureddin said. “The goal is to detect advanced fibrosis earlier — when we still have a chance to intervene and even reverse disease.”

Additional presentations from Dr. Noureddin’s group will explore clinical pathways, fibrosis progression and the impact of social determinants on outcomes — signaling a comprehensive approach that integrates epidemiology, diagnostics and health equity.

Innovation across endoscopy, IBD and AI

Beyond symposia, Houston Methodist’s DDW presence spans a wide range of subspecialties.

Advanced endoscopy will be represented by Dr. Thomas McCarty, who will teach a course on state-of-the-art suturing devices and platforms for obesity — an area of rapid technological evolution.

Dr. Bincy Abraham will contribute to an American Gastroenterological Association board review course on GI diseases in pregnancy and lead multiple research presentations in inflammatory bowel disease, including studies leveraging artificial intelligence and natural language processing to improve disease detection and monitoring.

Additional Houston Methodist researchers will present work on topics ranging from health disparities in IBD to real-world outcomes in constipation therapies, bariatric endoscopy trends and complications of cirrhosis — reflecting a program that is both clinically grounded and forward-looking.