Course Fees
Course Fee: $795.00800-926-3775
University at Sea®
5700 4th Street NorthSt. Petersburg, FL 33703
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Monday - Friday
9:00am - 5:00pm EST
Saturday
10:00am - 2:00pm EST
5th Annual Gastroenterology, Liver & Obesity Conference
Primary Care Update
7-Night St. Kitts and Tortola Cruise
Round-trip Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
January 11 - 18, 2025
Round-trip Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
January 11 - 18, 2025
Target Audience
Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and other Health Care Professionals.
Program Purpose / Objectives
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SATURDAY January 11, 2025 |
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12:00 – 1:00pm |
BOARD: Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
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1:00 – 3:00pm |
Conference Sign-in/ Registration and Material Pickup (Conference Center) |
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3:30pm |
SAIL |
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SUNDAY January 12, 2025 – At Sea All Day |
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7:00 – 7:30am |
Conference Sign-in/ Registration and Material Pickup (Conference Center) |
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7:30 – 8:30am |
Personalized Management of GERD and the Risk/Benefits of PPI and PCABs |
Pandolfino, MD |
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8:30 – 9:30am |
GI Bleeding/ Peptic Ulcer Disease |
Pandolfino, MD |
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9:30 – 9:45am |
BREAK |
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9:45 – 10:45am |
The Nuts and Bolts of IBS |
Brenner, MD |
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10:45am – 11:45am |
When Laxatives are Not Enough: Will Asking the Right Questions Lead to the Correct Diagnosis and Appropriate Treatment? |
Brenner, MD |
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11:45am – 1:00pm |
LUNCH |
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1:00 – 2:00pm |
Approach to Abnormal Liver Tests |
Kulik, MD |
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2:00 – 3:00pm |
Clinical Updates in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease |
Kulik, MD |
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3:00 - 3:15pm |
BREAK |
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3:15 – 4:15pm |
Understanding the Fundamentals of Obesity - What I Wasn't Taught in Medical School |
Kushner, MD |
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4:15 – 5:15pm |
Clinical Assessment of the Patient with Obesity - Identifying the High-risk Phenotype |
Kushner, MD |
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MONDAY January 13, 2025 – At Sea All Day |
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7:30am – 8:30am |
Small Intestinal Issues Including Celiac Disease |
Stein, MD |
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8:30 – 9:30am |
All Things Gluten: Evaluation and Management of Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity |
Stein, MD |
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9:30 – 9:45am |
BREAK |
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9:45 – 10:45am |
Implementing Lifestyle Management in the Office Setting |
Kushner, MD |
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10:45– 11:45am |
A Comprehensive Review of Obesity Medications Including Incretin-based Therapies |
Kushner, MD |
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11:45am – 1:00pm |
LUNCH |
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1:00 – 2:00pm |
Cirrhosis and Management Of Complications |
Kulik, MD |
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2:00 – 3:00pm |
Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Update |
Kulik, MD |
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3:00 – 3:15pm |
BREAK |
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3:15 – 4:15pm |
Dysphagia |
Pandolfino, MD |
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4:15 – 5:15pm |
Abdominal Pain in Primary Care: Focus on Dyspepsia OR IBS mimickers/chronic diarrhea conditions |
Brenner, MD |
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TUESDAY January 14, 2025 |
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8:00am – 6:00pm |
Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis |
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WEDNESDAY January 15, 2025 |
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7:00am – 2:30pm |
Tortola, BVI |
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THURSDAY January 16, 2025 |
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11:30am – 6:00pm |
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic |
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FRIDAY JANUARY 17, 2025– At Sea All Day |
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8:00am – 9:00am |
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Primer |
Stein, MD |
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9:00am – 10:00am |
Liver Cases |
Kulik, MD |
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10:00am – 10:15am |
BREAK |
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10:15am – 11:15am |
Summing It Up - Case Studies In Obesity Management |
Kushner, MD |
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11:15am – 12:15pm |
Cases focused on GI Diagnostics |
Pandolfino, MD |
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5:30pm – 11:59pm |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
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SATURDAY JANUARY 18, 2025 |
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7:00am |
Port of Arrival: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
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Conference Sessions generally take place on days at sea (as itinerary allows), giving you plenty of time to enjoy your meals, evenings and ports of call with your companion, family and friends.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All conferees, their families, and guests must book their cruise within the University at Sea® meeting group through University at Sea® at 800-926-3775 or by registering online. This ensures our company can provide conference services and complimentary social amenities to all meeting participants and their guests. Thank you for your cooperation.
Faculty
John E. Pandolfino, MD, MSCI (Conference Chairperson)
Division Chief, Professor of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Northwestern Medicine
Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL John E. Pandolfino, MD is the Hans Popper Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He currently is funded by the NIH to study GERD and Dysphagia pathogenesis. He maintains a strong clinical practice and in the Esophageal Center at Northwestern which serves as the nation’s top referral center for complicated esophageal diseases. He is active in multiple professional organizations and has a strong commitment to the editorial process serving as a member of the editorial board of multiple high-level Gastroenterology and Hepatology journals.
Darren M. Brenner, MD, AGAF, FACG, RFF
Professor of Medicine and Surgery
Director, Northwestern Neurogastromotility and Functional Bowel Programs
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL Darren Brenner, MD is a Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Gastroenterology at Northwestern University and serves as Director of the Neurogastromotility and Interdisciplinary Bowel Dysfunction programs. Dr. Brenner focuses his clinical and research pursuits on a wide range of motility topics including IBS, constipation, opioid related constipation, fecal incontinence, gastroparesis and scleroderma. He has published more than 175 articles, abstracts, and online materials on these subjects, and has lectured both nationally and internationally in these areas. He acts as a reviewer and editor for multiple GI peer-reviewed journals and is a former associate editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. He serves as a member of the board of directors for the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, on the Rome Foundation committee on clinical trial design, and serves or has served on multiple AGA and ACG committees including research, education, and digital publications and communications. He is also the acting governor representative to the American College of Gastroenterology from the state of Illinois. Dr. Brenner is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and Rome Foundation. He has been appointed to the peer perspective board of Helio Gastroenterology and has been named to the Helio 200 top innovators in gastroenterology and hepatology and Best Doctors in America lists. In his free time, Dr. Brenner is an avid practitioner of Shotokan karate, holds a 3rd degree black belt in this art, and served as head coach of the US Junior National Karate Team at the World Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2022 where his daughter was the only American karate athlete to win a gold medal and the first female to win one in 30+ years.
Laura Kulik, MD
Professor of Medicine
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Radiology, and Surgery
Northwestern Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL Laura Kulik, MD is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and is Certified in both Gastroenterology and Hepatology and in Transplant Hepatology. Her major clinical research focus is on the therapy and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Her group at Northwestern University is very qualified for this particular study as their center is a major referral center for the management of HCC in all stages of disease. Dr. Kulik has worked in conjunction with Interventional Radiology and Transplant Surgery to develop a dedicated weekly clinic that is specifically tailored to allow for a timely evaluation and care of patients with HCC. Additionally, she has created a dedicated follow up clinic for patients with HCC that are not candidates for transplantation; this has allowed a seamless transition and plan of care in patients with more advanced HCC. At Northwestern, over the last 5 years, on average 110 OLT per year are performed. Among these, 1/3 has evidence of HCC.
Robert F. Kushner, MD, MS
Professor, Departments of Medicine & Medical Education
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Director, Center of Lifestyle Medicine
Chicago, IL Professor, Departments of Medicine and Medical Education Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Director, Center of Lifestyle Medicine, Northwestern Medicine Chicago, IL Robert Kushner, MD is Professor of Medicine and Medical Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine in Chicago, IL, USA. After finishing a residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University, he went on to complete a postgraduate fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and earned a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago, IL, USA. Dr Kushner is past President of The Obesity Society, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists (ABPNS), and a founder and first Chair of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). Dr Kushner has authored over 250 original articles, reviews, books and book chapters covering medical nutrition, medical nutrition education and obesity, and is an internationally recognized expert on the care of patients with overweight or obesity issues. He is author/editor of multiple books; current books include Nutrition and Bariatric Surgery (CRC Press, 2015), Lifestyle Medicine: A Manual for Clinical Practice (Springer, 2016), Creating a Lifestyle Medicine Center (Springer, 2020), Six Factors to Fit – Weight Loss that Works for You! (Eat Right Press, 2020), and Primary Care: Evaluation and Management of Obesity (Wolters Kluwer, 2022).
Adam C. Stein, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL Adam C. Stein, MD specializes in the evaluation and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders that involve the small bowel, including Crohn's disease, intestinal failure (such as from short bowel syndrome), celiac disease, enteropathy, fat/protein malabsorption, cystic fibrosis, and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Additionally, he sees patients with ulcerative colitis. He performs both video capsule endoscopy as well as double balloon enteroscopy and is able to evaluate abnormal small bowel findings as well as small bowel bleeding. Dr. Stein also specializes in the evaluation and management of malnutrition, providing nutrition through the vein (parenteral nutrition, or "TPN") as well as tube feeding.
Our staff can assist you with all your travel arrangements.
Questions? Call us at 800-422-0711.
We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.
We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.
Cruise Itinerary
| DATE | PORT OF CALL | ARRIVE | DEPART |
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| Sat Jan 11 | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
- | 3:30 pm |
| Sun Jan 12 | *At Sea - Cruising |
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| Mon Jan 13 | *At Sea - Cruising |
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| Tue Jan 14 | Basseterre, St. Kitts |
8:00 am | 6:00 pm |
| Wed Jan 15 | Tortola, British Virgin Islands |
7:00 am | 2:30 pm |
| Thu Jan 16 | Puerto Plata, Dom. Rep. |
11:30 am | 6:00 pm |
| Fri Jan 17 | *At Sea - Cruising |
- | - |
| Sat Jan 18 | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
7:00 am | - |
*Tentative course schedule, actual class times may differ.
Ports of Call
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - There is an abundance of things to see and do in the Ft. Lauderdale area: visit the newly redesigned Ft. Lauderdale Beach and cafes, stroll the historic Riverwalk, shop the luxurious stores on Las Olas Boulevard, or adventure to the Everglades for an intriguing air boat excursion.
At Sea - Cruising - Cruising
Basseterre, St. Kitts - The island England zealously defended from Brimstone Hill, the "Gibraltar of the West Indies." In Basseterre, a mini-London, there's Piccadilly Circus to shop and a gingerbread version of Big Ben by which to check the hour.
Tortola, British Virgin Islands - Besides being one of the most scenic islands in the Caribbean, Tortola also has a fascinating cultural and historical side. For a glimpse into the island’s colonial past, visit the Virgin Islands Folk Museum. The restored house was once the family home of shipwright, Joseph Wilfred Penn and features a deep collection of Arawak and Carib pottery and stone tools, as well as plantation artifacts. Hike along the seven available walking trails in Sage Mountain National Park for stunning panoramic views of the island and the surrounding natural habitat. Snorkeling in the crystal-clear Caribbean Sea and a rum tasting at Callwood Rum Distillery are essential on a cruise to Tortola. Sample the delicious curries, spicy soups, and sumptuous shellfish dishes available in abundance at local restaurants and many snack shacks around the island.
Puerto Plata, Dom. Rep. - In Puerto Plata, you’ll be greeted by verdant mountains, pristine beaches, and nature-filled adventures. Go for a swim at the awe-inspiring 27 Waterfalls complex. Hike through the lush, protected jungle of El Choco National Park, enjoying the park’s two lagoons. Swim with dolphins at World Ocean, the largest manmade dolphin habitat in the world, or grab a kayak and head out on the water at Manatee Reserve.
For history buffs, tour the Fortress of San Felipe and travel back in time to Spanish occupation. Don’t leave the Domincan Republic without sampling locally distilled rum or delicacies like la bandera and mofongo.
Our staff can assist you with all your travel arrangements.
Questions? Call us at 800-422-0711.We can assist you with all your travel arrangements. We'd be happy to help you plan your flights, hotels or tours before and/or after your cruise conference.
SHORE EXCURSIONS
Please note that our shore excursions are operated separately and
independently of those offered by the cruise line.
Please note that our shore excursions are operated separately and
independently of those offered by the cruise line.
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