Naga Chalasani, M.D.
Division Chief |
Welcome to the Indiana University Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Our division has a distinguished tradition of excellence in patient care and innovation in research and education. Nationally ranked 13th in 2008 by the US News and World Report, we are one of the largest divisions in the country with enormous breadth to our clinical and research expertise. Our division, founded by Dr. Philip Christiansen in 1958, flourished under the leadership of Drs. Lawrence Lumeng (Division Director from 1984 to 2007) and Glen Lehman (Clinical Director from 1985- 2005) over the last two decades.
Our administrative offices are located on the fourth floor at Regenstrief Building. Our home base is in downtown where we are the exclusive GI and hepatology care providers at Indiana University Hospital, Wishard Memorial Hospital and Roudebush VA Medical Center. In order to better serve our suburban patients, in 2005 we have established an office and a procedure suite at 103rd and Springmill Streets. Over the years, we have provided excellent patient care at various outreach locations such as Lebanon, Batesville, and Greensburg. As you browse through our website, you will take notice of the breadth of our expertise in endoscopic procedures and clinical care of patients with gastrointestinal and liver illnesses.
Some highlights of our clinical strengths and expertise:
- we perform more endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) procedures than any other GI program in the United States
- our liver transplant program is one of the largest in the country with more than 170 procedures performed annually
- spearheaded by Dr. Doug Rex, our colorectal cancer screening program is one of the most experienced and most innovative programs in the country
- our IBD Center and Celiac Disease Center offer the only dedicated programs in Indiana for the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease.
- for treatment of precancerous and early stage cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, we offer all advanced luminal endoscopic procedures including endoscopic mucosal resection, photodynamic therapy, radiofrequency ablation, argon plasma coagulation, luminal stenting, polypectomy of small and large polyps
- we are the only center in Indiana to provide double balloon enteroscopy
- we are one of the few centers in Indiana to provide advanced motility testing (Bravo Ph monitoring, small bowel manometry, anorectal manometry), video capsule endoscopy (GIVEN imaging), gastric pacing
- we are the only GI group in entire Indiana to have two full time GI psychologists on staff
- we are the only center in Indiana to pioneer cutting edge technologies such as the use of mini scopes to investigate diseases of the pancreas and biliary tree, lithotripsy of pancreatic stones. natural orifice transgastric endoluminal surgery (NOTES)
Our research is extensive and is both laboratory-based and patient-oriented. Our group receives more than 5 million dollars of research funding each year from the National Institutes of Health and other extramural sources. We publish more than 100 full length papers each year in top-tier medical journals, and our faculty members serve on the editorial boards of many prestigious biomedical journals. We have faculty members who serve on NIH study sections, NIAAA advisory council, and on the boards of many other national and international research organizations. Some examples of our research themes include hepatitis C, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, drug hepatotoxicity, alcoholic liver disease, colorectal cancer screening, new endoscopic devices and techniques, minimally invasive endoscopic techiniques to treat precancerous and early cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and biliary tree, endoscopic treatment of a variety of diseases of the biliary tree and pancreas, endoscopic sedation, sphincter of oddi dysfunction, and cystic tumors of pancreas.
Education and mentoring are critical to our mission. We host one of the most robust general GI and advanced therapeutic endoscopy fellowships in the country. We are very proud that many of the prominent gastroenterologists practicing in central Indiana are our former trainees (to name a few, Drs Bob Whitmore, Greg Blitz, Brian Sipes, Arthur Baluyut, Matt Harrison, Brian Clarke, David Bash, Navjot Singh, Chris Sofianos, Mike Hartley, Paul Haynes, David Pound, Ernest Orinion, Dan Ciaccia, Frank Troiano, Michael Elmore). Our faculty members conduct local CME programs throughout the year in the form of several ERCP and EUS courses, annual GI course and annual AASLD update. Many of our faculty members regularly speak at various national and international meetings.
Whether you are a patient looking for a competent and compassionate GI physician or a medical student contemplating a GI elective or a medical resident looking for a GI fellowship or a researcher looking for a collaborator/study site or if you are looking for a faculty position, please consider giving us a chance. We are very confident that you will not be disappointed.
Naga Chalasani, MD, FACG
