Over thirty doctors from nine countries, experts in the field of Pediatric Crohn’s and Colitis, came to Shaare Zedek for a special conference focused on improving the treatment of children with Crohn’s and Colitis. The conference presented the all-encompassing approach of our Pediatric IBD Center which for more than 10 years has provided our young patients and their families with the highest levels of medical care coupled with a child-centered approach as well as a social network to provide patients and their families with additional support.

During the seminar, our center’s unique multidisciplinary approach was described. The program included role playing of complex patient situations using professional actors along with the highly trained team from our department; a depiction of how our team uses advanced intestinal ultrasounds that can be performed at the patient’s bedside; an explanation of how our center leverages database information, an overview of our various research projects and updates, how we offer advanced endoscopic treatments instead of sending patients for surgery and an impression of our holistic multidisciplinary approach for treated patients suffered from IBD. In addition, participants observed the use of psychological empowerment techniques as well as art and animal therapy to help our patients contend with their treatments as well as the challenges of their diseases.

Prof. Dan Turner, Head of The Juliet Keidan Institute of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition shared, “This was a unique and novel hands-on conference. Specialist doctors from all over the globe came to see our model of one stop shop’ for children with inflammatory bowel diseases. The participants, all leading pediatric IBD experts in their own countries, were impressed by the methodologies we use in our Anne and Joe Turner Pediatric IBD Center. At the end of the seminar, many participants said that they plan to adopt many of our practices when they return to their medical centers.”