Cedars-Sinai Experts Highlight Digestive Health Advances

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (Oct. 24, 2025) — Cedars-Sinai physicians and investigators will share their research findings, aimed at improving outcomes for digestive disease, during the international conference of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). The annual scientific meeting, ACG 2025, takes place Oct. 24-29 in Phoenix.

Cedars-Sinai investigators are presenting new findings on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gastroenterological disorders. As many as 70 million children and adults in the U.S. have a digestive disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Gastroenterology experts from Cedars-Sinai are available for media interviews and can address a wide range of topics, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), acid reflux disease, colorectal screening, the gut microbiome, elemental diet therapy and digital health aides for disease monitoring.

Table of Contents

Cedars-Sinai Experts

Mark Pimentel, MD, executive director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars Sinai, is a pioneer in the study, diagnosis and development of therapies for IBS. He is available to discuss research presented at the meeting on the association between high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas, detected on breath tests, and acid reflux disease and the severity of gastroesophageal reflux.

Ali Rezaie, MD, medical director of the GI Motility Program and director of Bioinformatics at the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai, is an expert on small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), gastrointestinal motility disorders and breath test diagnostics. He is available to discuss several new studies to be presented on the topics of bloating, the elemental diet and the need for better diagnostics and treatment for microbial overgrowth syndromes.

Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, a gastroenterologist, is the director of Health Services Research for Cedars-Sinai and holds the George and Dorothy Gourrich Chair in Digital Health Ethics. Spiegel’s expertise in health technology includes the role of AI in GI disorders, virtual reality as a safe, noninvasive tool for managing patient pain and anxiety, and how some digital health aids, such as mobile apps, can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Christopher Almario, MD, MSHPM, is a gastroenterologist and co-director of the Center for Outcomes Research and Education who studies healthcare quality measurements, healthcare decision-making and digital health sciences. He is available to comment on new research being presented by the center on the methods patients prefer for colorectal and lung screening.

Amrit Kamboj, MD, is a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. He is available to discuss esophageal disease, including research to be presented at the conference about the increases in achalasia, a rare swallowing disorder, and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic allergic condition that affects the lining of the esophagus.

Gabriela Leite, PhD, is lead project scientist for the MAST Program at Cedars-Sinai. She will present research on the association between the use of palatable elemental diet nutrition replacement therapy, changes in the gut microbiome and the loss of intra-abdominal fat.