Colorectal cancer screening topic for 2nd TMC Internal Medicine Grand Rounds

[UArizona gastroenterologist Dr. Josh Melson presents on colorectal cancer screening at the TMC Internal Medicine Grand Rounds in the hospital’s Marshall Auditorium on April 5.] About 60 physicians attended a Tucson Medical Center lecture by the University of Arizona Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology’s Joshua Melson, MD, as part of the TMC Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, Aug. 5, in the hospital’s Marshall Auditorium – half in person and half watching virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Dr. Melson’s talk centered on “Colorectal Cancer Screening.” He’s director of the UArizona Cancer Center’s High-Risk Clinic for Gastrointestinal Cancers and held a similar role at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center before joining the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson faculty in August 2022.

His focus is on managing patients at elevated risk of cancer, employing his clinical expertise for prevention via screening, surveillance and endoscopic removal of precancerous lesions during colonoscopy. With research funding from the American Cancer Society and prominent foundations, he also serves on the editorial review board of the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Amid a drive to increase the number and quality of colorectal cancer screenings worldwide over two decades, he noted more recent shifts in colonoscopy screenings by gastroenterologists versus fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) conducted at home from a boxed kit sent to consumers.

Afterward there was a lively Q&A session with a number of questions from physicians in the room as well as online.

[Joshua Melson, MD] Dr. Melson said, “The opportunity to discuss colorectal cancer screening with representatives from diverse internal medicine specialties was a lively and enriching experience. I commend Dr. Sarkar and the, UA, Banner and TMC leadership for initiating this program as an opportunity to address important topics in internal medicine at the major hospitals in the city.”

After TMC launched its own internal medicine residency program last July, Sujata Sarkar, MD, began coordinating with Serena Scott, MD, MBA, UArizona Department of Medicine vice chair for faculty development and clinical chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, to create the TMC IM grand rounds with lectures by DOM faculty. Dr. Sarkar is director of the residency program.

The first lecture, given by the Division of Infectious Diseases’ Fariba Donovan, MD, PhD, who’s also a research scientist at the college’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence, was presented in December. Dr. Melson’s presentation was the second in the series. Others are planned for mid-June and late summer with Julia Cremer, MD, a UArizona geriatrician, and HIV care specialist Danielle Avila, MD.

The role of the lectures is educational, said Dr. Sarkar, a previously UArizona-affiliated rheumatologist who has been with TMC since 2014. “UA was my first faculty appointment after moving here from the University of Michigan, where I did my fellowship,” she added. “I am thankful to Dr. Scott and both TMC, Banner and UA administration for supporting this joint venture.”

Those interested in presenting at TMC for their Internal Medicine Grand Rounds should reach out to Dr. Scott at serenascott@arizona.edu and Dr. Sarkar at sujata.sarkar@tmcaz.com.

MINI-PHOTO GALLERY:
Mouseover images to see captions and click on them to enlarge.