Tuesday May 1 in CSL: Prominent gastroenterologist Seidman to give rare free lecture
April 30, 2012
Dr. Ernest Seidman(pictured below), one of the foremost gastroenterologists in the country, will give an important lecture open free of charge to the community on Tuesday, May 1 (7:30 p.m.) at the Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Congregation (6519 Baily Road) in Côte Saint-Luc. This is part of the Berall Family IBD Lecture Series of the McGill Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Group.
The focus of Dr. Seidman’s talk will be in response to a common question: Why is Crohn's disease in my family? Risk factors, possible preventive measures and updated therapies. IBD is a term that refers to a group of chronic inflammatory conditions of the bowel. The two major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The main difference between Crohn's and ulcerative colitis is the nature and location of the inflammation. Crohn's can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Ulcerative colitis is restricted to the large bowel or colon. It is estimated that over 200,000 Canadians are affected by IBD. Although IBD is most often diagnosed in patients between 12 to 35 years of age, it can less commonly occur in people who are 70 or older and in young children as well. In fact, about 20 percent of those affected are children and adolescents.
“Patients and families are always eager to learn more about the origins of their disease and obtain further information on current research,” said Dr. Seidman. “Moreover, since Crohn's is genetic, patients and families are very concerned about how they might prevent the disease in other family members. There are also a lot of different therapies available, some of which are new. I am aware of how important this information this is to people suffering from the disease and I will try to address that in my talk and during the question and answer period.
Dr. Seidman is a Professor of Medicine & Pediatrics at McGill University, the Canada Research Chair in Immune Mediated Gastrointestinal Disorders and the Bruce Kaufman Endowed Chair in IBD at McGill. He sees patients at the McGill University Health Centre (MUCH) Montreal Children’s and Montreal General Hospitals.
Dr. Seidman is dedicating this lecture to the loving memory of his recently deceased mother in law, a lifetime member of TBDJ), Shirley (Charad) Marcovitz.
If you have someone in your family with IBD, know somebody affected by the disease or simply wish to become better informed --by all means attend. I will be there. I have had Crohn's Disease for 24 years, a mild case thankfully. But it is not everyday that I can get up close with someone of Dr. Seidman's stature and get to ask questions.
To learn more about the McGill IBD Research Group log on to http://mcgillibd.ca.