Bowel Sounds: The Pediatric GI Podcast

In this episode of Bowel Sounds, hosts Dr. Peter Lu and Dr. Jordan Whatley talk to Dr. Vikram Raghu, a pediatric gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist who specializes in intestinal rehabilitation at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He is also an accomplished researcher with a focus on cost-effective care.

There has long been a growing emphasis on the importance of providing cost-effective care, but what does that really mean? How does that look in the field of pediatric gastroenterology? Dr. Raghu explains in our conversation and provides several examples where the cost-effective choice may not be intuitive. 

Learning objectives

1. Define cost-effective medical care
2. Discuss how to determine what the cost-effective choice would be when making a medical decision
3. Understand how to discuss cost effectiveness with patients and their families

References

Dr. Raghu's favorite local Indian restaurant: Udipi Cafe

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This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

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In this episode of Bowel Sounds, hosts Dr. Peter Lu and Dr. Jenn Lee talk to Dr. A. Jay Freeman, pediatric gastroenterologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.  He is a leading clinician and researcher in pediatric pancreatic disorders and the GI and liver complications of cystic fibrosis. 

He provides a massive update on the treatment of cystic fibrosis, including the changing clinical landscape with the advent and use of CFTR modulator therapies.

Dr. Freeman does not have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Learning objectives

• Describe key GI and liver manifestations of cystic fibrosis
• Explain how CFTR modulatos have changed GI and Liver disease in children with cystic fibrosis.
• Apply current screening and management strategies for GI complications in children with cystic fibrosis

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Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

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Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In this episode, Dr. Jordan Whatley and Dr. Jason Silverman talk to Dr. Sarah Lusman, Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University. She is the Program Director of the Pediatric GI Fellowship Program there as well as the Director of Pediatric Fellowship Training (across all pediatric subspecialties). She is also the Chair of the NASPGHAN Training Committee. During the episode, we discuss the significant pediatric subspecialty fellowship changes proposed by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) including the possibility of 2-year pediatric GI fellowships.

Learning objectives

1.   Describe the proposed changes to Pediatric GI Fellowship training announced by the American Board of Pediatrics in April 2026

2.   Understand the process of implementing these changes and what Pediatric GI Fellowship Training Programs can do now to prepare for them

3.  Understand the long-term impact of these changes to Pediatric GI training and the field of Pediatric GI

Links

ABP Press Release from April 2026

ABP Competency-Based Medical Education and Entrustable Professional Activities Information

Pediatric GI Entrustable Professional Activities  (Updated August 2026)

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Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In our fourth Summer School episode this season, hosts Dr. Amber Hildreth and Dr. Jordan Whatley have taken highlights from past episodes on liver disease and put them into a special episode full of clinical pearls.

Former expert guests Dr. Bill Balistreri, Dr. Jorge Bezerra, Dr. Saul Karpen, Dr. Dennis Black, Dr. Amy Taylor and Dr. Rohit Kohli cover neonatal cholestasis, biliary atresia, PSC, AIH, and MASLD.

Our Bowel Sounds Summer School series will include four episodes each summer on big topics in our field, artisanally crafted for the ears of learners of all stages from the young student to the seasoned attending.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the evaluation of neonatal cholestasis
2. Review the natural history of PSC
3. Review the diagnosis and management of AIH
4. Understand the diagnostic evaluation and management of MASLD.

Featured episodes:

1. Bill Balistreri- Neonatal Cholestasis

2. Jorge Bezerra- Advances in Biliary Atresia

3. Saul Karpen- Updates in Biliary Atresia

4. Dennis Black- Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

5. Amy Taylor- Autoimmune Hepatitis Management

6. Rohit Kohli- Fatty Liver Disease

Additional Links:

1. Guideline for the Evaluation of Cholestatic Infants

2. AASLD PSC Guidelines

3. AASLD AIH Guidelines

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Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In our third Summer School episode this season, hosts Dr. Temara Hajjat and Dr. Jordan Whatley have taken highlights from past episodes on celiac disease and put them into a special episode full of clinical pearls.

Former expert guests Dr. Edwin Liu, Dr. Ivor Hill, Dr. Maureen Leonard, Dr. Marissa Stahl, Dr. Arun Singh, and Dr. Justine Turner cover a range of topics from early determinants of celiac disease risk to making a biopsy vs. non biopsy diagnosis.

Our Bowel Sounds Summer School series will include four episodes each summer on big topics in our field, artisanally crafted for the ears of learners of all stages from the young student to the seasoned attending.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the factors influencing developing celiac disease.
2. Review an approach to the evaluation and management of celiac disease.
3. Review the indications and evidence for biopsy vs. non biopsy diagnosis for celiac disease.

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Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In our second Summer School episode this season, hosts Dr. Jason Silverman and Dr. Temara Hajjat have taken highlights from past episodes on nutrition and put them into a special episode full of clinical pearls.

Former expert guests Dr. Charlie Vanderpool, Dr. Mark Corkins, Dr. Praveen Goday, Dr. Maria Mascarenhas, Dr. Ruba Abdelhadi, Dr. Bruno Chumpitazi and Kirsten Jones, and Dr. Eytan Wine cover a range of topics from early life nutrition and development, to picky eating and specialized diets.

Our Bowel Sounds Summer School series will include four episodes each summer on big topics in our field, artisanally crafted for the ears of learners of all stages from the young student to the seasoned attending.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of functional components of human milk and other early life influences on growth and development.
2. Review an approach to the evaluation and management of the picky eater.
3. Review the indications and evidence for specialized diets in the context of gastrointestinal disorders.

Featured Episodes:

1. Charlie Vanderpool - Functional Components in Infant Nutrition
2. Mark Corkins - Early Life Nutrition and Impact on Childhood Development
3. Praveen Goday - The Picky Eater
4. Ruba Abdelhadi - Enteral Nutrition and Feeding Tubes 101
5. Eytan Wine - Nutrition, IBD, and the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet
6. Bruno Chumpitazi & Kirsten Jones - Using the Low-FODMAP Diet for Children with IBS
7. Maria Mascarenhas - Culinary Medicine

Additional links:

1. Lisa Richardson - Ins and Outs of Infant Formulas
2. Katie Larson-Nath - Faltering Weight
3. Nutrition Pearls Podcast

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Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

Bowel Sounds Summer School is BACK!  In our first Summer School episode this season, hosts Dr. Peter Lu and Dr. Jordan Whatley have taken highlights from past episodes on abdominal pain and put them into a special episode jam-packed with clinical pearls.

Former expert guests Dr. Miguel Saps, Dr. Sam Nurko, Dr. Miranda van Tilburg, Dr. Ann Ming Yeh, Dr. Bruno Chumpitazi, Kirsten Jones, RD, and Dr. Neha Santucci explain to us how they evaluate and treat the child with abdominal pain.

Our Bowel Sounds Summer School series will include four episodes each summer on big topics in our field, artisanally crafted for the ears of learners of all stages from the young student to the seasoned attending.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of making a positive diagnosis for a child with an abdominal pain-predominant disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI).
2. Recognize the role of lifestyle modification, dietary changes, and supplements in the treatment of children with chronic abdominal pain.
3. Review the behavioral and pharmacological therapies available for children with chronic abdominal pain.

References:

ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN Guidelines for Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Functional Abdominal Pain

Featured Episodes:

Miguel Saps - Functional Abdominal Pain

Miranda van Tilburg - Behavioral Treatment of Functional Abdominal Pain

Bruno Chumpitazi & Kirsten Jones - Using the Low-FODMAP Diet for Children with IBS

Neha Santucci - Functional Abdominal Pain in "Organic" GI Diseases

Samuel Nurko - Using Neuromodulator Medications for Functional Abdominal Pain

Ann Ming Yeh - Non-Medication Treatment for Children with Abdominal Pain and Nausea

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In this episode, Dr. Jordan Whatley and Dr. Temara Hajjat talk to Dr. Katie Larson-Nath, Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Division Director at the University of Minnesota M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital, who specializes in pediatric nutrition and leads the Intestinal Rehabilitation Program. We talk about the recently published joint AAP/NASPGHAN Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnosis and Management of Faltering Weight, a new term that replaces "failure-to-thrive".

Learning objectives

1.     Understand the basis for the change in terminology from “failure-to-thrive” to “faltering weight” per the 2026 joint AAP/NASPGHAN Clinical Practice Guideline

2.     Describe the defining criteria for a diagnosis of faltering weight

3.     Understand the recommended comprehensive evaluation and management of children with faltering weight

Links

Joint AAP/NASPGHAN Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnosis and Management of Faltering Weight

WHO Weight Gain Velocity Standards

2015 AND/ASPEN Consensus Statement for the Identification and Documentation of Pediatric Malnutrition (Undernutrition)

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In this special Bowel Sounds and Nutrition Pearls collaboration episode, hosts Dr. Jennifer Lee and clinical dietitian Nicole Misner talk to Lisa Richardson about the ins and outs of infant formula. This is a must listen episode for all pediatricians, pediatric gastroenterologists, dietitians and anyone who is using or recommending infant formulas. 

Learning Objectives

1. Explain infant formula nutrition, components, and comparison to breast milk
2. Differentiate formula types, ingredients, and clinical use
3. Apply guidance for fomula selection, safety, and caregiver education

Links:

Infant Formula Preparation and Storage | Infant and Toddler Nutrition | CDC

Infant Formula Homepage | FDA

Operation Stork Speed | FDA

Infant Formula References

Larson-Nath C, Bashir A, Herdes RE, et al. Term infant formula macronutrient composition: An update for clinicians. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2025;80(5):751-759. doi:10.1002/jpn3.70002

Rodrigo ML, Tymann HA, Lochen HA, Shores DR. Infant formula ingredients: Updates for clinicians. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2024;78(5):1005-1008. doi:10.1002/jpn3.12192

Lewis JI, Dror DK, Hampel D, et al. Reference Values for Macronutrients in Human Milk: the Mothers, Infants and Lactation Quality (MILQ) Study. Adv Nutr. 2025;16 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):10050. doi:10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100501

Taylor SN, Buck CO. Post-discharge nutrition to optimize preterm infant short- and long-term outcomes. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2025;30(2):101637. doi:10.1016/j.siny.2025.101637

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.

In this episode, Drs. Jason Silverman and Amber Hildreth talk to Dr. Valeria Cohran about the advances in intestinal rehabilitation care for infants and children with short bowel syndrome including changes nutrition management, line care and use of GLP-2 analogues that have led to decreases in intestinal failure associated liver disease and transplantation. 

Learning objectives

1. To understand the composition and impact of multidisciplinary intestinal rehabilitation teams.
2. To review the historical presentation of intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD) and changes in practice that have reduced its prevalence and severity.
3. To review GLP-2 analogues and their impact on outcomes and quality of life for children with short bowel syndrome. 

Links

Papers mentioned:

1. PIFCON data paper on IFALD
2. Cholestasis and infection in long-term PN
3. Management of CVL in SBS Position Paper
4. Intestinal Rehabilitation Teams Practice Guideline

Previous episodes mentioned:

1. Sue Protheroe - Enteral Nutrition in Intestinal Failure
2. Danielle Wendel - Central Line Management in Intestinal Failure (Special JPGN Episode)
3. Ruben Quiros-Tejeira - Multivisceral Transplantation
4. Paul Wales - Surgical Management in Short Bowel Syndrome
5. Valeria Cohran & Conrad Cole - Racism in Medicine

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

This episode may be eligible for CME credit!  Once you have listened to the episode, click this link to claim your credit.  Credit is available to NASPGHAN members (if you are not a member, you should probably sign up).  And thank you to the NASPGHAN Professional Education Committee for their review!

As always, the discussion, views, and recommendations in this podcast are the sole responsibility of the hosts and guests and are subject to change over time with advances in the field.

Check out our merch website!

Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and upcoming episodes.

Click here to support the show.