Research

The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology maintains a highly active basic and clinical research program. Ongoing projects span bench and animal studies, drug and device trials, and observational and epidemiologic research across multiple areas, including pancreaticobiliary and esophageal disorders, gastrointestinal cancer, nutrition, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and liver disease. Division faculty lead numerous bench research programs supported by NIH grants and are currently conducting over 100 clinical research studies.

The spring of 2020 marked a seismic shift for digestive and liver disease research at MUSC with the award of more than $16.5 million in NIH funding to open two new tightly integrated centers. MUSC is now the only institution in the country to house both a Digestive Disease Research Core Center (DDRCC), which supports the research of established scholars, and a Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Digestive and Liver Disease (CDLD), which mentors early-career investigators to become independent scholars.

Through research collaborations, GI faculty interact with investigators in a number of other research units at MUSC including the Hollings Cancer Center, an NCI-designated cancer center.

MUSC GI faculty are recognized nationally and internationally for their scholarly contributions to gastroenterology. They are represented among the leadership of several national GI societies including the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.