print

News Release

Media Contact:

Christina Chavira
Communications Specialist
530.332.5589 office; 530.588.4411 cell
christina.chavira@enloe.org

Local gastroenterologist’s research work awarded

Study will appear in The American Journal of Gastroenterology

Editor: Dr. Abbasi’s photo is available upon request.

CHICO, Calif., OCT. 29, 2010 – Chico Gastroenterologist Uzma Abbasi, MD, recently received two awards for her research study comparing the prevalence of colon polyps and colon cancer among Africans, African Americans and Hispanics. Dr. Abbasi is a member Enloe Medical Center’s medical staff and of the physician practice of Digestive Disease Associates.

Dr. Abbasi presented her study in the October 2010 annual meeting of American College of Gastroenterology in San Antonio, Texas. Her study received the 2010 ACG/AstraZeneca Senior Fellow Award for “Best Abstract by Fellow in Training.” It also won the ACG Conference’s 2010 Presidential Poster contest.Dr. Abbasi’s study will appear in a special supplement to the October 2010 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

In her research, which was conducted in New York, Dr. Abbasi found that African Americans and West Africans had the same prevalence of colon polyps but that African Americans had a drastically higher prevalence of colon cancer. These results correlate with previous studies in the field. West Africans and African Americans have 75 percent similar genetics, therefore physicians are seeking to discover the factors causing the differences in risk. Dr. Abbasi, along with gastroenterologists in New York, are conducting a secondary analysis in the study, checking the patients’ weight and body mass index (BMI). Hispanic patients were the control group in Dr. Abbasi’s study; overall they had a lower prevalence of colon polyps and colon cancer than African Americans or West Africans.

The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) invited abstracts from physicians for its 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting. It required that the abstracts relate to clinical or research-oriented work in the field of gastroenterology. It offered 33 awards in a variety of areas for outstanding abstract submissions. ACG, an organization with an international membership of more than 11,000 individuals from 80 countries, is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research.

When Dr. Abbasi began practicing in Chico, she became the first local physician to perform endoscopic ultrasonography, a minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing pancreatic, gastric and esophageal cancers. She also focuses on treating gastroenterological diseases as well as diseases of the liver. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Abbasi completed both her fellowship in Gastroenterology and residency in Internal Medicine at the Harlem Hospital Center in New York, where she was recognized as the top member of her class each year. The hospital, affiliated with Columbia University Medical Center, selected her Intern of the Year in 2005, Junior Resident of the Year in 2006, Senior Resident of the Year in 2007 and Fellow of the Year from 2008 through 2010. Dr. Abbasi received her MD in her native country, Pakistan, from Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, the nation’s second-largest city.

Dr. Abbasi performs endoscopies at Enloe Medical Center. She sees patients in her office at 251 Cohasset Road, Suite 300. Also practicing with Digestive Disease Associates are Stephen F. Pearce, MD; Richard A. Zak, MD, and Shaheen Rasheed, MD.

##

Dr. Abbasi is an independent licensed practitioner who is a member of Enloe's Medical Staff and not employed by the medical center.

Enloe Medical Center is a local, nonprofit health care organization. For more information, please call 530/332-7300 or visit us online at http://www.enloe.org.   Enloe Medical Center is located at 1531 Esplanade Chico, Calif.  95926.