Diving Into GI Specialty: 3rd Space Endoscopy with Dr. Mohammad Bilal
The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology is excited to welcome Dr. Mohammad Bilal, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Third Space Endoscopy & Bariatric Endoscopy, Associate Program Director, Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship.
Dr. Bilal completed his general GI training at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX in 2019 and his advanced endoscopy training at The Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital with Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA in 2020. He joined the University of Minnesota / Minneapolis VA Medical Center GI Division after training and served as the Associate Program Director for the General GI fellowship until his transition to the University of Colorado.
Dr. Bilal will serve as Director of Bariatric and Third Space Endoscopy as well as associate program director for the advanced endoscopy fellowship program. Dr. Bilal has over 210 peer-reviewed publications and more than 250 abstracts at national meetings. His clinical expertise includes ERCP, EUS, enteroscopy, EMR, EFTR, ESD, POEM and Bariatric Endoscopy. His impressive track record of clinical, teaching and scholarship awards, along with leadership roles in prestigious organizations such as American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, make him a valuable addition to the CU Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Q&A
Why did you join the team at University of Colorado Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology?
The Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the University of Colorado has a rich history in providing outclass clinical care, excellence in education and innovation in clinical research. The advanced endoscopy group at University of Colorado has been on the forefront of innovation and providing cutting edge endoscopy care to patients in Colorado and neighboring states. In addition, the educational programs offered by the Division have helped trained several generations of fellows as they advance in their careers, including myself. Therefore, it was truly an honor for me to join this excellent Division, which has a proud past but also currently has an incredible group of physicians, fellows and APPs, which make it on the forefront of innovation in medicine.
What is Third Space Endoscopy?
As GI endoscopy has advanced, one of the major advances has been in third space endoscopy. Third space endoscopy (also called submucosal endoscopy) encompasses several endoscopic procedures, which are performed in the deeper wall layers (or submucosal layer) of the GI tract. This allows us to remove tumors that involve the deeper layers of the GI tract and treat conditions that involve the deeper layers of the GI tract without compromising the superficial layer of the GI tract (what we call mucosa). This sets the foundation of organ-preserving, minimally-invasive procedures, which allow several procedures to be performed including endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM).
To a non-expert, what does that mean?
This means procedures that are minimally invasive and can be performed with an endoscope. For the patient, this entails that there will be no surgical incision or scar on the outside of the body. Several conditions or early cancers that would need major surgeries such as early stage esophageal, gastric or colorectal cancer can now be removed endoscopically and in turn preserving the organ. Similarly, motility disorders such as Achalasia can be managed endoscopically as well, which limits the need for surgery in some cases. Endoscopic procedures typically have a faster recovery time while still having similar outcomes to other surgical procedures.
What do you specialize in and what procedures do you have special expertise?
I specialize in several advanced endoscopic procedures such as ERCP, Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), ablation therapies (RFA and cryotherapy), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), enteroscopy, per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), endoscopic treatment of Zenkers diverticulum, endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR), and weight loss endoscopic procedures such as endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) and transoral outlet reduction (TORe).
What makes the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus a leader in the advanced endoscopy space?
As mentioned before, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has a rich history of providing outclass care to patients as well as being on the forefront of education and research. Our advanced endoscopy team comprises of leaders in all aspects of GI endoscopy care including Pancreatobiliary diseases, Barretts esophagus and esophageal diseases, colorectal diseases, motility disorders and metabolic diseases. At CU, we don't just provide endoscopic services, but we have an incredible range of multidisciplinary clinics where the patients get a comprehensive care plan in coordination with other specialties including surgery, oncology, radiology, pathology, nutrition, and radiation oncology. This allows the patients to get care under one roof.
What kind of research are you interested in related to this area?
My research interests are primarily focused on three broad themes. 1) My work focuses on research in early detection and management of early stage GI tract cancers (esophageal, gastric and colorectal), and I study the techniques to improve early detection of GI tract cancers and focus on evaluating techniques on minimally invasive strategies in managing early stage GI cancers. 2) I also focus on gastrointestinal endoscopic innovation studying and evaluating minimally invasive endoscopic tools to treat gastroenterological and pancreatobiliary conditions. 3) Innovations in medical education, clinical scholarship and curriculum development.
Why should providers and patients trust CU for their advanced endoscopy needs?
The CU advanced endoscopy team provides not only every patient with the exceptional endoscopic care they need, but we provide it in consultation with our incredible colleagues in other specialties. The multidisciplinary teams at CU provide access to world-renowned surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, nutrition services, radiation oncologist and more. While each patient may not need these services, all our cases are discussed in detail in the respective multidisciplinary conferences which allows us to provide the best treatment options. Since CU has always been on the forefront in clinical research, it allows patients the opportunity to enroll in clinical trials which not only helps the individual patient but also advances the field and science forward. Our nursing team, APPs and support staff make every possible effort to obtain the patient's prior records prior to their visit at CU so when the patient comes, we have all the information we need to make the necessary decisions to provide them the best care possible.
Patients and providers are welcome to schedule an appointment or refer a patient to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Therapeutics-Interventional Endoscopy Section.
UCHealth Digestive Health Center - Anschutz Medical Campus (Primary)
720-696-8496
UCHealth Esophagus and Gastric Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic - Anschutz Medical Campus
720-848-0405
Select publications reference (total 213)
• Bilal M, Pohl H. Clinical Updates in Colon Endoscopic Mucosal Resection. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024 Sep 9:S1542-3565(24)00727-4. doi:10.1016/j.cgh.2024.07.022.
• Wilson N, Bilal M, Westanmo A, Gravely A, Shaukat A. Prevalence of Sessile Serrated Lesions in Individuals with Positive Fecal Immunochemical Test Undergoing Colonoscopy: Results from a Large Nationwide Veterans Affairs Database. Gastroenterology. 2024 Feb 29:S0016-5085(24)00242-7. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.02.035
• Abdallah M, Mohamed MFH, Abdalla AO, Jaber F, Baliss M, Ahmed K, Eckmann J, Bilal M, Shaukat A. Adenomas and Sessile Serrated Lesions in 45-49- Year-Old Individuals Undergoing Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Feb 29. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002735
• Wilson N, Abdallah M, Schulman AR, Mosko JD, Saeed A, Kothari S, Kaul V, Kothari TH, Phan J, Kumar A, Tofani C, Kim RE, Westanmo A, Moy BM, Dang F, Canakis A, Sharma N, Muniraj T, Azeem N, Bilal M. Outcomes of Cold Snare Endoscopic Mucosal Resection of Nonampullary Duodenal Adenomas ≥1 cm: A Multicenter Study. Gastrointest Endosc. 2023 Dec 11:S0016-5107(23)03151-6. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2023.12.007
• Bilal M, Feld LD, Hernandez LV, Feld AD, Anderson JC, Bloomfeld RS. Professionalism in the Management of Endoscopic Adverse Events - Consensus Document from the American College of Gastroenterology Professionalism Committee. Am J Gastroenterol. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002474.
• Abdallah M, Ahmed K, Abbas D, Mohamed M, Suryawanshi G, McDonald NM, Wilson N, Umar S, Shaukat A, Bilal M. Cold Snare Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Colon Polyps: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Endoscopy. 2023 Jul 14. doi: 10.1055/a-2129-5752.
• Wilson N, Are VS, Osorio Cintron R, Azeem N, Bilal M. Use of the endoscopic powered resection device for the management of scarred polyps. VideoGIE. 2023 Apr 14;8(5):211-216. doi: 10.1016/j.vgie.2023.01.009.
• Tappata M, McDonald NM, Abdallah M, Bilal M. Efficacy of wire-guided biopsy forceps for tissue sampling in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: a preliminary experience. Clin Endosc. 2023 Feb 15. doi: 10.5946/ce.2022.152
• Abdallah M, Suryawanshi G, McDonald N, Chandan S, Umar S, Azeem N, Bilal M. Endoscopic full-thickness resection for upper gastrointestinal tract lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Surg Endosc. 2022 Dec 14. doi: 10.1007/s00464-022-09801-x.
• Bilal M, Holub J, Greenwald D, Pochapin MB, Rex DK, Shaukat A. Adenoma Detection Rates in 45-49 Year Old Persons Undergoing Screening Colonoscopy: Analysis from the GIQuIC Registry. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022 Feb 15. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000001684.