In the News
We’re proud to share that UCLA GI & GI Surgery has once again been ranked among the top programs in the country—earning the #8 spot nationally in the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey.
UCLA Health once again placed #1 in both California and Los Angeles* in the annual rankings of excellence in hospital-based patient care. In addition, UCLA Health earned a spot on the publication’s Best Hospitals Honor Roll for the 36th consecutive year. This year, the distinction was reserved for only 20 hospitals or health systems among more than 4,400 evaluated across 15 medical specialties and 22 procedures and conditions. UCLA Health has appeared on the national honor roll continuously since the annual assessment debuted in 1990. Learn more in UCLA Health News
*Tied for #1 ranking
Innovative breathing technique helps patients with excessive belching disorder
For most people, the occasional belch is a normal part of life; in fact, normal gastric belching ranges up to 30 times a day. But when belching becomes excessive, as it did for Erica Sender, it can profoundly affect one’s work and social relationships, confidence and quality of life. Sender, a gerontologist and care advocate for older adults, was belching more than 100 times a day. For three years, Sender sought relief through her HMO’s gastroenterologist and a speech therapist, undergoing tests to try to diagnose and treat the problem. Nothing helped until she was referred to the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health at UCLA. There, she met Lisa Bolden, MA, CCC-SLP, a senior speech pathologist, who diagnosed Sender’s condition at their first meeting: supragastric belching disorder; fast and repetitive belching that occurs in some patients hundreds to thousands of times per day. ‘The power is within your brain to override this nerve function, and you can learn how to do that,’ says speech pathologist Lisa Bolden. Bolden emphasizes, “We are a team.” She highlights the importance of UCLA Health’s multidisciplinary approach, integrating care with GI physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, registered dietitians and speech pathologists to manage underlying and coexisting conditions. “Twenty years ago, we thought all belching was the same,” says , a gastroenterologist and associate director of community GI motility and gastroenterology at the Robert G. Kardashian Center. “With manometry, we’re able to tease out gastric belches from supragastric belches,” which results in far fewer misdiagnoses. Read full story on how Erica regained her life and has been able to resume the things she loves.
UCLA digestive diseases faculty named Super Doctors, Rising Stars, and Hall of Fame honorees
The Super Doctors selection process is a rigorous, multi-step evaluation designed to identify healthcare providers who demonstrate exceptional peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Doctors represents a highly selective yet diverse group of outstanding physicians across consumer-oriented specialties. The selection criteria for Super Doctors and Rising Stars are identical. To qualify for the Rising Stars designation, candidates must be actively practicing and fully licensed, with approximately 10 years or less in practice. Each year, about 5 percent of physicians in a given state or region are named Super Doctors, while no more than 2.5 percent are selected as Rising Stars. The Super Doctors Hall of Fame honors physicians who have been named Super Doctors for 10 to 14 years. The Super Doctors Legacy Member Hall of Fame recognizes physicians who have achieved Super Doctor status for 15 or more years.
- Rising Stars: Vivy T. Cusumano, MD; Danny Issa, MD; Jennifer Kolb, MD, MS; Lisa D. Lin, MD, MS; Mona Rezapour, MD, MHS; Akshay Shetty, MD; Adarsh M. Thaker, MD
- Super Doctors: Simon W. Beaven, MD, PhD; Gina Choi, MD; Lynn Shapiro Connolly, MD, MSCR; Terri Getzug, MD; Kevin Ghassemi, MD; Wendy Ho, MD, MPH; Stephen Kim, MD; V. Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS; Vikas Pabby, MD, MPH; Jenny Sauk, MD; Kirsten Tillisch, MD
- Super Doctors Hall of Fame: Eric Esrailian, MD, MPH
- Super Doctors Legacy Hall of Fame: Lin Chang, MD; Steven-Huy B. Han, MD; Sammy Saab, MD, MPH; Tram Tran, MD
B. Sean Nguyen, MD, visits Rwanda to train clinicians in critical digestive disease procedures
Dr. Nguyen, health sciences clinical instructor of medicine, returned to Rwanda in October 2025 to participate in Rwanda Endoscopy Week (REW)—a program he has supported passionately for several years. Organized by GI Rising, the Rwanda Society for Endoscopy, and the Rwandan Ministry of Health, REW brings international gastroenterology teams together to expand access to endoscopic care and strengthen long-term training across the country. Dr. Nguyen helped provide hands-on education for Rwandan, U.S., and international trainees while supporting clinics and endoscopy services throughout rural regions where GI specialty care remains limited. He and his collaborators also conducted research aimed at improving H. pylori and dyspepsia care pathways. Dr. Nguyen’s continued involvement reflects his deep commitment to global health, medical education, and sustainable capacity-building—efforts that bring critical GI care to thousands of patients who would otherwise go without. Read more in UCLA Health News & Insights