Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
Kissimmee, Florida
April 18, 2026
Overview
The Orlando Health Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) will host the Florida IBD Congress to highlight the latest advancements in the diagnosis and management of IBD. This conference is designed to meet the educational needs of all healthcare professionals who treat and manage patients with IBD. At Florida IBD Congress, internationally recognized faculty will provide insight into the latest advancements pertaining to IBD diagnosis, management, and complications and highlight state-of-the-art interventions, via a combination of didactic presentations, debates and interactive case-based discussions. The knowledge gained from attending the symposium will allow delegates to implement these changes and thereby significantly improve the quality of their clinical practice. This program is designed for gastroenterologists, gastroenterology fellows, primary care physicians, colo-rectal and general surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners interested in the latest information on diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients with IBD.
The objective of the Florida IBD Congress is to provide participants a comprehensive education in IBD evaluation and management. The program covers seven major topics.
- Treatment options for the medical management of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
- Understand the role of endoscopy and surgery in the management of complications of Crohn’s disease
- Understand the role of intestinal ultrasound in monitoring patients with IBD
- Evaluate, manage and monitor treatment of patients with IBD
- Management of IBD in women and children
- Diagnosing colon dysplasia/cancer in IBD patients
- Personalized medicine in IBD
Course Director
Udayakumar Navaneethan, MD
Medical Director, Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute
Professor of Medicine
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Orlando Health Faculty
Mitali Agarwal, MD
Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute
Marco Ferrara, MD
Program Director,
Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency
Orlando Health Colon and Rectal Institute
Jean Ashburn, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Winston-Salem, NC
Noa Krugliak Cleveland, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Stephen Hanauer, MD
Clifford Joseph Barborka Professor of Medicine
Medical Director of the Digestive Health Center
Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL
David Hudesman, MD
Professor of Medicine,
Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center
NYU School of Medicine
New York, NY
Vipul Jairath, MBChB, DPhil, FRCP, FRCPC, MD
Professor of Medicine
Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
John and Susan McDonald Endowed Chair in IBD Clinical Research
Director, Advanced IBD Fellowship Program
Associate Chair (Research), Department of Medicine
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry | Western University
London, Ontario, Canada
Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD
Professor of Medicine Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Director, Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Millie D. Long, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Department of Medicine
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC
Partha Pal, MD
Consultant Gastroenterologist and IBD Specialist
Asian Institute of Gastroenterology
Hyderabad, India
David T Rubin, MD
Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine
Chief, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Director, Digestive Diseases Center
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Bo Shen, MD
The Elderman-Jarislowsky Professor of Surgical Sciences
Professor of Medicine and Surgical Sciences (in Surgery)
Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, NY
Agenda
7:30 am - 7:55 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
7:55 am - 8:00 am
Welcome Address
Udayakumar Navaneethan, MD
Session I: Management of IBD
8:00 am – 8:15 am
Bio-naive UC patient with moderate to severe disease
David T. Rubin, MD
8:15 am – 8:30 am
Bio-naive CD patient with moderate to severe disease
Stephen Hanauer, MD
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Advances in anti-TNF treatment
Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD
8:45 am – 9:05 am
Optimizing the use of anti-interleukins and anti-integrins in the management of IBD
Millie D. Long, MD
9:05 am – 9:25 am
Positioning small molecules in the IBD treatment algorithm
David T. Rubin, MD
9:25 am – 9:40 am
Combination biologics / small molecules in IBD
David Hudesman, MD
9:40 am – 9:55 am
What’s in the IBD pipeline-exciting future
Vipul Jairath, MD
9:55 am – 10:30 am
Video case presentations and panel discussion — Choosing treatment options for moderate to severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
Session II: Debates in IBD
10:45 am – 11:05 am
Intestinal Ultrasound in IBD:
Intestinal ultrasound should be the opening move for disease assessment
Endoscopy is the gold standard and here to stay
Noa Krugliak Cleveland, MD
Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD
11:05 am – 11:35 am
Dysplasia in IBD:
Endoscopy and resection of dysplasia should be the opening move
Surgery will cure all dysplasia!
Partha Pal, MD
Marco Ferrara, MD
11:35 am – Noon
Strictures in Crohn’s Disease:
Medicine and endoscopy should be the opening move
Get the knives out – Surgery to fix the structure
Udayakumar Navaneethan, MD
Jean Ashburn, MD
Noon – 12:25 pm
Complex Perianal CD Patient:
Medicines and endoscopy can circumvent surgery
Surgery is the only option
Bo Shen, MD
Jean Ashburn, MD
12:25 pm – 12:45 pm
Video case presentations and panel discussion – Interventional IBD and colorectal surgery
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Industry-Sponsored Luncheon
Session III: IBD in Special Situations
1:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Acute severe ulcerative colitis
David Hudesman, MD
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Video session of post-operative anatomy seen in IBD patients
Bo Shen, MD
2:00 pm – 2:20 pm
Newer guidelines on preconception to peripartum management of patients with IBD
Mitali Agarwal, MD
2:20 pm – 2:35 pm
Approach to pouchitis
Bo Shen, MD
2:35 pm – 3:05 pm
Lifetime in IBD management: 10 clinical pearls I have learned in IBD management
Stephen Hanauer, MD
3:05 pm – 3:35 pm
Video case presentations and panel discussion
3:35 pm – 3:50 pm
Refreshment Break
Session IV: Challenges in IBD Management and the Future
3:50 pm – 4:10 pm
Brian Feagan Memorial Lecture – “Personalized medicine in IBD” and “Integration of personalized medicine in the IBD treatment algorithm”
Vipul Jairath, MD
4:10 pm – 4:30 pm
State-of-the-art: Making sense of all the medications: How will I manage IBD in 2026?
Millie D. Long, MD
4:30 pm
Panel discussion and concluding remarks
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center
6000 W. Osceola Pkwy. | Kissimmee, FL 34746
Located in beautiful Central Florida, Gaylord Palms Resort welcomes guests to an upscale, one-of-a-kind experience in a premier location. From Cypress Springs Water Park to an exciting lineup of family-friendly activities and entertainment, there’s something for the entire family to enjoy. Guests can explore the four-and-a-half acres of airy indoor garden atriums showcasing Florida’s history and diverse landscapes, the cobblestone streets of St. Augustine and the picturesque and vibrant colors of Key West. The resort is also home to nine award-winning restaurants, bars, the world-class Relâche Spa and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
A daily resort fee of $38, plus tax, is not included in the special meeting room rate and provides the following guest amenities:
- 24-hour access to Relâche Spa Fitness Center
- Scheduled shuttle services to Walt Disney World® theme parks and Disney Springs®
- $10 credit toward dry cleaning services
Additional Benefits
A limited number of rooms are available at this rate and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations must be made by March 30, 2026 in order to receive the special meeting rate. Once Orlando Health’s room block is sold out, the hotel may charge a higher rate for any additional rooms made available. Check-in is 4:00 pm | Checkout is 11:00 am
Parking is available at a daily rate of $40 (valet) and $15 (self) with in/out privileges for overnight guests.
Parking fees do not include tax. Prices are subject to change.
