IFFGD at Medical Meetings

IFFGD exhibits at many national and international meetings of healthcare professionals to raise awareness about our mission – to improve the lives of those affected by digestive disorders.

The meetings provide IFFGD with an opportunity to talk with healthcare professionals one-on-one about treating patients with a functional or motility GI disorder or incontinence. These exchanges provide insights that help us fine-tune our programs aimed at improving the doctor/patient experience, and ultimately, the care patients receive.

Many visitors to our exhibit carry our educational handouts back to their office and share them with patients. A surprising number take the time to gather a copy of every handout – almost 200 in all.

We are gratified by the number of medical professionals who stop by just to thank us for the work we do. As the largest and most active patient organization working in this area, our presence at these meetings sends a meaningful message that the concerns of people with digestive disorders are important. 

Recent Exhibit – American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS)

(June 2-6, 2007) IFFGD exhibited during the annual American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) meeting in St. Louis, MO. Although surgery is typically reserved for only the most severe cases of functional or motility GI disorders or incontinence, surgeons who visited our booth recognized the value of patient education for these conditions. There are important subtleties in properly diagnosing these conditions and making sure more conservative treatments are tried as first-line treatment, and this needs to be communicated to the patient.

Surgeons who visited the booth also commented on how much our educational materials help them explain the disorders to their patients. Many said they refer patients to our website and call center for additional information. 

2007 IFFGD Exhibit Schedule

Society of Urological Nurses Annual Symposium
March 15-17, 2007 (Colorado Springs, CO)

7th International Symposium on Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
April 12-15, 2007 (Milwaukee, WI)

Digestive Disease Week
May 19-24, 2007 (Washington, D.C.)

American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
June 2-6, 2007 (St. Louis, MO)

American Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Assembly
October 4-6, 2007 (Chicago, IL)

American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting
October 12-17, 2007 (Philadelphia, PA)

North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
October 25-28, 2007 (Salt Lake City, UT)