Suspends Publication After 10 Years of Serving the Endoscopic Nursing Community
Suspends Publication After 10 Years of Serving the Endoscopic Nursing Community
After a decade of dedicated service to the endoscopic nursing and gastrointestinal healthcare communities, EndoPro Magazine announces it is suspending publication, effective immediately, marking the end of a 10-year journey supporting education, professional growth, and industry connections in endoscopy.
Founded in 2016, EndoPro Magazine served as a trusted, independent voice for endoscopic nurses, technicians, sterile processing professionals, and allied GI healthcare providers. Over the past ten years, the publication has delivered in-depth insights, professional perspectives, industry news, and event coverage tailored to the evolving needs of the endoscopic nursing profession.
“When we launched EndoPro Magazine, our goal was simple yet ambitious: to provide endoscopic nurses and GI professionals with a publication that truly speaks to their work, their challenges, and their expertise,” said Bill Eikost, Founder and Publisher. “We are immensely proud of what we built alongside our contributors, advertisers, and readers over the past decade.”
Throughout its run, EndoPro Magazine covered advancements in endoscopic technology, infection prevention, reprocessing and sterile processing best practices, professional development, and regulatory changes affecting GI and endoscopy departments nationwide. The magazine also served as a platform for industry voices—spotlighting nurses, clinicians, educators, and leaders who help shape the future of endoscopic care. The decision to close the publication followed careful consideration of the state of the economy, the changing media landscape, and how medical device companies allocate their advertising and marketing resources.
EndoPro Magazine extends its deepest gratitude to its readers, editorial contributors, advertisers, and industry supporters for their support in sustaining the publication and making it all possible.
While the magazine’s publication is suspended effective immediately, the legacy of EndoPro lives on in the conversations it helped start, the knowledge it shared, and the professionals it connected.
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The journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology has shared a new study that explores whether artificial intelligence may help with endoscopic scoring of Crohn’s disease (CD).
Endoscopic scoring of CD is challenging because mucosal disease is patchy with highly variable morphology, size, and severity. Computer vision may help quantify disease activity with similar performance as standard instruments like the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease (SES-CD), according to the study abstract.
Colonoscopy videos from the STARDUST and SEAVUE phase 3 clinical trials underwent post-hoc computer vision endoscopic (CVE) assessment to quantify CD mucosal ulceration and injury. A segmentation model was trained on hand annotations of images performed by two gastroenterologists, predicting ulcer area, severity, and relative size.
Predicted ulceration and general mucosal injury were then spatially mapped to the ileum and colon to quantify CD burden. CVE ulceration and general injury values were compared to the SES-CD in terms of disease quantification, localization, and agreement with end-of-study clinical remission.
Ulcer semantic segmentation models matched the performance of gastroenterologist annotators, with neither performing better on qualitative review of disagreements. CVE measures were highly correlated with SES-CD scores, though there was expected poor correlation with the degree of stenosis.
The conclusion was that CVE “provides a means for automated ulceration and mucosal injury quantitation that shows conceptual agreement with SES-CD and offers new capabilities to improve the granularity and personalization of endoscopic disease assessment in CD.”
To read more of the study, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas—Health Tech Academy recently introduced a fully online endoscopy technician program designed to launch students into the growing field of GI healthcare. Created in partnership with clinical experts, this program focuses on real-world skills such as patient prep, scope care, sterilization practices, and procedure room support.
The six-week curriculum blends on-demand learning with live coaching sessions, allowing students to train on a flexible schedule while receiving professional guidance. Open to anyone with a high school diploma or GED, the program helps learners build confidence and competence for support roles in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and endoscopy centers.
The structured weekly curriculum covers key topics such as endoscope processing, patient safety, anatomy of the digestive system, infection prevention, and procedural assistance—taught by experienced industry professionals. Health Tech Academy (HTA) created its endoscopy technician certification program to prepare future healthcare workers with the technical skills, clinical knowledge, and patient-focused mindset needed to support today’s GI care teams.
“We’re excited to introduce a program that opens doors for students to enter the field of endoscopy with confidence,” said Shamsah Noorani, CEO of Health Tech Academy. “In just six weeks, learners can gain the hands-on knowledge and technical foundation needed to pursue certification and step into essential roles on GI care teams. Our goal is to make healthcare training more accessible—while preparing students to have an immediate, positive impact in clinical environments.”
Health Tech Academy’s program connects students with seasoned healthcare professionals who bring real-world experience from GI clinics and hospital settings. Through one-on-one mentorship and expert-led support, learners receive the kind of personalized guidance rarely found in traditional education models. The program emphasizes skill-building in a low-pressure, flexible environment that adapts to each student’s pace and needs. With streamlined coursework, prompt feedback, and an all-inclusive tuition that covers learning materials and certification prep, this online pathway offers an accessible, career-focused alternative to conventional training programs.
“Our new Endoscopy Technician program equips students with the technical training, guided mentorship, and job-ready skills needed to thrive in GI healthcare settings,” said Danish Khan, Product Manager at Health Tech Academy. “From the engaging online modules to personalized career planning tools and our career evaluation assessment, every part of the program was built to address workforce needs and prepare learners for in-demand roles in endoscopic care.”
This new Endoscopy Technician program joins Health Tech Academy’s growing lineup of career-focused healthcare certifications, which includes training for medical assistants, sterile processing technicians, and more. Each program is built for flexibility, speed, and accessibility—offering a streamlined path into healthcare without the expense or timeline of a traditional degree.
Cedars-Sinai’s upcoming Sept. 13 conference on Women and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) will highlight women’s unique experiences with the disorder and provide relevant information and guidance for both patients and providers, says gastroenterologist Puja V. Khanna, MD, the clinical director of the Cedars-Sinai Inflammatory Bowel Disease Women’s Health Program.
“In the morning, we will host a clinician track on best practices for treating women with IBD,” Khanna said. “In the afternoon, patients and families are invited to a dedicated session covering pregnancy, fertility, nutrition, mental health and more. There is also time for patients and providers to connect.”
An estimated 3 million people in the U.S. have inflammatory bowel disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disorder produces chronic and often destructive inflammation in the digestive tract. The two most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. While some cases can be mild and manageable, many IBD patients are faced with a constellation of health problems including severe diarrhea, malnutrition, dangerous blood clots, and extensive and painful scarring.
IBD occurs in men and women at about the same rate, but the disease can leave women facing unique health challenges. There can be difficult decisions about proceeding with certain drug therapies while trying to conceive or during pregnancy and menopause.
“For women living with IBD, simply knowing that their needs are recognized and that there is a community and program designed for them can be incredibly empowering,” Khanna said
The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom interviewed Khanna about how IBD impacts the health and wellbeing of women, including finding a good healthcare provider and effective therapies available to them.
In what ways can IBD impact women and men differently?
While inflammatory bowel disease occurs at about the same rate in both sexes, women often present differently. After age 30, Crohn’s disease is more common in women than in men. We also see sex-specific patterns: Women are more likely to have Crohn’s limited to the colon, less extensive ulcerative colitis, and more frequent extraintestinal conditions, such as eye inflammation and skin disorders. Recognizing these differences is critical for timely diagnosis and effective management.
Are there differences in diagnosis, disease course or treatment protocols for women?
The diagnostic workup for IBD is the same regardless of sex and typically involves colonoscopy, imaging, lab testing. However, the course of the illness can vary. Women may experience flares around hormonal changes, such as those occurring during menstruation or pregnancy.
Treatment approaches are generally the same for men and women, but side effects can differ. For example, women are more likely to develop drug-induced lupus with certain biologic therapies. Providers must stay alert to sex-based responses to various treatments for IBD. For women of childbearing age, therapy selection must consider whether a medication is safe in pregnancy. Most of them are, but not all.
Does IBD impact a woman’s reproductive life, including menstruation, fertility and pregnancy?
Absolutely. Many women report worsening symptoms during menstruation due to hormone fluctuations. Fertility can be reduced in women with active inflammation or prior pelvic surgery, although more research is needed on that front. Pregnancy outcomes are best when disease is in remission for at least three to six months before conception. Interestingly, we have found that some women with IBD may actually experience improvement in symptoms during pregnancy.
Most IBD medications can be safely continued during pregnancy, particularly when the disease is under control. Methotrexate, an immunosuppressant medication, should be avoided. There are other classes of medications, such as JAK inhibitors, whose safety and use should be discussed with your provider. At Cedars-Sinai, our IBD Pregnancy and Fertility Clinic brings gastroenterology and obstetrics together so women receive coordinated care.
Do women find it challenging to get an accurate IBD diagnosis? What advice would you offer?
Many women do face delays. They may see multiple providers before reaching a gastroenterologist who recognizes their symptoms as inflammatory bowel disease. My advice is to advocate for yourself. If you are not being heard, seek a second opinion, ideally at a dedicated IBD center. A colonoscopy and appropriate testing are essential to confirm the condition.
How do IBD patients benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to care?
One young woman in her 20s came to me after years of aggressive Crohn’s disease. She had seen specialists across the country, endured multiple treatments, and was facing another surgery. She broke down in tears, telling me she felt abandoned by her doctors. I reassured her and then brought her case to our weekly IBD meeting where top experts could collaborate on her care. That sense of not being given up on, and of building a trusted partnership with a care team, can be life-changing for patients living with a chronic illness.
The Women and IBD conference will take place at Cedars-Sinai on Saturday, Sept. 13. Attendance is free but registration is required.
Those interested in attending can email [email protected] to register and receive more information.
A team from Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the Medical University of Vienna has introduced a new imaging approach known as oxygen-enhanced endoscopy (O2E), which enables highly precise detection of cancerous lesions in the esophagus. According to research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, this technique can reveal even subtle pathological alterations in tissue, paving the way for earlier identification and diagnosis.
O2E merges optical coherence tomography—which provides detailed images of tissue architecture—with optoacoustic imaging, a method that employs light pulses and ultrasound to visualize tiny blood vessels in deeper tissue layers. By combining these two technologies within a single capsule that rotates to scan the entire esophagus, O2E delivers high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the esophageal lining.
Researchers tested the O2E system in a pilot study by examining both animal esophageal tissue and human samples from individuals with Barrett’s esophagus, a condition that can precede esophageal cancer. The team successfully distinguished healthy tissue from areas with abnormal cell changes, precancerous developments, and cancerous growths. Additionally, they conducted proof-of-concept tests on the inner lip of a volunteer, taking advantage of its comparable tissue features.
