On Tuesday, Orlando Health unveiled the newly expanded Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute. The state-of-the-art facility in Downtown Orlando is recognized worldwide as one of the most advanced centers for digestive health. Now, this new expansion is bolstering Orlando Health’s innovative research including AI capabilities that improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for diseases such as pancreatic cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
“This expansion showcases our commitment to not only providing high quality clinical care, but also conducting cutting edge clinical research” said David Strong, Orlando Health president and CEO.
Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute is now pioneering AI technology for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. according to the American Cancer Society. Dr. Shyam Varadarajulu, gastroenterologist and president of Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute, is developing AI endoscopic ultrasound technology to help doctors detect pancreatic cancer earlier by spotting tiny tumors in the pancreas. Dr. Varadarajulu is leading this groundbreaking research through a clinical study in collaboration with experts in Europe.
“One of the major problems in diagnosing pancreatic cancer is that it is not diagnosed at an early stage,” said Dr. Shyam Varadarajulu. “Artificial intelligence could help doctors find challenging tumors earlier which could lead to a life-saving treatment plan for patients.”
Leila Braswell knows the impact of early detection all too well. Dr. Varadarajulu used AI to locate a mass on Braswell’s pancreas last year. That mass turned out to be pancreatic cancer. Now, one year after detection and chemotherapy at Orlando Health, Braswell is cancer free.
“Listen to your body. Start looking,” Braswell said. “It’s what saved my life. I feel like I was given this second chance, and I have to give back and let people know that there is help. Orlando Health, that was a huge difference. A great experience. Consistent, caring care. So I was very fortunate.”
The expansion brings two additional interventional endoscopy procedure rooms that will include shockwave lithotripsy for treating pancreatic stones, the first in Central Florida. New additions also include a cutting-edge Motility Center, Medical Pancreatology Clinic and recruitment of two additional transplant hepatologists to the Central Florida community. The Motility Center includes the Motility Clinic and state-of-the-art Motility Lab which provide comprehensive care for patients with both upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders. The three-member liver team has been developed in anticipation of a solid organ transplant program that is expected to start at Orlando Health within the next two years.
